The Litigators

The Litigators, by John Grisham.

The law firm of Finley & Figg referred to itself as a "boutique firm." This misnomer was inserted as often as possible into routine conversations, and it even appeared in print in some of the various schemes hatched by the partners to solicit business. When used properly, it implied that Finley & Figg was something above your average two-bit operation. Boutique, as in pretty cool and chic, right down to the Frenchness of the word itself. Boutique, as in throroughly happy to be small, selective, and prosperous.

Except for its size, it was none of these things.

The Litigators is the newest novel by John Grisham, one of my favorite legal authors, and of course I had to read it. I was lucky enough to win a copy of it from his Facebook page, but since I perpetually have a large stack of books sitting on my desk, I am just now getting to read it.

David Zinc is a well-paid, overworked associate at the large Chicago firm of Rogan Rothberg. One day, he has a mini-breakdown and decides that he has had it with the firm, and drinks himself into a stupor. He somehow ends up on Finley & Figg's front porch, and they take him in for the day. He bargains with them to let him work there, and they give him a small room (attic, really) upstairs. When Finley & Figg weasel themselves into a lawsuit about Krayoxx, a drug that is supposed to control cholesterol but that some people think is causing deaths instead, David is third string on the case; due to various factors, however, he ends up sitting first chair, and even though he has no trial experience, he must somehow find a way to persevere.

The book was great, as are all of Grisham's, although the ending was a little different than some of his others. I believe I read once that Grisham himself used to be a lawyer, which is probably why is books are so accurate and detailed. If you are a fan of Grisham's or you like law/legal books in general, this is a fantastic choice, and I look forward to his next novel.

4 stars out of 5.