The Associate

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.

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.

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 caseHe 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.

I never read a Margolin book I didn't like. Among these, THE UNDERTAKER'S WIDOW is my favorite. I don't believe that THE ASSOCIATE reaches the intrigue and peril that many of Margolin's other novels achieves, but it is still a worthwhile story. Margolin has the uncanny ability to produce an element of surprise. As a person reads Margolin's work, the reader attempts to predict the outcome. Margolin seems to anticipate this and twist his tale in unexpected directions. Thus, the reader sits on the edge of his/her chair waiting for the outcome - usually unanticipated.Following is a description of what happened in my head while reading THE ASSOCIATE. As I read, I anticipated an outcome. I thought, "this is too obvious!" I began to predict other less obvious outcomes. My brain was twisted in different directions. In the end, my initial prediction was the correct outcome. And, of course, I wasn't expecting my thoughts to be correct. I was surprised that I was surprised. In the end THE ASSOCIATE is a good story.

It starts like a guided missle and never lets up. The Associate starts in a gallery in an enticing prologue, when a lawyer sees a photo and almost faints. It then advances to what SEEMINGLY is going to be a mundale legal story, as a young somewhat naive associate in a law firm gets documents to review dumped on him at the last minute by an attractive co-worker who tells him she has plans for the evening and would he do her a favor? And when Daniel Ames agrees to review the documents, his life is turned up side down, causing him to lose his job, be arrested and get drawn into an intricate murder plot/conspiracy with dozens of deceptions at every turn. I LOVED this mystery novel. I sometimes have trouble reading fiction if the writer gets too carried away with his/her prose or the characters seem phoney. The Associate ranks as one of the best mystery/thriller novels I've read in many years. There are several reasons why I loved this book and YOU likely will too: 1)Ingenius plot: I thought I had guessed the key questions but I was totally wrong. The author brilliantly threw false clues my way and I fell for them every time. 2)A highly flawed character. Ames is self-absorbed through a lot of the book, makes a ton of mistakes yet we see him steadily grow. 3)Well etched other characters. 4)The legal setting: I'm not a lawyer and am now an entertainer but I worked on various newspapers in my old incarnation. This accurately portrays the jockeying for position, office politics, and ways that ambition impacts the way people think and often act in big corporations (a legal firm, a newspaper). The general public will love this book; lawyers will find it even more enjoyable (as will law students) for the depiction of a high-powered law firm. 5)The writing: Margolin doesn't waste words. There isn't a word, description or piece of dialogue that isn't relevant to the story. 6)The ending. I WON'T give it away, but when I finished this book I felt truly satisfied. You will NOT be disappointed that you read to the end -- but may regret that this wonderful book is over. Great book...would make a GREAT movie!!