Dennis Carstens

According to the copy I read, one of the author's goals was to write true-to-life lawyer and courtroom scenes. While I agree that famous lawyers are rare and that those who can eke out a life without scrambling are probably few and far between (especially outside of big firms partners), I can't speak to the accuracy of his lawyerly and courtroom scenes.

I didn't suspect the twist at the end.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead:

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I did enjoy the secondary plot of Marc's battle with the IRS on his (ex?)wife's behalf (I can't remember if they're already divorced or are in the process of divorcing.) which the author claims is based on a true case. I've long though many of the things government agencies do don't make sense. I did end up scratching my head a lot at the antics of the IRS and other government agencies who needed to sign off on this to get it resolved. And who doesn't dream of being able to successfully sue the IRS to recoup some of what's been paid? It's scary how easily they could claim Karen was at fault in the failure to pay taxes, and scary how those supposed to be helping her claimed things that were incorrect.

I enjoyed Marc's being a mostly honest lawyer. I appreciated the authors attempts to explain why certain parts of trials are conducted as they are.

I never figured out if Jake actually saw his brother (after the accident) or if that was a figment of his imagination or a result of the accident. That seems to be what drove him to try to frame Carl for the murders--and ironically, his attempts to frame Carl are what let Carl go free, when in fact Carl is who they were looking for. (And how silly that he could have gotten away but ended up getting caught because he came back in the same geographic location almost right away.)… (meer)