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Summary: A Peek Inside the Legal, Political and Corporate World
Review: This was a great read that I initially picked up for the legal aspect since I enjoy reading legal thrillers. Bunn's ability to combine the power struggles within the courtroom, on the international political stage and within the international corporate world makes this a page turner for sure. A bit confusing at first to keep the characters straight, you end up knowing the myriad of characters and believing they are actually three-dimensional people who live, breathe and suffer. Definitely a recommended read!
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Summary: Look out John Grisham!
Review: WOW!What a super book! This was the first T. Davis Bunn novel I had the pleasure of reading. It was a gift or I might never have discovered a wonderful book and author. I fell in love right away with the author's pace and way of storytelling. I could hear the drawls of the friends Marcus made in the rural part of North Carolina. I could see his home, the trees behind it, and each of Bunn's characters clearly in my mind (this is rare for me to be able to picture and imagine a book so vividly!). It scared me that this book, and the subject matter, could actually be true. New Horizons could be any number of companies located in the US. That makes it so real, and so scary. If you aren't sure if you like legal thrillers, this is more than that. You CARE about the people in the book, worry about them, and get scared with them. The heartwarming hospitality shown by various southerners is just as I imagined it, the same as is the good ole boys network working against them. Read this. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: He's Found His Niche!
Review: Years ago, I read a book with similar passion and depth of character..."A Time to Kill," Grisham's first book. Let's hope this book launches Bunn on a similar literary trajectory. After witnessing the detention of an American female activist in China's Guangdong Province, we follow the struggles, personal and professional, of Marcus Edgewood as he attempts to hold liable a sports-gear giant, New Horizons. Edgewood and the activist's parents are looking for answers, but a conspiracy of some sort seems to stand in their way. Edgewood's struggles, though, are more than professional. The issues he deals with have been dealt with in a number of legal thrillers, but rarely so delicately as Bunn accomplishes here. This book is about much more than crossing mere cultural divides. Though the pace trods a bit slower than a standard Grisham thriller, this book sweeps you along with its rich characters and locales. (I would've enjoyed more scenes in China, but then I've traveled there extensively and maybe that's an appetite all my own.) Bunn showcases his abilities here like never before. When you're done reading, these characters will continue walking through your thoughts, the detailed settings will stand solidly in your mind, the more than occasional moments of literary gold will set themselves in your memory. In addition, his brief but appropriate spiritual moments leaven the mood with thoughts of "The Great Divide" we must all face at some point. Despite an abundance of secondary characters, Bunn masterfully maintains each individual's uniqueness, including blacks and Asians with only an ounce of stereotyping. (Aren't stereotypes based on at least some truth usually?) He juggles the emotions, the trial, and the relationships with care and compassion. Though I found certain aspects of the trial to lean inordinately in the plaintiff's direction, I'm no legal expert and I was more than willing to let them slide in favor of the author and his loveable--and despicable--cast. If Bunn follows this one up with another legal thriller, I'll pre-order the book. He seems to have found his niche. Hopefully, he'll also find the audience he deserves.
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