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New York Times bestselling author William Lashner returns with a brilliantly twisty tale that probes the dark side of the law -- and man Unlike the rest of you, I cheerfully admit to my own utter selfishness. I am self-made, self-absorbed, self-serving, self-referential, even self-deprecating, in a charming sort of way. In short, I am all the selfs except selfless. Yet every so often, I run across a force of nature that shakes my sublime self-centeredness to its very roots. Something that show more tears through the landscape like a tornado, leaving nothing but ruin and reexamination in its wake. Something like Bob. --Victor Carl A beautiful young woman is dead, her husband convicted of the murder. In seeking a new trial for the husband, defense attorney Victor Carl must confront not only a determined prosecutor and a police detective who might have set up his client, but also a strange little busybody named Bob. Bob has the aspiration, one could even say compulsion, to help those around him. And it usually works out well for all concerned, except when it ends in blood. But Victor doesn’t know that . . . yet. Thanks to Bob, Victor is suddenly dressing better, dating a stunning woman, and both his economic prospects and his teeth are gleaming. It’s all good, until Victor finds a troubling connection between Bob and the murdered wife. Is Bob a kind of saint or is this obsessive Good Samaritan, in reality, a murderer? Filled with the keen wit, deep poignancy, twisting suspense, and dark realism that has entranced readers, impressed reviewers, and made William Lashner’s previous novels bestsellers, Falls the Shadow is a riveting novel sure to leave readers eager for more. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Fifth in the Victor Carl, Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer, series.
Carl’s partner in the economically-precarious firm of Derringer and Carl, Beth Derringer, is forever taking on cases either out of the goodness of her heart (a death wish, in Carl’s view) or for other really stupid reasons, such as a belief in the justice of the case regardless of the fact that the client can’t pay.
Therefore, against his better judgement, Carl fins himself with two cases on his hands--defending a man he instinctively loathes who has been convicted of killing his wife but who has appealed to Carl to reopen the case, and trying to help a single mother with her problems. And to top it all off, Carl has a massive dental problem, courtesy of the show more hood who cracked his jaw with the barrel of a gun in his last case.
Justifiably nervous about dentists, Carl is in so much pain that he final concedes defeat and visits the dentist recommended by a friend--which is why the book opens with Carl and Bob the Dentist in a bar fight.
Some of the most hilarious scenes in a series filled with weird but hysterically funny comedy occur in the dentist’s office. You think that’s impossible? Read the book.
As usual, there are unforgettable (even if you wanted to do so) one-off characters, not the least of whom is Bob the Dentist. Another is Horace T. Grant,who is simply the latest in a long line of street-wise characters who have unerringly sized up Carl--and found him wanting.
As has been true in every book in the series so far, the past plays a crucial role. Also, most of the plots revolve around some moral or social issue and this book is no exception. Lashner’s view of moral crusaders is intriguing.
An outstanding book in an outstanding series. Highly recommended. show less
Carl’s partner in the economically-precarious firm of Derringer and Carl, Beth Derringer, is forever taking on cases either out of the goodness of her heart (a death wish, in Carl’s view) or for other really stupid reasons, such as a belief in the justice of the case regardless of the fact that the client can’t pay.
Therefore, against his better judgement, Carl fins himself with two cases on his hands--defending a man he instinctively loathes who has been convicted of killing his wife but who has appealed to Carl to reopen the case, and trying to help a single mother with her problems. And to top it all off, Carl has a massive dental problem, courtesy of the show more hood who cracked his jaw with the barrel of a gun in his last case.
Justifiably nervous about dentists, Carl is in so much pain that he final concedes defeat and visits the dentist recommended by a friend--which is why the book opens with Carl and Bob the Dentist in a bar fight.
Some of the most hilarious scenes in a series filled with weird but hysterically funny comedy occur in the dentist’s office. You think that’s impossible? Read the book.
As usual, there are unforgettable (even if you wanted to do so) one-off characters, not the least of whom is Bob the Dentist. Another is Horace T. Grant,who is simply the latest in a long line of street-wise characters who have unerringly sized up Carl--and found him wanting.
As has been true in every book in the series so far, the past plays a crucial role. Also, most of the plots revolve around some moral or social issue and this book is no exception. Lashner’s view of moral crusaders is intriguing.
An outstanding book in an outstanding series. Highly recommended. show less
Do-gooder dentist, humorous lawyer and partner.
Halverwege het boek kreeg ik steeds meer het gevoel en raar kulverhaal te lezen. Ondanks de humor ben ik er dus maar mee gestopt. Zonde van de tijd.
Dec 25, 2012Dutch
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21 Works 2,152 Members
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- Original publication date
- 2005
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- 204
- Popularity
- 159,456
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.67)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, French, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 3
