Rating: 
Summary: A Disssapointed First Timer
Review: After reading and loving the far superior "Undertaker's Widow" I was excited to get an opportunity to read another of Margolin's fast paced legal thrillers. Maybe I was hoping for another plot which places a highly ethical character in a morally ambiguous situation, but what I was treated to instead was an implausible scenario which is made even worse by the actions of the main character which defy common sense. Unlike other Margolin novels, this novel is full of flaws from the main character's reactions and actions that reach new heights in stupidity to the very contrived conclusion that wrapped everything up a little too neatly. Save some time and money and read any of Margolin's other efforts, and I promise you you will leave with a better impression of someone I believe to be a very talented writer.
Rating: 
Summary: great complex story
Review: As an author myself, I love to dissect the work of others. Philip Margolin uses some great "right angle shifts" to throw the reader into new fields in this enjoyable complex story. You have to read carefully and expect the unexpected. I thoroughly delight in this kind of literary journey.
A Wiktorek
Rating: 
Summary: A Legal Thriller that Grips Like a Vice
Review: Daniel Ames is a young man with the kind of work ethic big law firms need and expect. But in his wildest imagination he never dreamt that it might mean putting his life on the line for either his firm.A young and attractive attorney has plans and she takes advantage of Ames by asking him to stay late to review documents that belong to one of the firm's clients, a pharmaceutical company, and that are supposed to be delivered to opposing counsel the next morning. It's her job, but Ames agrees. However, he didn't know he'd be pulling an all-nighter, going through documents that normal would take him weeks. And unfortunately he misses one that may cost his firm a multimillion-dollar Thalidomide-like drug product liability case He is not only fired, but threatened, nearly killed, arrested, and charged with murder. His world comes tumbling down. Not only can't he afford defense counsel, but he isn't sure who he can trust. People he meets or knows are either disappearing or dropping like flies. How far will the parties in big-stakes civil litigation go to win? Apparently a long way in this thriller that grips like a vise. Margolin, as usual, delivers strong characterization, a terrific plot, good court scenes and plenty of thrills. Highly Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: So-So
Review: Daniel Ames, a blue-collar associate at a white-collar law firm, gets snookered by a pretty colleague into reviewing thousands of pages of documents. The client, a pharmaceutical company, is charged with falsifying test results on a new drug that appears to cause horrendous birth defects. Daniel is sure the company didn't do it, but among all the documents he overlooks a letter that could destroy his client's defense. The opposing counsel gets hold of it, and the next thing you know, Daniel's smack in the middle of a murder as well as the attendant legal fraud and chicanery. Who else, besides its manufacturer, wants the truth about the drug trials covered up? Whose body, charred almost beyond recognition, was found in the lab along with a score of dead test monkeys? And what's the connection between a double kidnapping and murder that happened years ago in Arizona and the headline-grabbing lawyer that's trying to pin the blame on Daniel's client for the drug's terrible effects. This isn't Margolin's best, but it's still a promising read.
Rating:
Summary: a lawyer in trouble
Review: How can you not love a book about a lawyer who gets himself in trouble? The associate begins with a photograph, which triggers a chain of events that takes the reader through years of unsolved mysteries. Our hero must solve them as well, in order to clear his name and stop a murderer. The action is thrilling, and the plot development is extremely good. You will not be dissappointed with this excellent novel.
Rating:
Summary: Good, fast-paced roller coaster ride.
Review: If the first two opening scenes don't grab you than you had better check your pulse and see if you're still alive!
Others have reviewed this book and correctly stated that it is not a pure legal thriller. True enough. There are legal parts to this story, but the case is not resolved through fancy legal footwork. Rather, the thriller becomes a mystery too and we race along with our heroes to see if they can save everyone and expose the villains.
Is it great literature? Hardly. But, it's a lot of fun and I tore through it like a starving man at a buffet.
