Review of Lawyers Gone Bad (Book 1 of the Lawyers Gone Bad Series)

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lawyers Gone Bad (Book 1 of the Lawyers Gone Bad Series)" by Vincent Scarsella.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Vincent L. Scarsella's Lawyers Gone Bad centered around Dean Alessi, a deputy director with the Lawyer Disciplinary Office (LDO). Members of the LDO were the keepers of the rules of professional conduct. Any lawyer that remotely contravened any rule would be under investigation by the office. Dean had built a friendship with Stu Foley, the office's chief investigator, and they had devoted their service to ensure that the legal profession remained spotless.

After sixteen years of dedicated service to the LDO, all Dean had expected was to be made the office director. But when the powers became interested in a new sensitive case of misconduct, Dean's aspiration was subtly used as a bargaining tool. Would Dean beat or join them?

Scarsella's use of language alone in this book excited and intrigued me. As expected of a book in this genre, the author's play with words added to its appeal. I enjoyed the sarcastic undertones and subtle legal jabs. Although a legal story, the book was not saturated with legal jargon such that readers would be left befuddled.

The author presented us with an official image of the characters' roles and allowed readers a peek into their private lives. The effect of this was that I saw these characters for who and what they were. By letting me into what life was like at home for some of the characters, I understood more about their created personalities and what made them tick. In addition to this, Scarsella described some of his characters in an almost funny way. He described the two junior investigators under Stu Foley as the 'joyless Larry Steven' and the 'sour, scatter-brained and mostly ineffectual Dawn Smith.'

Scarsella presented the idea of justice for the reader's introspection. We are shown the power dynamics that greatly influenced the definition given to the idea of justice. Scarcella's book gave an insight into the concept of some members of society that could be seen as being 'above the law.' Readers would understand the politicking that had seeped into every fiber of our justice system. Scarcella's book could very easily pass as a legal satire.

The character of Dean Alessi and Stu Foley could be viewed as representations of the frustrated efforts of the fight for justice. Like both characters would often say, "what goes around does not come around." Some readers would identify with this feeling of frustration because it would most likely be true of almost every government department. The two characters represented the frustrating interplay between power, justice, politics, and the simple ideas of right and wrong.

As much as this book was a legal story, it was also about love, family, indiscretions, greed, power, and consequences. Lawyers Gone Bad could be described as a book about life. Though there were a few errors, there was nothing serious to dislike about the book. I would recommend it to lovers of legal crime stories and those who appreciate a good story. Finally, I’d rate Lawyers Gone Bad four out of four stars.

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Lawyers Gone Bad (Book 1 of the Lawyers Gone Bad Series)
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[Hani97]

"what goes around does not come around" i like it.
As you said, books like this are saturated with legal terminology, requiring specialists to understand it more clearly

[Ekezie1998]

Quite an intriguing plot here. Would definitely love to have this one on my shelf. Great review.

[Nonso Ok]

Legal crime fiction is my main deal. Hoping this makes an awesome companion for me through out the weekend. Thank you.

[kirthana_shivakumar]

This looks very interesting. It's also one of my favourite genres so I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the review!

[Linus Izundu]

It's an intriguing review. An insight into the regulatory framework, of lawyers and the legal profession. Awesomely.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an intriguing legal fiction novel enriched by some humor. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!