A Weak Legal Mystery

When he was growing up, Jack Dana's Uncle Harry, a Manhattan attorney, was an important part of his life and remains so after Jack is wounded in Afganistan. After finishing a novel, Jack returns from a vacation in South America to learn that his beloved uncle has committed suicide after being forced into retirement.

Jack is shocked. He begins digging into the facts surrounding his uncle's death and finds there are many loose ends. He's helped in this by Kerry, a young female partner in his uncle's firm, and Scott, a school friend. Things are not as they seem at the law firm, and Jack wants to know why.

This is a poorly written book. It starts slowly with an extensive account of Jack's early life and his relationship with Uncle Harry. Told in the first person, the story drags. These is no sparkling dialog, or interesting description.

Jack is a self-centered, boring character. Likewise, Kerry, who becomes his lover, is predictable and dull. Their motivations are hard reconcile with the plot. Kerry, for example, was Uncle Jack's favorite, but did nothing to defend him when he was being forced out of the firm.

The plot is predictable. The villain is obvious from the early pages even before the suicide. I can't recommend this book. Mystery books that take you through the life of the protagonist before getting to the decisive event are poorly done. I wanted to like this book. This concept is intriguing, but the execution didn't live up to my expectations.

I reviewed this book for the Amazon Vine Program.