The Choice [Mass Market Paperback]

Barry Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1992

Frank Galvin, a smart Irishman from the tough side of town, is the star litigator at a blue-chip Boston law firm. But the irresistible lure of a beautiful woman with a devastating secret threatens his hard-won acceptance by "the establishment."

Suddenly, Frank finds himself on the wrong side of a ferocious legal war-hired to destroy the people he he trusts, loyal to those he doesn't. He's facing the biggest choice of his career-and the ultimate battle between duty and honor.

Caught in the crossfire of sexual temptation and murder, he'll call on the same unorthodox methods that made things sizzle in The Verdict. But this time, Galvin's got a lot more at stake, because winning the case could mean losing everything.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reed's marvelous sequel to The Verdict puts attorney Frank Galvin on the horns of a dilemma. Tina Alvarez, a lawyer from downtrodden Fall River, Mass., asks Galvin for help in suing an English pharmaceutical company whose miraculous heart medicine, she alleges, has caused birth defects in a number of Portuguese-American children. Galvin, now working for a Boston Brahmin firm, agrees to take the case until he learns that his own firm represents the company in question. Although he is assigned the task of defending it when Alvarez proceeds with her litigation, Galvin remains spiritually tied to the opposition's case, especially as he has successfully urged Alvarez to enlist the help of his mentor, Moe Katz. Ethics turn dangerously murky when Galvin's colleague alters a legal agreement to make it appear as if the English company does not have full authority over the U.S. concern that markets the drug stateside, with the result that Alvarez and Katz have to sue in England, where liability laws tend to favor defendants. Galvin is furious when he discovers the alteration, and is further dismayed to learn that the man who patented the heart drug had been aware of its risks. A series of ostensibly unrelated murders forces Galvin to reconsider the morality of his defense. Ingenious plot twists build to a memorable and gripping resolution.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Frank Galvin is at the peak of his legal career with a blue-chip Boston law firm. As chronicled in The Verdict ( LJ 5/15/80), he has risen to the height of Boston's legal set through a brilliant performance in a highly publicized hospital case. When he is approached by a young and inexperienced attorney with evidence that a highly touted new wonder drug may cause birth defects, he sees it as an opportunity to exert his firm's sense of humanity. However, the firm is the principal legal counsel for the drug's manufacturer. What seems at first to be a simple matter of potential conflict of interest rapidly escalates into an intricate web of intrigue involving both U.S. and British law as well as medical ethics. The highly charged atmosphere of big-time law and tense courtroom drama rapidly unfolds. The specter of Paul Newman (who starred in the film version of The Verdict ) is seen at every turn. A compelling, exciting novel. Highly recommended.
- Susan Clifford, Hughes Aircraft Co. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (September 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312928831
• ISBN-13: 978-0312928834
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What better a law novel than one written by a lawyer?, May 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

For starters , the author is the grandfather of my good friend , so I shall attempt to filter out my biases. However , this truly is a great story , and one of the better law novels of recent time. For those of you who are into this genre , this is a must read.

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like "Lawyer" books; This is a MUST read, December 19, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read a good many law novels and this one stands out. Reed is willing to get into law proceedure in such a way that a novice can get a real feel for the profession. Yet never is it boring or even slow, a great work.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The story line was interesting but difficult to read., August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this book as far as the story line; however, I felt that I would have had to take medical and legal classes to understand a great deal of the jargon. I had to look up many words that I didn't have a clue what they were. Galvin's age didn't help my perception. I will try a another book of Barry's though, but should probably stick to Grisham, something I can understand.