Rating:  Summary: excellent!couldn't put it down. Review: this book is a page turner.i keep reading and didn't want to stop.great characters.nick the dick is a cool character. i am looking forward to his next book.
Rating:  Summary: A welcome newcomer to a crowded market Review: Just when you thought that all lawyers must have written "their" courtroom drama by now, here's yet another one. So should you really read yet another first-time lawyer/author. The answer is, surprisingly, a resounding "yes!" This book makes no pretense at being anything but a fun read: no cause, no axe to grind, no reform plan--just a good page turner! The hero is witty and likable, the local color is enjoyable for all of us lucky enough to live in the San Francisco area (or those who would like to fantasize about it), the swipes at the legal profession are accurate without being mean-spirited or suggesting a grand cause, and the writing is consistently to the point, readable, entertaining and suspenseful, featuring some hairpin plot turns! Do yourself a favor: don't pass this one up!
Rating:  Summary: One of the best books that I've ever read!!! Review: I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery, suspense, thriller type novels. This is Sheldon Siegel's first novel and it was truly magnificent. I can only imagine how good his future books will be.
Rating:  Summary: Plenty of four letter words Review: Although the story line could be interesting, this tape is filled with constant profanity. I couldn't understand why the author felt this was necessary because the characters are interesting, the plot is a good one and all the sex and four letter words are totally unecessary. I would not recommend this tape if you are sensitive to bad language. If it's murder, intrique and courtroom drama you want, save your money on this one and go for an author who really knows how to write a good book.
Rating:  Summary: A very good legal thriller. Review: Sheldon Siegel writes with flair, wit, and style. His humor is wonderful as he weaves it into this gripping thriller about a man accused of a double murder. The fact that the man was once his partner in a prestigious law firm adds spice to the story. Attorney Mike Daley is our hero in this story, and it is up to Mr. Daley to exonerate his old friend Joel Friedman, accused of the murder of an attorney and a woman working for the S & G firm of attorneys. Mr. Daley starts off strongly believing in the innocence of his client, but as the facts unfold, he questions their friendship, their loyalty to each other, and the very core of his case. He is an exemplary lawyer in court, faced with a case that will have you turning page after page. Mr. Daley's "affair" with his ex-wife falls flat, but other than that, the book is a winner. I think Sheldon Siegel has broken into this genre with a smash hit, and I look forward to his next novel, which he offers a preview of in this book, "Incriminating Evidence".
Rating:  Summary: Lawyer's Lawyer Review: Special Circumstances is a term that denotes a death penalty case in California. Mike Daley, ex-priest, ex- PD, ex-big firm lawyer, defends a former associate accused of killing a high-powered partner and a female associate and trying to make it look like a homecide-suicide. The new DA, one of Mike Daley's partners, was actually present during the time of the murders. He vows to try the case himself, even though he had essentially zero trial experience. There are dozens of folks with a motive to murder the partner, and even more including the new DA with a motive to make a suicide into a capital case. Daley must sort it all out on a short time table. At its best this is the story of lawyers and their retinues. Sheldon Siegel introduces us to a great cast of characters. Whoever could forget Dr. Kathy Chandler, the mail order pop psychologist, or Nick the Dick, the eighysomething private eye? Lawyers from big firms will see their partners, big and small alike, craftily skewed by Siegel. This is a book that you won't want to put down.
Rating:  Summary: A very compelling story. Review: Siegel's first attemtp at a lawyer novel was great! The criminal trial process was researched carefully and described more faithfully than most novels. The characters are very human, their flaws make them likeable. An innocent man is put on trial and his best friend has to defend him, even though the client isn't exactly honest with his lawyer. The story works very well A good read for anyone that likes a good mystery.
Rating:  Summary: Just plain fun! Review: Sheldon Siegel's Special Circumstances is just plain fun. I loved(and loved to hate)the all the richly drawn characters. With enough plot twists to satisfy any dedicated mystery fan, Siegel keeps the story on the fast track with a liberal sprinkling of humor. You won't need a bookmark because you won't put this one down!
Rating:  Summary: Mindless Stuff Review: If you're looking for the novel equivalent of network TV, here it is. The book reads quickly -- you certainly won't find yourself pausing to ponder a scene or character. The entire book is about a single murder trial. One might think that the defense attorney (and protagonist of the novel) would resolve things with a clever insight or some legalistic brilliance. But, no. Instead the trial just sort of ends. The jury delivers its verdict. There's no interesting reason for the decision they come to, the verdict just sort of is. The author later tries to introduce a rather lame, last-minute plot twist, but by then everyone's gone home. The main reason the book reminds me of TV is that, like writers in that medium, the author doesn't mind insulting his audience's intelligence. The assumption appears to be that readers will mindlessly accept whatever you tell them, no matter how preposterous. Consider a couple of examples. The new district attorney personally elects to try the case, even though a) he was very close to the victims, b) he used to work with the defendant, c) he used to work with the defense attorney, d) the murders occurred at his law office and he knows virtually everyone involved in the case, and e) he himself worked for the law firm at the time and was on or around the premises at the time of the murder (indeed, could be considered a possible suspect). No, no one would question that. Or how about this? The famous psychologist who treats wealthy and famous clients has no formal training in psychology whatsoever. In fact, her only degree is an honorary doctorate from Southwestern Texas City College. Even assuming that city colleges are now handing out honorary doctorates, do readers believe that such a person would be given a license to practice psychology in the state of California? (In fact, it's not so easy to get a license in California even with a real doctoral degree in psychology.) There are other examples I could cite, but my point is that the author (an attorney himself) surely knows that both of these situations are absurd. Yet he apparently has decided his readers aren't bright enough to figure things out or cognitively engaged enough to care.
Rating:  Summary: Predicatable killer Review: This is a novel about lawyers. The defendant is a lawyer, his friends are lawyers, and the protaganists are lawyers. As has become usual today, the hero is divorced, which has nothing to do with the plot. Speaking of plot, here's where I had a problem. I was able to figure out who didn't do the deed and by process of elimination, I knew who the killer was. I found myself TELLING the hero who the killer was as I listened to the story. I don't like detective stories that I can figure out. I want to be surprised or shocked. This didn't happen in this story.
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