The Law of Second Chances

James Sheehan has written a great second book to carry on some of the themes from his first book, Mayor of Lexington Avenue, which is one of the best debut novels in this genre. In this book he works for the exoneration of a death row inmate. He is at odds with his own profession and the flaws he sees in the system. It's simply a GREAT story that grabs your attention from the start! Sheehan is one of the best in at legal/courtroom drama. You get to know likable and very unlikable characters that make this novel great!

I had to notice some similarities between Sheehan's character Jack Tobin and Grippando's character Jack Swyteck. Both are lawyers living in Florida, and both have had "clients" who were on death row and were "gotten off" in an eleventh hour appeal. Both men were also black--Grippando's Theo Knight, and Sheehan's Henry Wilson. Both men are also now working for their attorney who successfully got them off death row. I think that Henry will become more of a side kick in some future books. (At least I hope so.) That being said, I couldn't put this book down. It had some flash backs from Jack's (Johnny's) earlier life and I wondered what these flashbacks had to do with the story, but be patient, it will all come together. The book was fast paced and kept you guessing. The ending was a real surprise. I am impatiently waiting for more from this author. This book would be perfect for a plane.

Defending insurance companies against claimants made attorney Jack Tobin wealthy, but unsatisfied. He gave up that practice to defend death row inmates in Florida as he totally opposes capital punishment. Seventeen years ago, poor black Henry Wilson was convicted of murdering a drug dealer; Jack believes he is innocent and sets out to prove his assertion. He also decides to represent Benny Avrile, who has a long criminal record and on a robbery that turned ugly allegedly shot and killed oil mogul Carl Robertson; the case against him is air tight with no lawyer wanting to go near it. At the same that Jack steps in to represent Benny in a death sentence case that he knows will take up much of his time and have an emotional cost, he is also is distraught that his wife Pat is suffering from a life-threatening illness. With more courtroom time than Jack's first tale (see THE MAYOR OF LEXINGTON AVENUE), THE LAW OF SECOND CHANCES is an excellent legal thriller due the protagonist's deliberations on life and law; although at times he slows the pace with flashbacks to growing up in 1950s-1960s New York. Still it is the hero's balancing his emotions and time to defend capital punishment sure shot losers with the needs of his wife and (himself) that make this a terrific legal thriller. Harriet Klausner

The author, James Sheehan sets lofty literary goals for himself when he embarks on his journey with three simultaneous plot lines. Sheehan not only keeps all three stories interesting, but makes you look forward to getting back to the other two tales, while you're still immensely interested in the current saga you're immersed in. The book starts out in New York focusing on Benny Avrile, a down and out, street-hustling, drug-abusing, pick pocket, street reprobate, who if you didn't count the abandoned building he slept in, you could also add "homeless" to the previous description.(Think of "Ratso Rizzo" from "MIDNIGHT COWBOY") As fate would have it, as Benny is stealing a credit card from an attractive woman at a bar, he is unknowingly, interfering with the unholy agenda of another beautiful upscale woman, sitting next to his targeted victim, who has much higher criminal aspirations than Benny could ever dream of. Before you know it, Carl Robertson, a multi-billionaire oil man, is shot and killed and Benny is arrested for murder. The protagonist is Jack Tobin, a lawyer who had made his money defending insurance companies and lives in Florida. After building up his law firm and selling it for millions of dollars, Jack now only defends people he believes are innocent and "destiny" has brought him to Starke, a maximum security state prison in Florida. A big, physically imposing, African-American inmate by the name of Henry Wilson, after being on death row for seventeen years, is now eight weeks away from being executed. After a harrowing meeting with Henry at the prison, and some follow-up investigation, Jack believes in Henry's innocence and takes on his case in the hopes of being granted an appeal. In the midst of these two major storylines, the author deftly interjects "flashbacks" to more than thirty years before to Jacks adolescence in New York, mostly concentrating on his friends and acquaintances surrounding his neighborhood football team "The Lexington's". The teenage friendships made here, miraculously and seamlessly, tie in down the road during the fantastic culmination of this intelligently written crime saga. This taut legal drama encompasses lifelong love lost, lives saved, friendships renewed, murder, conspiracies, characters who change from client to sidekick to partner, all without the author missing a beat, and with the reader refusing to put down the book until they ride this multi-dimensional masterpiece to its conclusion. I am a voracious reader and the recent products put out by Grisham and Patterson pale in comparison to this splendid story. The author has introduced and has in place some really interesting characters that hopefully will set the stage for a follow-up book with our newfound friends.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there really were a law of second chances? However, not everyone deserves a second chance and very few people ever get a second chance. Jack Tobin is a retired lawyer. His legal practice did not include criminal cases, but when an old friend came to him and pleaded to help his son, Jack got involved in pro bono cases to free wrongly convicted criminals. Jack would not take a case unless he was totally convinced that the person was innocent of the crime for which he had been convicted. Jack and his wife Pat live in Bass Creek, Florida. Pat has always been interested in Jack's cases, and he enjoys discussing the pros and cons of each case with Pat. Jack has taken on the case of Henry Wilson, convicted years before of murder, when his wife Pat is diagnosed with cancer. Jack almost gives up the case to devote all of his time to his wife. Pat will not agree to this so Jack fights Henry's fight while trying to deal with his wife's illness. Meanwhile back in Manhattan, Benny Avril, a small-time hood is arrested for murder. Although Benny does not know it, he has a connection to Jack-and eventually Jack will become involved in Benny's case. The story of Jack's fight to save Henry, the conclusion, and the connection to Benny in Manhattan makes for a very exciting story. The legal battles give the reader an insight to what really happens on paper and in the courtroom. The flashbacks to Jack's life as a young boy in New York help you to understand Jack and his young friends. It is amazing the different directions life led these young people and how some are finally able to come together in their adult years. I intend to recommend this book to all my friends. I also feel now I must read The Mayor of Lexington Avenue, the book published prior to The Law of Second Chances. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended for anyone who loves legal thrillers-and good writing.