Falls the Shadow

by: William Lashner

Published by: Harper Torch

Reviewed by Jeff Foster

Why would a man,already once convicted and refused appeal in the brutal murder of his wife, deserve another trial?

In William Lashner's Falls the Shadow, criminal defense attorney Victor Carl is presented with the unenviable task of defending Francois Dube. It starts when Carl mysteriously receives a retainer and an invitation to meet Dube. Carl's certainty that there will not be another trial--and any appeal he may present will be denied--is confounded by his partners' own confidence that Dube is not guilty of the crime for which he has been sentenced to life in prison.

Victor Carl is a cynical, wisecracking attorney that has seen too much and been flayed so many times by clients that his outer shell it grown hard. Yet, the ethical baselines he adheres to for his clients are truth and honesty. He does not break the rules, occasionally to his chagrin, but uses every ounce of his mettle to work on his client's behalf. Francois Dube evolves into a character that proves to be as nauseating a person as one could meet, but Carl does not waver in his assertion that his client be given the best shot at proving his innocence.

This novel has some brilliant twists and turns. Just when you think Victor Carl has the solution, the plot twists takes a hard right. When it looks as though the perpetrators of the main and subplots have been discovered, Lashner throws a curveball and resets the story.

The cast of characters will rapidly draw you into this intriguing legal thriller. William Lashner introduces and develops them in such a way as to bind you into the story with your own thoughts of ethics. The main antagonist, a dentist of all things, yes I thought that brilliant, proves to be more than a match for Victor Carl as he unbinds a thoroughly unnerving tale of personal saviors working outside the law and legal systems to the benefit of those that would never have a chance for a better life.

Armchair Interviews asks: Need a book for the beach, cabin, lake, desert, mountaintop or lonely iceberg? Falls the Shadow will serve you well.