Marked Man

Although John Grisham may be the most prominent, there are a number of other lawyer-turned-authors out there. Some are better than others, and among the best is William Lashner with his series of Victor Carl books. Carl is one of those lawyers who would be willing to be absolutely materialistic and ethically flexible, but his integrity always get in the way, leaving him perpetually broke. In Marked Man, the sixth book featuring Carl, who this time starts the novel hung over and with no memory of the previous evening. This would be bad enough, but he has a lasting memento of his wild night: a tattoo on his chest with the name Chantal Adair. Unfortunately, he has no idea who Chantal is. Meanwhile, he does have his legal work, principally dealing with Charlie Kalakos, a crook who wants to come in from the cold, and in the process, turn in a Rembrandt painting he had stolen. Carl tries to arrange a witness relocation package, but finds there a number of people who'd prefer Charlie stay missing, most significantly, his ex-partners-in-crime. In a way, this is Lashner's version of the Maltese Falcon, with the painting taking the place of the black bird...or is it Chantal who is the treasure everyone is seeking? (The only Chantal that Carl can track down is a little girl who disappeared decades ago. Does it somehow link to Kalakos?) There is even a Joel Cairo-sort, an eccentric black market art dealer named Lavender Hill. But, of course, the parallels to Hammett's novel are limited, as Marked Man is also its own unique story. At the heart of the story, as always, is Victor Carl, whose narrative keeps things entertaining at all times. In this book, he has to not only deal with business-related dangers, but also his own personal crises, as he begins to doubt if he will ever achieve success and as his partnership with fellow lawyer Beth Derringer undergoes problems. If you enjoy suspense fiction - especially involving the world of lawyers - William Lashner in general and Marked Man specifically, are highly recommended.

William Lashner is a no holds barred writer, his prose is smart, upbeat, and, at times, uproariously funny. Marked Man is Lashner at his best, and most impressive. He doesn't wait to reel you in, but opens with a grabber: "It must have been a hell of a night. One of those long, dangerous nights, where the world shifts and doors open and you give yourself over to your more perilous instincts..." These are the words of Victor Carl, a Philadelphia lawyer. He can't remember the night but his suit is in shreds, his socks are long gone, and he's sporting a new tatoo - a heart inscribed "Chantal Adair." Dare you to put this book down - it's impossible. Carl will admit his life is in a mess, and he really needs to find Chantal - whoever or whatever she is. However, that's got to take second place to fulfilling a dying woman's wish - she wants to see her ex-con son one more time before she dies. Not an easy task as said son is in hiding after a 15-year-old art theft. However, son is willing to barter a missing Monet and Rembrandt, so he says, in order to see his mother. All Carl has to do is arrange this trade-off. Meanwhile, who is Chantal and what is she to Carl? If he ever gets his life straightened out, reading about him will be less interesting. He's certainly not the most dedicated or ethical of attorneys but he is definitely one of the most entertaining. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

I was eagerly anticipating this latest book in Lashner's series about Lawyer Victor Carl. I wasn't disappointed. Those of you who have not yet met Victor Carl need to get acquainted with him. He is rather a "smart mouth", and that trait gets him in some trouble. In this book, Carl wakes up one morning from a night of drinking to find the words "Chantal Adair" freshly tattooed on his chest. He has no idea how he got there nor any idea to whom the name belongs . His search to solve this mystery, along with a case that he is investigating about a gang which stole a Rembrandt many years ago, are the basis for this book. The two plots turn out to be closely related, and of course Victor solves them both. The book is also great fun, with its quirky characters and Carl's irreverent comments.

I probably should not reveal a trade secret here, but there are more Victor Carls practicing law than there are Perry Masons. The creation of William Lashner, Victor Carl is a rumpled knight whose considerable legal acumen is matched neither by his office management skills nor his personal habits. MARKED MAN, the sixth installment in the Carl series, fully supports Lashner's ongoing argument that a dramatic novel can be deep, funny, tragic and exciting without sacrificing any of those qualities to another. In MARKED MAN, Carl wakes up after a night of drinking and discovers that he has a tattoo on his chest. It's not like such an occurrence is totally unheard of; it's just that the tattoo is a name he does not recognize --- Chantal Adair. Intrigued, he wants to find this mystery woman and begins nosing around a bit; the more he finds out, the more important it becomes to track her down. Meanwhile, Carl is retained to help an elderly woman on her deathbed locate her son, who has been missing for nearly 30 years. Finding him is easy enough, but he has good reason for wanting to stay hidden. Long ago he committed a crime, but is still facing fallout from it --- not only locally, but also from the FBI and by some unknown folks who aren't as restrained and polite as the Feds. All of this would be more than enough for Carl's plate, but he has additional problems. Beth Derringer is having a life crisis that may bring an end to their law firm. She also has a client with a rough past who is seeking joint custody of her daughter. What Lashner accordingly sets up, in a subtle and brilliant manner, are three separate plotlines, two of which converge and all of which ultimately will share a common theme with different yet bittersweet endings. Carl is a bit of a smart aleck, and some of his remarks are extremely funny --- at one point I was phoning my wife to read a couple of them to her at the office. But MARKED MAN is by no means a comedic novel; there are few winners here. Lashner sustains and accelerates the momentum of a series that only recently has received the popular acclaim it has deserved from its inception. Its ultimate conclusion marks a turning point of sorts, one that will have readers wondering what will come next. The only certainty is that no one will be disappointed. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

In Philadelphia defense attorney Victor Carl wakes up to a four poster hangover caused by imbibing too much alcohol the night before. Not only does he remember little of most of the evening, Victor is stunned to find a tattoo of a heart on his chest with the name of someone called Chantal Adair inside it. He thinks never again as he has no idea who is Chantal or when did he get the tattoo. As he remains bewildered and befuddled, he finds connections between the mysterious Chantal Adair, a client with a Rembrandt and an elderly woman asking Carl's father for a favor. Victor works his case diligently as long as it does not interfere with his search for what happened on the lost evening, more info on Chantal, and especially not interfering with his girl watching skills. However as haunting that night is with his total lack of recall, the evening will soon come back in full force to haunt him. This interesting character driven thriller stars a somewhat hedonistic man who knows he went on too much of a bender, but as he tries to learn what happened that led to the tattoo, he finds himself instead in an even more complex fiasco. Readers will appreciate this cleverly designed tale because of Victor as he goes from severe hangover to bewildered soul to shocked jock to finally in trouble just because he wants to connect the dots. No one who reads this fine novel will ever overindulge as William Lashner provides a strong suspense story. Harriet Klausner