De fortabtes advokat (1998)

Michael Brock ifjú, tehetséges, jól kereső ügyvéd, egy híres washingtoni iroda tagja. Remek karrier előtt áll, nevét már mint lehetséges partnert emlegetik.
Egy reggel azonban minden megváltozik. A liftben egy hajléktalannal együtt utazik, aki pisztolyt ránt és kilenc ügyvédet túszul ejt. Bár a támadót lelövik, az eset valóságos lavinát indít el Michael életében. A kérdések nem hagyják nyugodni. Ki volt a támadó? Mit akart? Milyen sötét ügyek állnak az események mögött? A fiatal ügyvéd magánnyomozásba kezd és nem is sejti, hogy élete ettől a pillanattól kezdve gyökeresen megváltozik.... ( )

Michael Brock is een veelbelovende, jonge advocaat bij een prestigieus kantoor in Washington D.C. Wanneer hij erachter komt dat zijn werkgever een verschrikkelijk geheim verbergt, neemt hij ontslag. Als advocaat van de armen gaat hij verder, maar Michael heeft een dossier meegenomen dat eer explosief blijkt te zijn...

Grisham does know how to tell stories. He also is fond of crusading. He does both here.

Michael Brock, on the fast track to big bucks in a large legal firm, has an epiphany after being held hostage by a homeless man who calls himself "Mister". First, Michael is curious about what Mister really wanted. He does not believe the homeless man would have hurt anyone. Just a few inquiries makes him more curious.

He meets Mordecai Green, lead lawyer of a firm that assists homeless persons for free, and he follows him around to various shelters and other assistive organizations, learning what issues homeless persons face and what kinds of help are effective. Meanwhile, he finds anonymous notes that lead him to a file in his firm, a file that tells the story that led Mister to his actions. He makes a decision to copy the file, and this decision sends him on a course of action that changes his life forever.

So Brock becomes a "street lawyer", making much less than he was previously, and about to lose his marriage as well. And things really heat up. We can admire him for not questioning his decisions, even though he does look back in wonder. I think most of us would second-guess ourselves at least once.

It's a lively book, and Brock is a character we can get behind. A satisfying, if unrealistic, journey. ( )

Abandonar una vida acomodada para abrazar una causa justa es tarea de héroes. Michael Brock no es un héroe, es sólo un abogado de prestigio que gana 130.000 dólares mensuales. El encuentro con DeVon Hardy, le despierta la curiosidad por saber cómo viven los que tiene menos que él, y ese conocimiento , luego, le exige un compromiso. ( )

I remember reading John Grisham's first novel not long after it came out. I was sucked in with the first sentence and enjoyed every last word of it. I've enjoyed some of his others nearly as much but not until Street Lawyer have I been able to repeat the same wonderful experience. This is the kind of story I like - a very compelling plot, beautifully told, full of characters that are vivid and as flawed as not. ( )