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Title: The Associate by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0-06-103064-3 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 30 July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.41 (51 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Vintage Margolin
Comment: Title character Daniel Ames was abused and abandoned as a kid, is now a workaholic naive sad sack around whom Margolin builds his story. Manipulative associate Susan Webster sweet talks Danny into reviewing five boxes of discovery for the Geller Pharmaceutical deposition to begin at 8AM the next day. Their drug Insufort, prescribed for pregnant women is alleged to cause birth defects. When plaintiff's lawyer Aaron Flynn discovers a damning memo from Dr. Sergey Kaidanov in the files Danny reviewed, all hell breaks loose. Danny is fired by the hard-nosed Arthur Briggs of Reed, Briggs et. al., then called to meet him at an isolated cabin where Briggs is murdered and Danny is charged.
Meanwhile ex-cop and current investigator Kate Ross teams up with Danny to discover the murder and torch job at a Geller research facility no one knew about. The body they thought was Kaidanov was actually a lawyer from Arizona. Kate goes to Desert Grove, AZ where used car king Martin Alvarez tells her a story of kidnappings and murders seven years earlier. This will all soon tie together.
Kate brings in Amanda Jaffe from "Wild Justice" to defend Danny. She gets bail for him just before he's to be wiped out by the skinheads in his lockup. Kaidanov, who's escaped certain assassination twice so far, meets Danny in a graveyard and tells him the study was a phony. Oops, this time the sniper gets him.
There are all kinds of head fakes about who's guilty of what. Despite Daniel the wimp and more killing than WW III, Margolin holds your interest with a symmetrical web that ties it all together. I liked it.
Rating: 3
Summary: An Okay Thriller But Far From Margolin's Best!
Comment: Typical of a book by Philip Margolin, The Associate is written in a style that makes the pages fly by, has an interesting plot and builds to a suspenseful conclusion. It's the type of book that is good for a plane trip or beach vacation. However, unlike most of Margolin's other books, The Associate lacks the intense courtroom drama, his characters are more superficial and the outcome was too predictable. Having read all of Margolin's other books, The Associate, while enjoyable and entertaining, is nowhere near the top of his works. If you, too, are a Margolin fan, I think, on a comparative basis, you might feel mildly disappointed but, overall, I think you'll consider The Associate to be a fun read. If you haven't read Margolin before, I'd very highly recommend Gone But Not Forgotten, Heartstone, The Last Innocent Man, After Dark and Wild Justice.
Rating: 3
Summary: Not A Legal Thriller: The Associate by Phillip Margolin
Comment: In this very fast read, Daniel Ames has a problem. A problem that seems to get steadily worse by the day. Daniel Ames is an associate for the prestigious law firm of Reed, Briggs, Stephens, Stottlemer and Compton, Portland's largest and most prestigious law firm. A child who escaped poverty, Daniel has made it and has a firm grasp on his future while he knows how easily it could all slip away. It begins to slip away after he lets a memo slip through the discovery process on a case involving Geller Pharmaceuticals.
Geller is being sued for millions over their drug Insufort. Some of the mothers given Insufort while pregnant, delivered babies with various severe birth defects. A very high profile attorney, Aaron Flynn is the lead attorney and he is very publicly suing the company as well as scouring the country for more victims to add to his lawsuit. Briggs is representing the company and all the internal company documentation seems to indicate that the drug passed all the usual tests.
Then, during the discovery process, a memo appears that Daniel should have caught. According to the memo, there was a study conducted on monkeys using Insufort and there were major problems, including birth defects. It is major evidence and Daniel is in a lot of trouble with his bosses. Aaron Flynn now has the documentation he needs for the case and it is all Daniel's fault.
Daniel, seeking desperately to get himself out of trouble, wants to talk to the scientist in question. Everyone involved at Geller denies the study was ever done and when Daniel checks out the scientists' home, he finds it ransacked. Unwittingly, Daniel soon becomes a pawn of both sides as the stakes steadily go up. As the pressure ratchets up on him, he also manages to get himself involved in a vendetta from years ago as scores are settled.
While this is an enjoyable read, it is primarily an action adventure style of novel and not much of a legal thriller. The major characters spend very little time in the courtroom and mostly, out in the field, dodging hired gunmen. If your looking for long scenes of intense courtroom action with complicated characters and motives, this is not the book to find them. Instead, with the occasional twist or turn, these shallow people work towards a strong conclusion, followed by a rather surprisingly simplistic ending. While an enjoyable read at 292 pages, this is a book that is easily forgotten as one moves on looking for more substantial sustenance.
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Title: Wild Justice by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0061030635 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 31 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Undertaker's Widow by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0553580884 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 02 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Last Innocent Man by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0553569791 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: After Dark by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0553569082 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Heartstone by Phillip Margolin ISBN: 0553569783 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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