Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker [Paperback]

Tom Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2009

Mark Rollins, a retired technology entrepreneur, has become the creator/owner of an exclusive fitness center catering to young trophy wives and socially elite wealthy women of Nashville. In Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, the second book in the series, someone is trying to kill the husband of a fitness club member. Her much older husband is a prominent Nashville attorney—the rainmaker for his law firm. Rollins sets out to unmask the villain before it is too late—a task that proves dangerous, and the danger spreads as the diabolical killer’s targets expand. To pick up the killer’s trail, Rollins and his colorful MBA sidekick, Mariko Lee, pose as financial consultants hired by the law firm. Mariko discovers that the seeds causing many law firms to self-destruct and that in this case provide a motive for murder can be found in the numbers. As they close in on the villain’s identity, Rollins and his team race against the clock to unravel the killer’s final desperate plan.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

While my career has been in business,  in my youthful years I dabbled in acting--I was the peddler, Ali Hakim, in Oklahoma, the King of France in King Lear, Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, Bogart's character in The Desperate Hours, the black pastor, Stephen Kumalo, in Cry, the Beloved Country.  Those and other roles left an imprint much like practice creates muscle memory for an athlete.  As I write, the story plays out in my mind--I find I am mentally performing the role of each character in story.
 
After the first Mark Rollins adventure, I made a decision to make law firms, or a law firm, central to my stories.  The last thirty years of my business career was spent helping law firms operate profitably.  In the Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, real life management issues common to law firms are woven into the story elements of the murder mystery.    Thus the book has both an entertainment and an educational aspect particularly for those involved in the practice of law.

From the Back Cover

Someone is trying to kill a prominent Nashville attorney--the rainmaker for his law firm.  At the request of the attorney's wife, Mark Rollins sets out to unmask the villain before it's too late.  The task proves to be a dangerous one, and the danger spreads as the diabolical killer's targets expand. 

Mark Rollins is a wealthy retired technology entrepreneur who becomes the creator/owner of the Women's Health Club, a unique and exclusive fitness center for the wealthy and socially elite women of Nashville, Tennessee.  While others run the Club, Rollins becomes the father figure to whom club members turn when they are troubled.  He uses his money, friends in high places, and loyal team of computer experts to make their problems go away.  It's strictly legal--or as Rollins says, "We never seriously break the law."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (February 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439220557
• ISBN-13: 978-1439220559
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,955,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Summary Biography:
M. Thomas (Tom) Collins is one of the pioneer entrepreneurs of the information technology industry. His business successes include Juris, Inc. which was purchased by LexisNexis® in June of 2007. In addition to his role as the founder and head of Juris, Inc., he shared his 30 years of experience working with midsized law firms on the award-winning blog www.morepartnerincome.com. The London-based publication Citytech called him an "outstanding individual and visionary" when he was named as one of the Top 100 Global Tech Leaders in the legal community. He is also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the publication Law Technology News for his contribution to the use of technology in the legal community.

Tom Collins retired from commercial activity at the end of 2007. Today he writes mystery/thrillers and continues to write and speak on the subject of law firm financial management.

Additional Information:
Tom Collins earned his Master's Degree from the University of Alabama in 1965 and began his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). He left Price Waterhouse in 1968 to pursue the emerging business opportunity that followed IBM's consent decree allowing the use of IBM computers for the purpose of providing services. It was the birth of the information technology industry. After serving as one of the principals of Compass, Inc., and then Vice President of NLT Computer Services, he joined with four associates to found the public company Endata, Inc. Endata was later acquired by First Financial Management. Following that acquisition, Tom began Juris, Inc. in March 1986. When Juris was purchased by LexisNexis, it had become the leading provider of financial and business information systems for midsized law firms with an estimated 27% market share.
Throughout his career, Tom has been a frequent speaker and author on management subjects as well as technology issues and the legal profession. Among his many industry roles, he is one of the founding members and officers of the consortium organized to implement standards for the electronic exchange of data within the legal community--LEDES, the copyrighted "Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standards." Tom was also the founding chairman of the National Association of Legal Vendors and served as an advisor to several legal-related associations and for the LegalTech® educational and expo conferences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, January 10, 2012

By 

TGJTN - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker (Paperback)

I am huge fan of suspense and drama and mystery meets that criteria. I love being kept on the edge of my seat. This book certainly kept my interest. In fact, I couldn't put it down and finished it in no time. I was anxious to find out what the next chapter would bring along with "who did it?" With the story taking place in Nashville, I felt right at home and as if I knew everyone involved. I highly recommend this book along with the others in the series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, Easy Read., October 9, 2011

By 

PHXDDB - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker (Mark Rollins Adventures) (Kindle Edition)

I am not normally a mystery reader, but this book may change my mind to include more of this genre in my collection. I did enjoy reading Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, although it did start off a bit slow for me. But this quickly changed, the author added the twists and new character introductions at just the right time to keep the book moving at a nice pace and to keep you guessing. The character development is good and detailed but not overly so where the characters are lost in a sea of useless details. I had just the right amount to create the character image in my head which always helps when you're reading. Even though the book is a mystery you have a touch of business included which may seem odd if you haven't read the book, but it really created a nice balance and offered a lot of background to support the story and give the impression that this really could happen. Personally I liked this aspect of the book. The main character, Mark Rollins, is quite interesting. I enjoyed his character and the team he assembles to solve the mystery as well. Even more interesting were all the resources he has at his disposal. If you are at all familiar with the Nashville area the book will really strike a chord with you as there are a lot of local Nashville references. If you're not familiar with Nashville you will still enjoy the story and you will get a good idea of certain parts of the city. If you're looking for a quick, easy and enjoyable read give the Mark Rollins Adventures a go, you won't be disappointed.