What’s "The Final Judgement" about? Caroline Masters, the judge in "Degree of Guilt", is back, looking forward to her new role as a candidate for a Presidential appointment to the United States Court of Appeals. Into this idyllic situation, the fulfilment of her dreams, you can be sure Mr Patterson is going to toss a bomb - and so he does, in the form of a phone cry for help from the New England town that she escaped long ago, and a niece who needs her legal talents in the worst way. Unfortunately for Caroline this means a reunion with her retired judge father and an impediment to her upcoming appointment. What’s "Silent Witness" about? It’s murders again, interestingly thirty years apart, and par for the course in this genre, they are also quite brutal. As with his previous novel, "The Final Judgement", Patterson examines the meaning of loyalty and responsibility. That’s fair enough – they say that all writers reproduce the same theme over and over again. This time it is a famous defence attorney who returns to his birthplace to face a harrowing past. And again Mr Patterson wants us to look hard and long at the ethics that are the foundation of legal practice. There are plenty of coincidences to drive the plot, and Patterson handles them better than Turow in "The Laws Of Our Fathers". What’s "Eyes of a Child" about? Again we meet Chris Paget, first introduced in "The Lasko Tangent", then spectacularly revived in "Degree of Guilt" – now he reappears in "Eyes of a Child". This time Paget finds himself involved with the wife of the dastardly Richard Arias, who does not take kindly to Paget’s extra-legal activities. It's not an exaggeration to say that Arias will stop at nothing to get his wife back – and he’ll destroy anyone he has to along the way. To describe this guy as ruthless is like saying Pauline Hanson is just a local member! But wait – don’t despair, because Arias is going to come to a sticky (remember, blood is sticky!) end. And guess who’s the prime suspect when suicide begins to look doubtful? How are judge’s appointed in the United States (for instance, Caroline is awaiting an invitation from the President in "The Final Judgement")? The appointment of federal judges, like the Court of Appeal in "The Final Judgement", is the responsibility of the President of the United States. So, in America, the election of the President leads to the election of the judges! In Australia, High Court judges are nominated by the federal government. In America these judges are appointed for life (in Australia there is a mandatory retirement age). As an example of the sort of power that goes along with the presidency, Clinton was able to appoint more than a quarter of all federal judges in his first term, including two Supreme Court justices. So, you might ask how the President is able to handle this powerful task? Well, it helps sometimes if you are a friend or associate of the incumbent – this should be a lesson for those who support unlimited private campaign contributions to political campaigns in this country. Nevertheless, candidates in America must have their presidential nominations confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and this itself has proven a major (and very public) hurdle for some appointees in the past. This is the reason Caroline’s nomination is threatened by her possible participation in a notorious case – the President would probably withdraw her nomination rather than let her be subjected to interrogation in public. "Silent Witness" brings legal ethics into focus – yes, there are ethical rules that lawyers have to stick to!! What are the rules of conduct that a lawyer must follow? It’s a good idea to think of lawyers as nothing more than another service provider – like your plumber, they have a certain standard they must maintain, and their work has to be up to scratch. And like all consumers, you have rights that can be enforced. There is legislation in each state of Australia that tells lawyers what they can and can’t do – in Victoria this is called the Legal Profession Practice Act. For instance, lawyers are not allowed to borrow money from clients, except in certain exceptional situations; they must follow the orders of their clients; there are rigorous rules about handling client’s money; they must complete work efficiently and promptly; they must not act for a client if there is a conflict of interest, probably Mr Patterson’s favourite theme. What can you do if there is a breach of these (and others not mentioned) rules? See our Using Lawyers topic. Eyes Of A Child involves allegations of child abuse. In all Australian States this is the subject of legislation, and in Victoria, there is now "mandatory reporting of child abuse" (it’s in the Children and Young Person’s Act). This means that anyone who is in a category of certain professional (e.g. doctors, social workers, police, nurses, teachers) must report suspicions of these offences to the authorities. Nowadays Richard North Patterson has to be included in an exclusive list of best selling legal thriller writers, along with John Grisham and Scott Turow. Like those luminaries, he too was a practising lawyer, a partner in a San Francisco corporate law firm. He doesn’t believe he could have been a writer had it not been for his real life legal experience. He says the skills of a trial lawyer are also the skills of a storyteller – those of us at Law In The Lounge who have court room experience have heard plenty of yarns in our time! Patterson was born in Berkeley, California, in 1947, and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and the Case Western Reserve School of Law. He did not start at the top – he was an Ohio assistant attorney general, before going to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those of you who have read his first novel, "The Lasko Tangent", will recognise the latter experience as the source for much of that story. That book won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first suspense novel of 1979. He scratched his writing itch at the University of Alabama in the late 1970s, and wrote three more novels whilst working as a lawyer. But then he stopped writing for about 8 years, after which he wrote "Degree of Guilt" in about three months (we’re jealous!). Now he is on the top rung of best sellers – to those of us at Law in the Lounge still toiling at the law, this seems enticing indeed. Our verdict - "The Final Judgement" Patterson is back on the flashback trail; Caroline is plunged into her murky past, and we are taken along for the ride. The author loves this sort of stuff – sometimes we wished he would stick more to the present! As always with Patterson, he is at his best in the court room, and when he’s there, this is a taut and compelling thriller. Here at Law in the Lounge we enjoy legal thrillers when the hero is required to make a sacrifice for the sake of a case – without sacrifice, what’s the point, and Caroline has a lot to lose if she takes on her niece’s defence. Patterson is wonderful in the court room; away from the court room this is an interesting but not compelling novel. Our verdict - "Silent Witness" This is probably Richard North Patterson’s best book, at least that’s what the reading team here at Law in the Lounge say! As usual with this writer, everything is a build-up to the court room, where he excels. This time he uses that tricky literary device, the flashback, to much better effect, although it lasts about 150 pages. It is interesting that the hero, Tony Lord, got interested in the law because of his own unfortunate experience as a victim of the criminal investigative process. Thirty years later he is back in the same town, in similar circumstances, except this time he’s the lawyer, not the defendant. A compelling plot, and Patterson pulls it off with real style. Our verdict - "Eyes of a Child" Patterson is onto another recurring theme – sacrifice, loyalty, and the price of being true to oneself. We begin with a murder, but as is the case in each of this author’s books, the truth is illuminated in flashbacks to the last months of the victim’s life. There are accusations of sexual abuse, divorce and the battle over a child. You don’t have to read the "Paget" novels in order of publication – it helps, but for most readers the introduction of this character was through "Degree of Guilt", the second in the series. One of our readers took a thorough dislike to the main female character, and another was a bit squeamish on the child abuse scenes, so be warned. Still, Patterson knows exactly how to get a reader hooked and keep them there until the end, and if this is what you want, look no further. Want us to tell you when we review another book ? Read this: The legal information contained above is intended to be general information about the law. It is not a substitute for legal and other professional advice. Lawscape Communications P/L does not accept responsibility for loss to any person, who either acts or does not act because of this information. |