Rating:
Summary: The 'Coma"in legal thrillers
Review: In the high-stakes world of pharmaceutical research a young associate of a prestigious law firm stands accused of the murder of his boss. As Daniel Ames fights backs he unearths a trail of deceit & kidnappings & in doings so becomes himself a target for the killer. Best-selling legal thriller author & top-class defense lawyer, Phillip Margolin had earned fame for using the "Battered Women syndrome" while defending women accused of murdering their husbands. Naturally, when we read his books, we expect a creative use of this defense. To date, however, none of Margolin's works have touched upon this sensitive legal & moral issue; & The Associate is no exception. Daniel Ames, a young associate of a prestigious law firm is engaged by Geller Pharmaceuticals to defend a claim for damages instituted by flamboyant civil litigator Aaron Flynn, for manufacturing Insufort, a drug that is said to cause birth defects ala Thalidomide. Ames believes he has a good case, until a note written by a Geller scientist, detailing the shocking effects of the drug reaches the hands of Flynn, who uses it to the maximum. When Daniel finds himself accused of jeopardizing the Geller case by placing this lethal note in the hands of the enemy, he quickly finds himself out of job as well as implicated for the murder of his boss, the one who fired him. Together with Kate Ross, an investigator for Geller, & the young & charismatic defense lawyer Amanda Jaffe (whom we met in Wild Justice), Daniel tries to clear his name & in the process faces close encounters with murderers, kidnappers & what not! A sub-plot, a tale of unsolved kidnapping runs through most of the second half of the book, & in the last twenty pages, both stories are connected together culminating in an exciting, but unfortunately, predictable finish. Margolin's Last Innocent Man, Gone but not Forgotten & Wild Justice were superb thrillers, but The Associate proves to be a mild disappointment, it lacks the "punch" of this author's earlier work. Readers looking for good courtroom action will be disappointed as most of the book takes place away from the court. The background of the world of pharmaceuticals & medicines, invariably draws analogy to the works of the medico-thriller author Robin Cook, though Margolin's narration is more gripping & his plot is faster paced. The Associate is definitely not a better work of Margolin, however, in the end I must say it is a good whodunit & whydunit although a disappointing legal thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Not A Legal Thriller: The Associate by Phillip Margolin
Review: In this very fast read, Daniel Ames has a problem. A problem that seems to get steadily worse by the day. Daniel Ames is an associate for the prestigious law firm of Reed, Briggs, Stephens, Stottlemer and Compton, Portland's largest and most prestigious law firm. A child who escaped poverty, Daniel has made it and has a firm grasp on his future while he knows how easily it could all slip away. It begins to slip away after he lets a memo slip through the discovery process on a case involving Geller Pharmaceuticals. Geller is being sued for millions over their drug Insufort. Some of the mothers given Insufort while pregnant, delivered babies with various severe birth defects. A very high profile attorney, Aaron Flynn is the lead attorney and he is very publicly suing the company as well as scouring the country for more victims to add to his lawsuit. Briggs is representing the company and all the internal company documentation seems to indicate that the drug passed all the usual tests. Then, during the discovery process, a memo appears that Daniel should have caught. According to the memo, there was a study conducted on monkeys using Insufort and there were major problems, including birth defects. It is major evidence and Daniel is in a lot of trouble with his bosses. Aaron Flynn now has the documentation he needs for the case and it is all Daniel's fault. Daniel, seeking desperately to get himself out of trouble, wants to talk to the scientist in question. Everyone involved at Geller denies the study was ever done and when Daniel checks out the scientists' home, he finds it ransacked. Unwittingly, Daniel soon becomes a pawn of both sides as the stakes steadily go up. As the pressure ratchets up on him, he also manages to get himself involved in a vendetta from years ago as scores are settled. While this is an enjoyable read, it is primarily an action adventure style of novel and not much of a legal thriller. The major characters spend very little time in the courtroom and mostly, out in the field, dodging hired gunmen. If your looking for long scenes of intense courtroom action with complicated characters and motives, this is not the book to find them. Instead, with the occasional twist or turn, these shallow people work towards a strong conclusion, followed by a rather surprisingly simplistic ending. While an enjoyable read at 292 pages, this is a book that is easily forgotten as one moves on looking for more substantial sustenance.
Rating:
Summary: Good mystery
Review: Not one of Margolin's best because of some of Daniel Ames' stupidities in the story, but I enjoyed the mystery of the story till the end.
Rating:
Summary: Roller Coaster of a Ride to Nowhere.....
Review: Reed, Briggs, Stephens, Stottlemeyer and Compton is the largest and most prestigious law firm in Portland, Oregon and Daniel Ames, young, up and coming associate, still can't quite believe his good fortune of working there. But when Reed Briggs' biggest client, Geller Pharmaceuticals, is sued for manufacturing a pregnancy drug that causes horrible birth defects and opposing attorney, Aaron Flynn, finds evidence, during discovery, that Geller is hiding studies that prove it was aware of the problem, Daniel finds himself to be the company scapegoat, blamed for incompetence and fired. Within hours, senior partner, Arthur Briggs, is murdered and Daniel is arrested. Now, as murder and mayhem ensue, Daniel is determined to sort out this mess and get to the truth and he finds that his life may depend upon it..... Phillip Margolin is back with a readable, fast paced thriller, but this is also a book with problems. The plot, though compelling at times, is more complicated than intricate and the convoluted storyline jumps around so much, it's confusing. I found myself constantly flipping back and forth to keep track of who's who and what's what. His characters have little depth and less motivation and you never really get inside their heads. Add to that, an ending that leaves too many loose ends and unanswered questions and you have the makings of an unsatisfying novel that leaves the reader feeling cheated. Phillip Margolin has written some great thrillers, Gone But Not Forgotten and Wild Justice, being among his best, but not this time out. Do yourself a favor and skip The Associate.
|
