Customer Reviews

The Deal

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fast-paced Boston legal intrigue. There is a mega-deal with an apparent typo - that hands $830,000,000 back to the buyer. No one knows who was responsible at the law firm for the (?)misprint in the deal. Then the senior partner on the deal is found murdered, and his associate is (?falsely) accused. He appeals to his buddy to defend him with only 13 days to build a case... It is superbly written - with suspense and excellent dramatic timing that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat. It has a wonderful Boston feel, a background love story - I loved it.

I am a lawyer. Lawyers come in many ways. Litigators, corporate, prosecutors, senior corporate, associates, district attorneys, paralegals <well they are not lawyers> and others. They all do different things, as distinct as a bromelia is from an emu. Mr. Willett places them all here. And from my experience, he does a good job with them. They are funny per se. I don't think that this is a lawyers-only humor. The story is set in Boston. Imagine a deal whereby a bank gives some people money to buy a company. And, as you know, banks do not lend money, big money that is, without some collateral. Well the collateral is a big building in Manhattan. And some lawyer made a mistake whereby the collateral is worth $800,000,000 less than it is suppose to be worth. And then there is a murder. All hell breaks loose. The Harvard attorney who dealt the deal is indicted, his Northeastern pupil has to defend him, people get fired, crippled techies are shot at, and time is of the essence. Great story. Most people will read it more than once. I did. Trust me on this one.

I came across THE DEAL while looking for a financial thriller. But this one got me completely hooked, I read it at night, during lunch breaks, and I finished it in less than 48 hours. As an IB, I love to read books involving fictious deal making, although Willett's book isn't about investment bankers, I can relate to the time pressure in the beginning of the book. A great book for anyone who's interested in legal and financial area.

I read Willett's second book, "The Betrayal," before his first novel, "The Deal," and I can report that the first was as good as the second. Marvelous style, and a fine ability to walk the reader through complex legal issues. Highly recommended thriller.

Usually Publishers Weekly reviews are on target, but I couldn't disagree more with their take on The Deal. The book is funny, intelligent, feels authentic and is definitely an all-nighter. The dialogue is great. The plot kept me guessing, the main characters were complex and credible. The only character who didn't measure up was Stevie, largely because the author gave him a phonetically spelled out Boston accent that never quite rings true to this Bostonian, and is distracting. The prose demands a tad more attention than the usual thriller, but that made it all the more rewarding.

Plausible exploitation of the parol evidence rule underpins atale of fraud and murder in an $840 million real estate sale. Thebook's best features include three very well-developed characters, exploration of friendship, competition and domination in the relationship between the lawyer-defendant and his own defense attorney, a nice budding romance between two defense attorneys, and very enjoyable courtroom scenes.

Great character sketches in this suspenseful courtroom drama. The story had me hooked from beginning to end.

By the third chapter I was completely hooked. I HAD to continue reading. I especially liked the fact that I could relate to the physical surroundings. (Of course) I can't wait for book number two.

I picked up a copy of The Deal after seeing positive customer reviews on AMAZON.com from some readers...I was not dissapointed...the story was thrilling, and Willett did a great job of delving into the characters. I just picked up his new novel...couldn't wait for the paperback

How many Grisham novels can we take, with the same formula, the preposterous unrealistic plots and Tom Cruise characters? The Deal is convincingly plausible. It could really happen. The story is suspenseful and interesting. Unlike Grisham, the author has really practiced law and knows what really goes on [ OK, so maybe Grisham practiced in some backwater in Mississippi ]. Highly recommended --- but skip the overly long chapter where they are skiing --- adds little but about 30 pages.