BookBrowse Reviews In The Shadow of The Law by Kermit Roosevelt

BookBrowse:

A complex, ambitious and gripping first novel

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The setting of Roosevelt's first novel is a big law firm on Washington DC's K Street. K Street being the home for many of the most powerful Washington lobbyists (to the point that the part of K Street that passes through the downtown area has been referred to as the fourth branch of government!)  As the story opens, the firm has two particularly challenging cases on, one a class action suit against a Texas chemical company, and the other a pro bono case assigned to eager young associate Mark Clayton.  So far this sounds pretty much like many another legal thriller - but Roosevelt's is a little more thoughtful than most - combining enough twists and turns to keep thing interesting while also pondering some of the bigger questions about the law and the moral dangers to those who practice it.

Selected Reviews:
"If the first few pages of Roosevelt's debut call to mind John Grisham, don't be fooled. This isn't a plot-driven legal thriller of the sort Grisham writes.....Legal terms and concepts abound so this isn't breezy reading; thought-provoking is a much more accurate description." - Booklist

"[An] outstanding debut...the book transcends the legal thriller genre.....Most of all it's the vividness and complexity of the characters." - Publishers Weekly starred review.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2005, and has been updated for the June 2006 edition. Click here to go to this issue.