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Deadspin [Hardcover]

Gregory Macgregor (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 1, 1997
In the bestselling tradition of Airframe and Pandora's Clock comes a masterfully written debut, an exciting new thriller about a fatally flawed airplane--and the lawsuit that could bring down a future president...or destroy an attorney's career and life.

A chillingly authentic legal thriller, this gripping story follows a high-stakes game of greed, betrayal, and murder from the offices of an L.A.  law firm to the New Zealand outback to a secret inner sanctum of power in Washington, D.C.

Christopher Lang, senior litigator at the prestigious Los Angeles firm of Devereaux and Brace, has just been handed the case of a lifetime.  An old friend from law school whose career took an odd, clandestine turn after his brother's death in Vietnam has suddenly resurfaced with a proposal for Lang.  Would he be willing to try a lawsuit against a company called Arrow Dynamics and its former owner, celebrated tycoon Russell Lindstrom, a man who may quite possibly be the next president of the United States?

Lindstrom is on the campaign trail and he seems the perfect candidate--a war hero cast in the Ronald Reagan mold, a successful, swashbuckling businessman with a multibillion-dollar war chest.  But back in Washington, a small, concerned group of men are tracking Lindstrom's campaign.  Although lacking hard evidence, they're convinced that Lindstrom puts business first and America second, even if it means selling military hardware to the nation's enemies.  Now, determined to destroy him without revealing themselves, they believe they've found the perfect weapon to bring down the perfect candidate: Christopher Lang.

Lang is just ambitious enough and just cocky enough to believe that on his own turf, in a court of law, he can take on one of the richest men on the planet and blow him away.  All he has to do is prove that Lindstrom designed and certified a recreational aircraft that was secretly built to military specifications--a plane Lindstrom knew all along was a flying death trap.  Yet Lang is operating in the dark, with no idea that he's the crucial link in a covert operation, a pawn in a courtroom battle in which witnesses, lawyers, and even their families may face a death sentence.
Now, as his case crumbles around him, Lang must go to extreme lengths, putting his career--and his life--on the line, in a desperate attempt to shock the nation out of its blind adoration of a dangerous man.

Lang is a good lawyer in free fall, in a deadspin.  He's one good man searching for truth in a web of lies and looking for justice in a world driven by revenge, ambition, and raw power.



Gregory Michael MacGregor is the senior partner at MacGregor & Berthel, a Los Angeles law firm, and a father of four.  Deadspin is his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A top-drawer Los Angeles trial lawyer faces tough going when he tangles with a wealthy and powerful candidate for the US presidency: a riveting courtroom drama from attorney/first-novelist MacGregor. An accomplished litigator, Chris Lang, at the behest of an college classmate, accepts a high-profile case in which a bankrupt English company, Pegasus Technologies, will be leveling fraud charges against Arrow Dynamics (a specialty contractor owned by politically ambitious billionaire Russell Lindstrom). Unbeknownst to Lang, this legal action is not being underwritten by the plaintiffs but by a group of retired intelligence and military officers (known as the Fortress) eager to bring Lindstrom to book for working both sides of the arms-sale street. Though in the dark about the agendas of all interested parties, the Pegasus mouthpiece is prepared to make a persuasive case that his client (which had contracted with Arrow for the plans of a lightweight recreational airplane it wanted to sell in upscale consumer markets) was sold a defective design that went into deadly flat spins without warning. He even discovers that Lindstrom had a hand in engineering the ill- fated prototype. Owing to the hardball tactics of the industrialist, however, Lang is unable to get a full bill of particulars before the jury. A hostile judge (who may have been bought off) excludes important evidence; two key witnesses die in suspicious circumstances; and incriminating exhibits (including test-flight notes in Lindstrom's handwriting) go missing. At length, on the eve of the Republican convention, Lang feels obliged to go outside the law to expose the coverup and secure justice for the country as well as for his clients. Consequential stakes, constant suspense, high-tech skullduggery, and well-drawn characters with credible relationships: an immensely entertaining debut that could have Grisham, Turow, et al. looking to their laurels. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

"A gripping tale of politics and legal shenanigans.... A sure winner. MacGregor outdoes Grisham....In the process he proves himself an author to watch."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"MacGregor has crafted an all-night thriller which ricochets from the stratosphere to the courtroom. This is a winner!"
--John J. Nance, author of Pandora's Clock, Medusa's Child

"A pit-bull of a lawyer challenges a man who would be President in this gripping courtroom thriller. A first-rate debut novel."
--Robert K. Tanenbaum, author of Irresistible Impulse

"Taut with suspense, great legal drama. Hollywood will be lining up for this one."
--Barry Reed, author of The Verdict and The Deception.

