Rating: 
Summary: John Grisham, he ain't
Review: This is the first (and only) book of Lashner's I expect to read. It was necessary to read nearly half the book before it became interesting. Mr. Lashner spends too much space describing things not related to the story and continues to repeat himself in a most boring manner. I only rate him two stars because most of the last half of the book was interesting but still not comparable to many of the other 'lawyer' books. No more Lashner for me.
Rating:
Summary: John Grisham, he ain't
Review: This is the first (and only) book of Lashner's I expect to read. It was necessary to read nearly half the book before it became interesting. Mr. Lashner spends too much space describing things not related to the story and continues to repeat himself in a most boring manner. I only rate him two stars because most of the last half of the book was interesting but still not comparable to many of the other 'lawyer' books. No more Lashner for me.
Rating:
Summary: Too much repeating, too much repeating, too much repeating
Review: This is the first and last book by William Lashner that I will read. It lost me after just the first chapter or so. I just could not stand his stupid and utterly rediculous habit of repeating every other word or phrase. I just could not stand his stupid and utterly rediculous habit of repeating every other word or phrase.
See how annoying it is?!
Rating: 
Summary: Victor Carl..flawed again but my hero!
Review: This is the third book of the Victor Carl series. Again, Victor is such a flawed protagonist, but you have to root for him...especially if you knew his past. Veronica Ashland (Hostile Witness); Caroline Shaw (Veritas) and now Hailey Proux, perhaps, the most manipulative of all. I am an Unabridged audiobook listener and loved the first two, read by Richard Ferrone. FATAL FLAW is not in unabridged audio, therefore, I gave in and read it. It was worth every night that I stayed up a little longer to read "just one more chapter." The plot catches you early and hooks you in. This is more than a lawyer book; it's a whodunit with character studies that you can relate to. This is three in a row!!
Rating:
Summary: Flawless to Me
Review: This well-constructed legal thriller held my attention from the beginning when attorney Victor Carl tampered with the evidence at the murder scene of his secret lover until the final chapter where he is found commiserating with his lawyer friend whom he has just defended in the murder trial.I knew from reading HOSTILE WITNESS that Victor Carl is not the cookie-cutter lawyer defending criminals in most legal thrillers. He is developing into a very believable character with shortcomings and easily identifiable motivations and feelings. There are several twists and surprises in the story but there is nothing beyond the plausible. Author William Lashner is able to weave together a story of abuse, greed, love and betrayal using characters who have realistic interactions with each other. They are colorful and unique with names that capture the essence of their personalities. Private investigator Phil Skink is vile yet intelligent while Lawrence Cutlip suggests his ruthlessness and his role as father of the deceased may have involved more than loving care. The first two-thirds of the story sets the table for the trial and the rousing climax. The skill of Victor Carl is in full evidence as he manipulates the prosecution team and the proceedings, bringing all the seperate lines of investigation together. I suspect readers will share in the exhilaration and satisfaction as Carl's tactics garner success and a very satisfying conclusion. For me FATAL FLAW is Highly Recommended and "Flawless". Tim Smith
Rating:
Summary: The Only Flaw is in the Title!
Review: Until now, I had never read William Lashner. I saw "Fatal Flaw" in the book store and was intrigued by the storyline. I picked it up and hardly put it down until I was finished. The story consists of Attorney Victor Carl defending his old law school classmate as the latter is accused in the murder of his fiance. Victor was also intimately involved with the murder victim and takes the case to make sure that the defendant is found guilty, believing he has committed the crime. As the story unfolds, Victor begins to have his doubts, and as he delves deep into the past of the murder victim, the plot thickens as they say. This is a real page turner and Mr. Lashner's lengthy narratives are very enjoyable. How much did I enjoy this book? Before I finished "Fatal Flaw" I was the owner of Mr. Lashner's other books, sitting in my literary on-deck circle.
Rating:
Summary: The Only Flaw is in the Title!
