Dear Great Book Guru,
I am leaving Sea Cliff for a week in sunny Miami- of course, I am
bereft- there is no place I would rather be than Sea Cliff- snowy or sunny . So
can you recommend a good book, something so compelling to read that it will get
me through my time in the wildness?
Dreading to Leave
Dear Dreading to Leave,
I understand your feelings completely and I just read a rather long,
very engrossing legal thriller by Nick Stone: THE VERDICT. Stone is an English
citizen with a French-Haitian background who has won numerous literary awards
in England but is relatively unknown here in the States. Set in London over the last twenty years, THE
VERDICT is reminiscent of a John Grisham work at its best: great dialogue, cleverly
unfolding story line, colorfully rogue characters, and a morally flawed hero. The story opens with Vernon Jackson, a
billionaire financier, in a lush hotel suite, preparing his acceptance speech
for “ The Ethical Person of the Year” award; as Jackson’s sordid history is revealed, we
are equally horrified and amused at the irony of his having been considered for this honor. The
hero narrator of the tale is Terry Flynt, a law clerk with a history of “bad
moments,” who has the unenviable task of proving Jackson innocent of a particularly
violent murder. Israeli operatives, South African assassins, Quaker
missionaries, and real estate moguls all join in to make for a story that is
fascinating from beginning to end. Recommended!