David Zinc, a lawyer employed by a large company specialising in corporate law, decides he no longer wants to be part of a soul-less operation and walks out, gets drunk, and - more or less at random - ends up working for a small law firm who mostly focus on chasing ambulances.

This was another one recommended on A Good Read, and they all seemed to like it: from the way they were discussing it I got the impression that it was something with a bit more depth than the usual thing Grisham does. However, while it was enjoyable enough, it was pretty much the same sort of thing as all his other novels - unchallenging read with a bit of legal jargon sprinkled in to give verisimilitude. In fact I suspect that the guy who chose this book on the radio programme (who I think was some kind of businessman) was being a bit patronised by the other two panellists.

The main case that ran through the book dealt with a lawsuit pursued by the small company against a drug manufacturer for selling an anti-cholesterol medicine which causes heart problems. I suppose the book confounds expectations a little bit because they don't actually win their case. There's a subplot about a case that David works on which does come off though, so there is a happy ending after all.

Nothing special, but OK.

Completed : 06-May-2013