"A gripping tale of politics and legal shenanigans... a sure winner."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Immensely entertaining... Could have Grisham, Turow, et al. looking at their laurels."
Kirkus Reviews,Starred Review


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553105841
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553105841
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,484,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, October 4, 1998
By 
This review is from: Deadspin (Mass Market Paperback)
I have a tendency to wander the aisles of bookstores and buy fiction that can most easily be described as "books with airplanes on the cover." Books by Dale Brown, Dean Ing, etc. I picked up Deadspin through the same heuristic. Obviously it wasn't a technothriller in my usual vein, but on the other hand I've also been known to read and enjoy a Grisham novel or two.

Anyway, I bought the book, and my "verdict" is that it is a good read and that it showcases a writer with a lot of talent. MacGregor indulges in cliches, of course, but he doesn't prop his story up on them. Nor does he prop it up on science or an industry that he doesn't understand. I'm not saying he doesn't understand the "techno", just that he shies away from technobabble that might belie an understanding, if you know what I mean.

What I liked about this book, somewhat surprisingly, was MacGregor's very careful drawing of his protagonist, the litigator Lang, a man with loyalties, morality, responsibilities, and decency. Although some scenes are viewed through other characters' eyes, the book is essentially a third-person narrative told from Lang's viewpoint, and he turns out to be a character with whom it is not only easy but pleasant to identify. This is unusual in this age of monotonous eight hundred page omniscient--and uniformly ambiguously moral--"thrillers."

The thing I found most lacking, or perhaps that I most wanted to find, was the sharp sense of humor and irony that John Grisham and even, nowadays, Tom Clancy inject into their works. I wanted a twist or two toward the end, a surprise or an O'Henry hook, but it never materialized. Realistic perhaps, but I have the History Channel for that.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fasten your seatbelts for an unforgetable page-turning ride., July 24, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Deadspin (Hardcover)
Deadspin is a freefall; a heart-pounding legal thrill-ride, packed with politics and seared by the white hot lights of a media frenzy. The story of a sharp, secure, somewhat cocky litigator unwittingly sucked into another man's war against a dynamic presidential hopeful, is laced with layers of convincing conspiracies. Riveting and memorable scenes transport the reader across three continents as this multi-level battle of ambition is masterfully woven by an extraordinary new storyteller. Obviously MacGregor knows his way around the courthouse, but it is his impressive ability to use less words to say more that makes him unique in his field. Encircling the hero and villain are myriad supporting characters so roundly developed that you leave the book wishing for sequels, pre-quels and spin-offs. Buckle up. This is one wild ride on an experimental, recreational aircraft with a tendency to spin and leave the reader breathless. Deborah Roffino/DZR0545 @ AOL.com
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars All I can say is WOW, September 5, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Deadspin (Hardcover)
He has the charisma of a Kennedy (the previous generation), the charm and statesmanship of Ronald Reagan (the presidential era), and the mystique of Howard Hughes (the recluse period). He was once a poor person, but established a dynasty that turned him into one of the richest men in the world. Currently, he is the front-runner in the race for the Oval office. However, Russell Lindstrom is, in reality, a traitor to the United States.

A cadre of former military officers known as "The Fortress" realize what Lindstrom is. They have no concrete proof that the Republican candidate illegally sold technology to the enemy during the Viet Nam conflict or that he sold prohibited electronic parts to the Sandinistas, etc. One particular member of "The Fortress" lost a brother in Nam due to Lindstrom's machinations. He plans to discredit the villain. He chooses litigator Christopher Lang as the person who can stop the cancer from spreading any further by proving Lindstrom committed fraud. Lang, unaware that he is being manipulated, knows that he must stop the evil giant before he enters the White House.

This pulse pounding espionage/legal thriller is a one sitting read. Gregory Michael MacGregor's debut novel delivers a knock out that leaves readers stunned by the quality of the prose and the brilliant characterizations. DEADSPIN is the ultimate conspiracy thriller because it seems so plausible and its characters come right out of the media. Even after completing the novel, its impact lingers as readers reaffirm that politicians should never be only judged at face value.

Harriet Klausner

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