The Deal

Rating:
Summary: Why isn't this a movie?
Review: C'mon Hollywood? What are you waiting for? Money, love, romance, intrigue, suspense, a mind-twisting puzzle that leaves you wondering at the end whether it's really over...come on...This is a great book, a great story, and characters who are truly REAL and not ... ....Sabin Willett needs to resurrect these characters for another round...

Ed Mulcahy, the newest partner at the tony Boston law firm of Freer Motley, has agreed to defend the man who may have murdered the firm's recently deposed managing director. To do so, he won't get paid, he will lose his job, and will have to face his own personal demons to find the footing he needs to bring this case not only to trial but to a verdict that you may still question even after you've finished the last page.

Rating:
Summary: Great characters, often funny, non-lawyers don't be afraid
Review: I am a lawyer. Lawyers come in many ways. Litigators, corporate, prosecutors, senior corporate, associates, district attorneys, paralegals <well they are not lawyers> and others. They all do different things, as distinct as a bromelia is from an emu. Mr. Willett places them all here. And from my experience, he does a good job with them. They are funny per se. I don't think that this is a lawyers-only humor. The story is set in Boston. Imagine a deal whereby a bank gives some people money to buy a company. And, as you know, banks do not lend money, big money that is, without some collateral. Well the collateral is a big building in Manhattan. And some lawyer made a mistake whereby the collateral is worth $800,000,000 less than it is suppose to be worth. And then there is a murder. All hell breaks loose. The Harvard attorney who dealt the deal is indicted, his Northeastern pupil has to defend him, people get fired, crippled techies are shot at, and time is of the essence. Great story. Most people will read it more than once. I did. Trust me on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great characters, often funny, non-lawyers don't be afraid
Review: I am a lawyer. Lawyers come in many ways. Litigators, corporate, prosecutors, senior corporate, associates, district attorneys, paralegals and others. They all do different things, as distinct as a bromelia is from an emu. Mr. Willett places them all here. And from my experience, he does a good job with them. They are funny per se. I don't think that this is a lawyers-only humor. The story is set in Boston. Imagine a deal whereby a bank gives some people money to buy a company. And, as you know, banks do not lend money, big money that is, without some collateral. Well the collateral is a big building in Manhattan. And some lawyer made a mistake whereby the collateral is worth $800,000,000 less than it is suppose to be worth. And then there is a murder. All hell breaks loose. The Harvard attorney who dealt the deal is indicted, his Northeastern pupil has to defend him, people get fired, crippled techies are shot at, and time is of the essence. Great story. Most people will read it more than once. I did. Trust me on this one.

Rating:
Summary: one of the tops in its genre
Review: I read Willett's second book, "The Betrayal," before his first novel, "The Deal," and I can report that the first was as good as the second. Marvelous style, and a fine ability to walk the reader through complex legal issues. Highly recommended thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Idea better than plot
Review: The plot is weak especially when it gets to the ending. The story simply falls apart and the piece about in-out records of visitors is particularly embarrasing and unconvincing. I suggest you read Compelling Evidence of Steve Martini and you can see the difference between outstanding and so-so writings.

Rating:
Summary: If you liked 'A Civil Action' - you'll love 'The Deal'
Review: This is a fast-paced Boston legal intrigue. There is a mega-deal with an apparent typo - that hands $830,000,000 back to the buyer. No one knows who was responsible at the law firm for the (?)misprint in the deal. Then the senior partner on the deal is found murdered, and his associate is (?falsely) accused. He appeals to his buddy to defend him with only 13 days to build a case... It is superbly written - with suspense and excellent dramatic timing that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat. It has a wonderful Boston feel, a background love story - I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Deal
Review: Willett's debut work is as fast a page-turner as any Grisham book. I found myself not only entrenched within the story but the Bostonian environs as well. Lively characters and descriptive settings, The Deal is well worth a read. I look forward to Willett's sophmore corpus