The Color of Law by Mark Gimenez.....

Image from openlibrary.org

This book was my first attempt to download an electronic book from my local library. It actually comes from Amazon, but I had to put in my library card i.d., and I have no idea how all that works. I thought I had not followed the instructions correctly, and I got frustrated with the whole process, but then I noticed the book showed up on my iPad. I know, right? I got an email a couple of days ago warning me that my online book was about to "expire," and I'm curious how THAT works as well. Will it just disappear off my iPad? Will someone leave a wreath? I guess I'll find out.

This was a legal novel (duh, Bragger) set in Dallas. It was very much like John Grisham's novels, with a less-than-powerful lawyer taking on the big guys. The main character, A. Scott Fenney, is a ladder-climbing corporate lawyer who finds himself unexpectedly (and unpredictably and probably unreasonably) appointed to defend a black prostitute accused of murdering the son of a U.S. Senator. A former SMU star running back, Fenney approaches law the same way he attacked football games, with the goal of winning no matter what the means.

I found one spelling error (the same one appeared twice, actually), and that always affects my opinion of a book. The word "discretely" was used when it should have been "discreetly," and I was surprised because most of the time that error occurs just opposite. The word "discretely" is so seldom used that I was surprised to see it used instead of the correct word.

Grammar snobbery aside, this book was thoroughly enjoyable to read. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I won't. I thought the characters were well developed, the plot was carried out effectively without either confusing or patronizing the reader, and the legal scene was described in a way that exposed its foibles and downright corruption, but it didn't leave me with a feeling of complete and utter hopelessness (as so many legal-type novels often do).

The most enjoyable part of the whole book to me was the relationship between the lawyer Fenney and his daughter, Boo. Apropos of absolutely nothing, Fenney was described in the book as having blond hair, and I just can't make him blond in my mind.

I don't think I've ever used the word "foible" in a blog post before.