The Litigators

by: Lindsay G. Arthur, Jr.

Published by: Scarletta Press

Reviewed by Sarah Nagle

In this debut legal thriller, Ruthie, a young mother whose modest Minneapolis bungalow sits next to an abandoned gas station, finds her neurological system deteriorating to the point where she cannot care for herself. Maverick lawyer Dillon Love senses an explosive opportunity in what appears to be a case of bioengineering experimentation gone horribly wrong and offers to take Ruthie’s case.

The plaintiffs, however, are opposed by a crack litigation firm with the resources to bury both lawyer and client. Complicating the case are a head litigator who is also a former lover of Dillon, an earnest biochemical engineer whose family’s future is tied up in his new pollution-control company, and a “super partner” whose reach extends internationally as he maneuvers to win at all costs.

As Ruthie’s condition worsens, the costs of the lawsuit mount up in every way – Dillon’s marriage crumbles along with his sobriety, the stress takes a deadly toll among other characters, and the “victims” become the biggest losers. Dillon’s only hope lies in obtaining a slender thread of proof, one which has been zealously kept secret by one person, to the detriment of everyone else involved. The action suddenly stops at the courtroom doors, and the reader is left to decide whether justice has been served or is just another casualty of the legal system, along with those who have been most victimized.

The author, partner in a Minneapolis law firm, has poured a lifetime of legal experience into this timely courtroom novel. He has also included substantial scientific information gleaned from starting up his own biotechnology firm. This wealth of detail, however, at times overwhelms the narrative and slows down what should be a fast-moving and straightforward tale of courtroom action and moral ambiguity. More rigorous editing would have been helpful to move the story along. Another detraction is the free and often gratuitous use of profanity, which may be appropriate for certain situations in the book but which should not be a substitute for character development. Several of the characters come off as unsympathetic and one-dimensional as a result.

Extraneous detail and gratuitous language slow down a timely thriller of biotechnology and jurisprudence gone horribly awry.

Armchair Interviews agrees.