The Common Lawyer is another great legal thriller from D/FW's own Mark Gimenez. I reviewed his The Perk back in June. (I noted then that his books aren't too easy to find here; you can order from The Book Depository in the U.K., which ships to the U.S. for FREE!) Gimenez scores another page turner with The Common Lawyer.
Gimenez has been compared to John Grisham by reviewers. The Common Lawyer, perhaps the most Grisham-like Gimenez offering yet, features a young, struggling lawyer getting an offer he can't refuse. (Grisham lovers would say that sounds familiar.) Andy Prescott is pretty content with his career. Sure, he has a cramped office over a tattoo parlor, doesn't own a car, and makes barely enough money defending traffic tickets to support his mountain biking habit. When a local billionaire drops by seeking Andy's services, his life takes a crazy turn.
Andy's first job for the billionaire, acting as his representative for some real estate development on Austin's south side, where Andy lives, sets up one of the interesting subplots of the novel. A trendy neighborhood with easy access to downtown, south Austin has seen dramatic increases in property values, so that some of the long-time, low-income residents are priced out of the neighborhood. Andy's client wants to build affordable housing in the neighborhood, to the chagrin of some residents. Andy uses his contacts and good reputation in the community to attempt to convince the neighborhood to embrace the housing development.
This part of the story highlights a feature of Gimenez's novels: an intimate knowledge of not only the geography but the culture and ethos of his settings. I have little doubt that he spent a great deal of time in this neighborhood, getting to know the people and places and creating a believable, realisitic setting. I'm not from Austin, but have been there a few times. I could picture Andy riding around downtown, on the University of Texas campus, and the trails of the greenbelt on his mountain bike. (I also got a kick out of Andy's shopping. When looking for a gift for his mother, he browses the cool shops in his neighborhood. He runs across a purse made from an armadillo, which he deems "weird, but cool." When I was in college I had the audacity to buy one of those for my girlfriend, and, even better, she had the audacity to carry it!) He then addresses social and cultural issues relevant to the people there, weaving an interesting social message through the story (without distracting from the plot). I wouldn't be a bit surprised to visit Austin and see the very housing development Gimenez describes, or reading about a controversy over such a project in the Austin papers.
The overall plot also has a message, posing a difficult medical ethics question. However, Gimenez brilliantly keeps the reader guessing as to the nature of the issue. I hesitate to reveal too much, but Gimenez forces us to wonder, if I had a child with a terminal disease, and I were a billionaire, would I not do everything I could to cure him? Would I do the unethical or illegal to treat him? Again, without beating up an issue or forcing a position down the readers' throats, Gimenez uses the issue to drive a great story, while giving us a context to consider the ethical questions.
The Common Lawyer displays Gimenez's great pacing, multiple plots levels, and engaging characters. Even with some dark elements, Gimenez keeps it light, with bumbling bad guys who could have stepped out of a Carl Hiaasen book, and Andy's free-wheeling approach to life and law that makes you want to hang out with him in his hip south Austin neighborhood. I think you'll want to, too. The Common Lawyer is a terrific read, keeping you guessing and accelerating like one of Andy's mountain bike rides toward an unexpetedly wild, thoroughly satisfying ending. Highly recommended!
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