The Common Lawyer

I really like Mark Gimenez so far. His books are exciting, humorous, and thought-provoking. This one was no exception. It had some serious issues mixed in with a lot of light-hearted action; but don't take anything too seriously.

There were some parts that would only interest mountain bikers, I think. Fortunately, I was living in the birthplace of mountain bikes back in the 80s (Fairfax, CA in Marin County by Mt. Tamalpais), down the street from a small bike shop owned by Gary Fisher, usually considered the father of mountain bikes. I still own a Fisher Mt Tam bike, although it doesn't get much use these days. I also owned the early Stump Jumper, which is the brand that the lawyer Andy Prescott bought after destroying his old one in a show more wipeout.

Anyway, if you can handle a lot of descriptive text involving high-speed chases on bikes, or if you're good as skimming over these parts, there's a fun story here that's mostly just simple excitement and fun characters, some good mystery, with a fairly happy ending. show less

This was good. Fast paced and full of action. It's not trying to be clever and cerebral, we are definitely in beachside reading territory here. The plot is fairly original and the characters are fun, although some are more caricatures than characters. I also feel confident I could navigate my way round Austin now as parts of the book seem to double up as a tourist guide!

I really love this author. I love a great, fast, interesting legal thriller and Gimenez really knows how to deliver the goods. This one is set in Austin and the protagonist is a "traffic lawyer" who fights traffic tickets for clients and just barely scrapes by. He rides a bike, and I have to admit the constant descriptions of how he cuts a swath through Austin on his bike became a bit like reading directions on Yahoo Maps. Also, his neighborhood characters were maybe a tad too quirky. Still, it was a good tale well told, so I'm cutting him some slack.

Part legal thriller, part morality play, part action novel “The Common Lawyer” is Mark Gimenez's most accomplished work to date. It's moving, engaging, and I like to think insightful. As an airport novel it's flawless. Bought at Gatwick on Thursday it was finished late on Friday night, driven by the pretty relentless pace of the plot and by a genuine desire to be in Gimenez's Texas universe. It's not without it's flaws, it's sentimental in the extreme in some places and I'm sure someone of a scientific bent could drive a cart and horse through the core premise, but its fusion of the legal thriller and action genres makes it an eminently readable proposition.

For full review please see: show more target="_top">http://southlondonbook.blogspot.com/2009/03/common-lawyer-mark-gimenez.html show less

I love this author's books - have read all of them. Keeps me turning the pages until I finish the book.

Back Cover Blurb:
Andy Prescott is the most laid-back young lawyer in Austin, Texas. Specialising in traffic law, he operates from a small room above a tattoo parlour. Ambition has never been Andy's strong point - he prefers to take it easy.
That is, until one of Texas's wealthiest men walks into his office. On the spot, billionaire Russell Reeves retains Andy as his lawyer and pays him more money than he has ever earned before. Andy's life is transformed.
But nothing comes for free. Russell is a desperate man whose sole aim is to save the life of his eight-year-old son, Zach. He is prepared to do anything - even if it means putting show more Andy's life in danger.... show less

Prepostorous storyline. I was wondering why are we reminded in every other chapter that the net worth of the charatcter was 20 billion and he then gave away 5 billion and is now worth 15 billion.

read in 2010