Scott Douglas Gerber

A young lawyer with a prestigious law firm is sent to interview an acclaimed artists and update his will. He arrives to discover that a woman who has been secretly modelling for the artist for several decades, has been found dead. This murder mystery focuses primarily on the legal ramifications of drug addiction in several forms. I found that it took quite a while to come to grips with the extraordinary contest of detail which at times distracts from the story. Scott Douglas Gerber has show more nevertheless produced a most readable novel - I would never call it a ‘thriller’ - that become hard ‘to put down’ as the conclusion approaches. I rate this 3 out of 5 stars. show less

Most lawyers would be hard pressed to name a Supreme Court case decided before Marbury v. Madison. The least unknown is Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), which was almost immediately reversed by the Eleventh Amendment. As for the Justices, John Jay is remembered as a Federalist co-author and negotiator of the treaty that bears his name, James Wilson as a key figure in the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and Samuel Chase as the only Justice to be impeached. Their show more pre-Marshall colleagues, several eminent in their time, have lapsed into obscurity.

The essays collected in Seriatim have the worthy goal of explaining what our highest judicial body did during its first dozen years and bringing to life the men who did it. The effort is moderately successful. Each piece is devoted to one of the ten Justices whose appointment preceded Marshall's (excluding a couple who served only briefly). Writing from widely varying perspectives, the authors succinctly recount their subjects' lives and legal accomplishments. The latter often preceded elevation to the Supreme Court, so that the book covers a broader swathe of legal history than its subtitle would suggest.

Most of the chapters are workmanlike, just like the judges they portray. If one has an interest in John Rutledge, John Blair, James Iredell, William Paterson, Oliver Ellsworth or Bushrod Washington, here is a good starting point for research.

The more ambitious efforts are, except for Mark D. Hall's interesting view of James Wilson (concentrating chiefly on his proto-democratic political theory), less successful. John Jay's political and judicial philosophy receives a long, abstract, unilluminating treatment. The editor's "Deconstructing William Cushing" is as bizarre as its title. Stephen Presser, author of a book defending the reputation of Samuel Chase, offers a good, succinct picture of this controversial figure, followed by rather haphazard responses to unfavorable reviews.

Overall, Seriatim is informative and occasionally insightful, but it will not leave many readers eager to know more about the Supreme Court before John Marshall. show less

While I enjoyed reading this book I do think however that the plot is too predictable and the writing too descriptive. On the latter it is not necessary for an author to explain every detail to the reader as this in my opinion distracts from the story. By way of example, when a man had slipped a roofy to a young woman the author explains, "The roofy had done its job. Rohypnol, as it was called in the trade, was a drug that acted as a sedative, muscle relaxant, hypnotic, and antidepressant. show more As a prescription medication, Rohypnol was used as a pre-anesthetic and as a short-term treatment for insomnia. As a recreational drug, Rohypnol was often seen at nightclubs, parties, and raves. It was sometimes employed in connection with rape, and was known as the date-rape drug because it could incapacitate the victim and prevent her from recalling the crime." This depth of detail distracts from the story’s flow. There is also at least one instance of an incident (a poisoning) introduced into the plot that is not followed through. This leaves the reader wondering why that was even introduced into the story. The book will appeal to readers who enjoy the legal genre as the book and the legal details are well researched. show less

The Law Clerk combines the insider feel of today's most exciting fiction with insights into one of the most pressing social issues of the day, the impact of pornography.
Sam Grimes is heartbroken by a law school romance gone bad. Searching for new horizons, he accepts a prestigious clerkship with a federal judge in Providence, Rhode Island. He quickly finds himself both falling in love with a beautiful young woman he meets at the courthouse and working on the case of the decade in New show more England, the obscenity trial of Joey Mancini, the son of a Mafia boss. And as Sam is about to find out, one thing has everything to do with the other. show less