The Common Lawyer

Being a fan of The Color of Law, I have eagerly sought out other books by this gifted author. I read The Perk, and till today, I can still vividly visualize the scene of the crime, and marvel at lawyer, Beck Hardin's tenacity in getting to the bottom of the unsolved murder mystery. So, when I heard about The Common Lawyer, I could not wait to get my hands on it, and I was NOT disappointed. Gimenez has a real gift for dialogue and for characterization. And I like the realistic way he builds up the story - no sudden left turns that feel contrived. The pace is perfect, and the flawed protagonist/hero (Andy Prescott) is such an affable guy that you immediately warm to him, and want him to succeed despite his own amusing lack of ambition. You witness him "waking up" and growing up through the story, and when he finally takes the right action, you want to applaud! Great cast of characters! As a writer, Gimenez is a master of "show, don't tell". I felt respected as a reader to be presented with a moral dilemma that had no easy or tidy solution. Some books tempt you to judge the characters as black or white, good or bad. In this book, the challenge is more complex, and one refrains from judging the characters because if the shoe were on the other foot, a straightforward decision would be impossible to make. The city of Austin is a major character in this book, and Gimenez does a terrific job of portraying and promoting it. My friend just moved there. I'm going to urge him to read this book and, uh, maybe urge his wife to get in shape!!!

This is the fourth book I've read by Mark Gimenez. This book reminded me what a great place Austin and the surrounding communities are. I learned about biking as an extreme sport. I feel like a have just had a tour of Austin and UT campuses by someone who loves, lives and eats Austin on a very fast, racing bike with no seat. You just can't stop. I feel like I know these characters and could point them out in Austin, at Whole Foods. Andy's moral dilemmas are the same ones we face everyday. Andy just tries to rationalize or white wash any dubious decision. The simplification of the bad guy being "drug companies" felt a little underwritten. But I loved the bike action. It would have fit right in with "outside" magazine. I hope to see the same characters again. esp. Tres and his wife, Quatro, Lorenzo.

I HAVE READ ALL BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR. ENJOYED ALL. BE GLAD WHEN ANOTHER ONE COMES OUT.

I became a fan of Mark's when I read `The Color of Law'. I became an addict when I read `The Abduction'. I became obsessed when I read `The Common Lawyer'. Mark is one of those authors who just make reading exciting. He creates fun characters, characters with substance, nutty situations, all fenced in by one heck of a plot. `The Common Lawyer' is a book that has all that. I loved Andy from the start. He's a character that you can live vicariously through. A regular working Joe, trying to get by with as little effort possible, but having A LOT of fun with life. He has great friends, lives in a magnificent city, and a passion for freedom, which he expresses through his love of extreme mountain biking. Andy is a lawyer who got average grades in law school and is ok with that. He's an advocate for people who get speeding tickets and even though it is not the glamorous life of a lawyer, Andy loves it. He passes his time looking at gorgeous women (good man) at a local grocery store, perusing wanted ads from women, eating Mexican food, and getting his adrenaline rush on a mountain bike. His life is simple and fun. All that changes when he meets Russell Reeves. Texas billionaire, Texas icon, married to an absolute Betty... with a dying son. Russell is trying to save him. By any means necessary. So how can a lawyer, who makes a career out of helping people, skip out on speeding tickets, help a Texas billionaire save his dying son? That is part of Mark's charm and talent in telling a story. A "grab you and won't let you go" book this one is. The prologue will have you scratching your head until you read the entire book, then go back, and reread the prologue... then it makes perfect sense. I love immerse-able books because you can get lost in them and I enjoy that getting immersed feeling. I like that at four books Mark Gimenez has not slowed down one bit! On a side note: reading this story also had an effect on me in a different way. It made me want to move to Austin, TX! This town was almost a character unto itself. More like a CULT-ure than a culture. Wanting to see the beautiful vixens at Whole Foods, wanting to ride the Barton Creek Greenbelt, hanging out at Guero's, spending a day or three hundred at Hippie Hollow, and kicking hacky sack on that 300+ acre campus. Not sure how long I could deal with the over-the-top-liberals, but Austin is a town that seems to welcome all kinds of strange people and outcasts. So a Black Republican should fit right in... or not! The way Mark tells is, Austin was a very big, yet close-knit community. Maybe one day I'll find out; Until then I'll just live indirectly through his characters and his extremely enjoyable stories.