When there are three lawyers in the family, what are the odds of the three of them ending up on opposite sides of a case? In the case of Corbin Gage and his son and daughter, Ray and Roxy, the three of them get mixed up in case that has huge implications for all of their careers. Robert Whitlow's A House Divided focuses on Corbin, a small-town lawyer with a big-time love of moonshine. He's been functional enough, but as he gets older his drinking begins to impact his practice of law, and, more importantly, his relationship with his children and grandson.
Corbin's town is a company town, and the local plant has received a slap on the wrist for dumping waste. When he begins to see a few local kids get cancer, and when the fish in his favorite fishing hole turn up dead, he decides to dig in a little. In a town where almost everyone relies on one company for employment, going against that company doesn't make Corbin--or his son--very popular. And when his daughter tries to quietly help out, it doesn't take long for her career to be on the line as well.
Whitlow's focus is less on the litigation of a toxic waste problem and more on the family dynamics of Corbin's family and Corbin's battle against alcoholism. I enjoyed A House Divided, but not as much as I have many of Whitlow's other books. Still, this is very good legal fiction with an element of faith, leaving the reader to start looking for the next Whitlow book to read.
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