Review: Until now, I had never read William Lashner. I saw "Fatal Flaw" in the book store and was intrigued by the storyline. I picked it up and hardly put it down until I was finished. The story consists of Attorney Victor Carl defending his old law school classmate as the latter is accused in the murder of his fiance. Victor was also intimately involved with the murder victim and takes the case to make sure that the defendant is found guilty, believing he has committed the crime. As the story unfolds, Victor begins to have his doubts, and as he delves deep into the past of the murder victim, the plot thickens as they say. This is a real page turner and Mr. Lashner's lengthy narratives are very enjoyable. How much did I enjoy this book? Before I finished "Fatal Flaw" I was the owner of Mr. Lashner's other books, sitting in my literary on-deck circle.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: What flaw? No flaws in this book. Loved it from beginning to end. In fact, I'd say it's one of this years best read (next to THE MURDER ROOM, of course). The characters are believable and the plot keeps you reading. But the best part of this book is the action. Non-stop action throughout. If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be just that: ACTION. A definite must for all action lovers. And if you're looking for a few other interesting titles that will keep you glued to your seat look no further than these, Buckland's Hot List: most creative, The Butterfly: A Fable (Singh); most engaging, The Alchemist (Coelho); most interesting, Life of Pi (Martel); most enlightening, 9-11 (Chomsky); most thrilling, The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Sebold); and finally, the most creative, engaging, interesting, enlightening and thrilling book of all, The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). These are the books I'd recommend to my family, friends, students, and wife. There are many more, trust me, but these are the first that come to mind (for having left an impact slight or proud as it may be). If you have any questions, queries, or comments, or maybe even a title you think I should add to my list, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm always open to a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. Happy reading. Donald S. Buckland
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and clever mystery/thriller
Review: William Lashner's "Fatal Flaw" is a terrific novel, a compelling page-turner that's all the more accomplished for the way it succeeds at two antithetical goals. On the baser level, the novel is a wonderful example of that Grisham-patented sub-genre known as the legal thriller. The plot, about a jaded attorney who's asked to defend a law school buddy on a murder charge, is carefully wrought and fiendishly clever, with swoops and twists that are mostly unpredictable but somehow always plausible (at least while you're caught up in the plot's momentum). Lashner has a florid, hard-boiled, wiseguy style: In contrast to Grisham, who uses words solely to advance his plots, Lashner's love of wordplay and interesting turns of phrase makes his prose a pleasure to read. The main characters have surprising depth and moral shading. Victor Carl, the defending attorney, has developed impressively (as a character, not necessarily as a human being) since Lashner introduce him in "Hostile Witness." From that novel and its successor, "Veritas", we came to know Victor as the polar opposite of a high-powered attorney: seedy, cynical, and resourceful - very much like Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon," but with a Jewish patina. In "Fatal Flaw," Lashner pushes his hero over the edge of decency and professional ethics. As the novel opens, Victor arrives at the scene of the crime to find his client, Guy Forrest, sitting naked on his doorstep, while the body of Guy's fiancée -- an Appalachia-bred beauty named Hailey Prouix - is still warm upstairs. Without any hesitation, Victor begins rearranging and removing evidence. How Lashner manages to make this ethically challenged hack likeable - indeed, even heroic - is one of the novel's giddy accomplishments. Equally skillful is the way he uses flashback, clues, and reminiscences to turn Hailey into one of the most intriguing femme fatales in recent memory. (Ashley Judd, call your agent!) On a higher level, "Fatal Flaw" functions as a kind of meta-mystery, an insinuating parody of the detective novel-slash-legal thriller. Lashner seems to have thrown in every convention, stereotype and affectation he could think of, drawing on influences ranging from Chandler and Cain to Grisham and Turow. The plot twists, while not predictable in themselves, occur at predictable intervals; the racy language is deliberately overheated by just a couple of degrees; and the eccentric supporting characters are rendered (and named) with almost Dickensian flair. It's hard to resist a creation like Phil Skink, the skanky investigator who seems to ooze rancid foreboding from every pore. As you read each sentence, you can almost hear Lashner chuckling with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. Yet while this sort of mocking detachment can kill a good thriller, Lashner's approach only enhances it. In "Fatal Flaw," Lashner assembles all the usual suspects of the genre and emerges with something unusually startling and pleasurable.
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