Murdering Lawyers
Secret societies, violent murders, and the evil that every person is capable of drive one lawyer into darkness in order to save those he loves.
Larry Fine’s Murdering Lawyers is a fast and frenetic take on Shakespeare’s well-known quote, “The first thing that we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” And Fine really means it, opening the book with a scene of sex and violence to do the first one in. From there, readers are taken into secret societies and the legal profession in a new and creative way.
Marc Wilson is technically a lawyer, but he’s never actually worked as one. In a shady attempt to secure a job with a law firm, Marc breaks into an office of the Ethics Committee of the Bar Association and adds his name to the roster, giving him the opportunity to become an international litigator. But what is the cost of that maneuver? As he falls deeper and deeper into a mysterious secret society, Marc finds it impossible to understand what is going on and how to extricate himself as deaths add up.
Poor Marc Wilson just wants to make a living and find a way to get his mother the house in Florida that she wants, but he is unable to do that without a decent job, and doing pro bono work for his mother’s friends is not filling his bank account very quickly. The author’s characterization of Marc is skillfully done; Marc is adequate, but not more than that. Now he’s involved in something for which he has no frame of reference, and his response makes him much more than that barely adequate lawyer we meet at the beginning of the book. As he has to go to great lengths to protect himself and those he loves, this character shows stamina and intelligence not seen in him initially.
The plot is reminiscent of the secret-society books that have come before it, so those who are intrigued by the hidden motives and evil that can exist within a subset of the population (in this case lawyers) will appreciate Wilson’s world. The plot turns very dark very quickly, and the level of violence is high, even entering the realms of satanism. There is also a child involved in the darkness, which only pulls Marc in deeper.
Those unopposed to a sometimes violent and often dark thriller will be drawn to this book. The front cover is a bit of a disconnect from the darkness, so sensitive readers should perhaps beware of what lies within.
Reviewed by
Lynn Evarts
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
