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Good Counsel [Hardcover]

Tim Junkin (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 1, 2001
Tim Junkin's fast-paced insider novel tracks a moral journey. Jack Stanton began his career as a public defender in the Washington, D.C., "Agency." A quick study and a charismatic trial lawyer, Jack believed wholeheartedly in indigent clients' rights to the best legal defense possible. He worked tirelessly and won some tough cases against the District's corps of prosecuting attorneys. His reputation for expert client preparation grew alongside his passion for winning.

Ultimately, however, Jack pays for that reputation with his integrity. And, for his workaholism, he pays with his marriage. By the time he decides to leave the Agency to establish his own private law practice, his line between truth and manipulated fact has thinned to almost nothing. And so, specializing in medical malpractice cases, Jack succeeds brilliantly until he obscures that thin line altogether and is charged with lying under oath.

He runs, hiding out in a secluded house on the Chesapeake Bay. It's there that he encounters an idealistic young woman plotting to avenge her father's murder by terrorists. Her plight leads Jack to act once again on behalf of an underdog and to regain-at least for himself-his own idealism and honor.

With its intriguing cast of the accused and their defenders, Good Counsel dramatically illustrates the process and practice of litigation. It's a knowing, taut, suspenseful novel that confronts the high price of professional success.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A lawyer's ambition costs him his marriage and his career in Junkin's evocative second novel, which opens with protagonist Jack Stanton on the run from the law. Stanton's crime is left undisclosed in the early going, as Junkin flashes back to the lawyer's glory days building a name for himself defending the rights of the downtrodden in Washington, D.C. Stanton's ability to hide is quickly compromised, though, when the woman who sells bait at the general store in the Chesapeake Bay fishing town he flees to reports him to the police for not having a fishing license. In despair, Stanton attempts suicide, but his fortunes seem to turn when he is rescued by Susannah Blair, nicknamed Muddy, who works at the general store. After she takes him in, Stanton slowly tells the story of his deception in the case that got him in legal trouble, and Muddy soon reciprocates by disclosing her plan to kill the Nicaraguan terrorist who assassinated her father while she was growing up in Washington. Junkin walks a fine line between genres in this blend of legal thriller and morality play, but what makes it work is the portrait of Jack Stanton, a passionate, well-drawn character whose compassion emerges full-blown after the law catches up with him and Muddy acts out her plan for revenge. The novel is not without flaws; the odd ending leaves Stanton and Blair's affair unresolved, and the women are decidedly less credibly sketched than Stanton, with Stanton's wife appearing as a mere shadow figure while Muddy often seems to be a romantic prop for the protagonist. Generally, though, storytelling and characterization quality allow Junkin to pull off his intriguing conceit. (Mar. 30)Forecast: Another legal thriller; and how this one, though better than average, will register on readers' radar is a mystery.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...earns a place on the same docket as the finest courtroom nail-biters." -- People Magazine

"A thorough knowledge of law, a piercing knowledge of the human psyche. Any wise counselor will recommend GOOD COUNSEL." -- Grand Rapids Press

"Devoted to the nuts-and-bolts of case preparation and the doubts that may arise among the lawyers involved." -- The Washington Post Book World

"Spare, sinewy prose that is powerful without being flashy... seamless." -- Legal Times

"Suspenseful enough to keep that bedside light burning." -- The Charlotte Observer

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (March 1, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1565122844
  • ISBN-13: 978-1565122840
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,324,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I have no title, March 15, 2001
By 
Aline Curran (St Simons Island, Ga.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Good Counsel (Hardcover)
I loved Tim Junkin's first novel, The Waterman. Good Counsel is quite different, but just as good and even better in it's own way. It is a thriller that grabs you from the first page and never let's go. It has an underlying seriousness; like a parable. The characters are fascinating and the action never stops. It is a story of passion, love and redemption, as well as a philosphical inquiry into modern ethics. A superb book and a must to those interested in the legal process.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars An Unethical Lawyer On the Run From the Law., December 18, 2004
This review is from: Good Counsel (Hardcover)
Jack Stanton, as a public defender in Washington, D.C., created a reputation as a tough lawyer who used his expertise at the Agency to give indigent lawbreakers (of the worst kind) the best defense possible. He put aside the ethical side of law and concentrated on the humanity involved. He felt that he had 'the gift' of winning his cases, even though he revelled in cases of incorrigible felons who had committed violent crimes. In all cases, he got them off, scot-free -- luck of the Irish. However, he paid with his integrity, as many lawyers do in the end.

All lawyers have to do a bit of acting and manipulating facts as they represent their clients. Some are better at it than others, but the successful ones are really good actors and debaters. I worked for a few lawyers in a small town and came to know their strengths and weaknesses. Those who have to bend the truth a little or a lot pay for it in their personal lives, as this fictitious attorney did. One I knew turned to alcohol for false courage. Another let his high position get him in a lot of trouble and ended up losing his license.

Jack decides to specialize in medical malpractice cases when he leaves the clinic to go into his own private law office. He's always championed the causes for the underdog and with his charm, his success seems neverending. But there is a high price to pay for letting all those bad people stay on the streets to commit more crimes and become a threat to society. It catches up with him when he lies under oath. Many do that, but he got caught. Then, his whole world is shattered and he has to face up to the consequences, after a fashion.

The author is a practicing attorney in Maryland and acknowledges that 'the literary perceptions and insights are based on experience.' The book jacket projects his courtroom novels on a par with John Grisham and Scott Turow. I say he has a way to go to be in their league.

It is touted as witnessing a lawyer's worst nightmare, 'a face-to-face confrontation with his own conscience.' In the small town, I found only one attorney with a conscience. It took a mental patient bent on revenge and her plight to bring him down. It was a hard fall. He became caged by his ambition, his relish for competition and winning, and his ability to twist the truth. He was more than adequate in what he chose to do, but I couldn't label him as "good" counsel.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars no title, July 9, 2001
By 
This review is from: Good Counsel (Hardcover)
Being exposed to criminal law in any book can be very intriguing, whether that information is true or not. Tim Junkin's different accounts of Jack Stanton in the courtroom, at a jail, or in the ghetto were so accurate and in tune with what criminal law and law enforcement is that I was unable to let go of this book. I work in law enforcement and know many defense attorneys who defend the individuals I supervise as a probation officer. Every detail of every journey into the courthouse and jail were vivid reminders of what I see on a day to day basis. The inner struggle Jack had with ehtics and his own indiscretions was played out very well and can be attested to by any attorney worth his salt. Flashback format was very cool and kept me entertained throughout. An outstanding thriller with real, real, real life undertones.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I'VE BEEN IN TOUGH SPOTS BEFORE. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
law college, trade conference
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Morgan Langrell, Sherman Allen, Wilson Stark, Central America, Dun Cove, Joseph Williams, Judge Cole, Linda Morrison, Asa Cole, Mitch Snyder, Fantasy Island, Charlie Sanders, Maple Glen, Rupert Johnson, Sarah Simmons, New Year's Day, Wye Plantation, Wye River, Bozman Road, Everett Wheeler, Spartan Guard, Susannah Blair, Jack Stanton, Manny Owens, New Orleans
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