Reviews for Open Season on Lawyers: A Novel of Suspense

The average rating for Open Season on Lawyers: A Novel of Suspense based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-05-30 00:00:00 Johnson Adigun RATING: 4.25 Most homicide detectives have seen every imaginable crime. But every once in a while, there will be a killer who has a clever twist that hasn't been done before. That's what LAPD Detective Joanna Davis discovers when she begins looking at a series of seemingly unrelated killings of lawyers. Upon further investigation, we find that the killings are of "sleazy" lawyers, those who either ride roughshod over their clients or cheat the public in one way or another. It's actually rather difficult to find sympathy for the victims; in one of the cases, Joanna finds herself glad that the lawyer in question was killed! One of the victim's wives tags the murderer with the name "Attorney Terminator" which quickly becomes "Atterminator" in the local tabloids. The killer is exceptionally clever, matching the means of death with the questionable behavior exhibited by the victim. For example, there's the attorney who handled a hot coffee case resulting in severe burns to the plaintiff. His death was caused by being parboiled in a hot tub. The Atterminator certainly would have gotten off scot-free if the police hadn't had some lucky breaks where his identity became known. Even the best of disguises is no match for bad luck. Cannon does a wonderful job of developing her characters. I particularly liked the fact that Joanna is a mature woman of 52, a type that is not often cast as the protagonist in most mystery novels. The depiction of the killer is very interesting, as he has a unique way of perceiving things and very creative methods of murdering the lawyers as well as eluding the police. In a strange way, the reader has to appreciate what he is doing as he enacts what he calls the "Legal Resolution Program". There's kind of a poetic justice to the murders. Add to that a tight plot sprinkled with wry humor and you've got a winner. My only quibble is that the resolution of the book was a little contrived, a small complaint given the quality of the writing that preceded it. Everything that happens, including the lucky breaks, is believable. I loved the fact that when Joanna enters her home and finds that it has been broken into, she calls 911 and waits in fear until the police arrive, even though she is a police officer. In many books, she would have gone rampaging through the home without regard for her own safety. The actual investigation seems very realistic, the poring through all sorts of irrelevant information and false leads. I found Open Season on Lawyers to be very enjoyable and highly recommend it.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-01-20 00:00:00 John Johnson Taffy Cannon, Open Season on Lawyers (Perseverance Press, 2002) Taffy Cannon's sixth novel suffers from one of the silliest names ever given to a book. Don't, however, judge said book by its cover, no matter what is written there; Open Season on Lawyers, despite having some flaws, is a fast-paced, witty romp through the life and detection of a serial killer whom most of us would very much like to be. As the title tells you, someone's killing lawyers. Their deaths are staged in wonderfully ironic ways (a victim based on the infamous Stella lawsuit is boiled alive in a hot tub; a lawyer who successfully defended a fast food chain against claims of food poisoning dies of botulism, etc.). After the first few, the cops realize they have a serial killer on their hands. Enter tough, plucky (aren't they all?) heroine Joanna Davis and her partner Al Jacobs, trying to track down the killer the press have dubbed The Atterminator. One thing about Cannon's writing that definitely sticks out is her dry, almost British, wit. The chuckles to be found in these pages have their mirror in the deserts of California. Slapstick this ain't, but a finely-honed sense of irony that never sounds forced. Because of that, it's possible to overlook some of the more predictable parts of the book (the final conflict, for example, can be seen from at least fifty pages away). As well, there is a good deal of technical artistry on the part of the killer; Ms. Cannon has done her research, and done it well. It would seem to behoove the astute reviewer not to ask exactly how well, but there you go. Balanced against these strong points are the odd cliché now and again, an almost painful sense of stereotyping, and a few niggling habits (one cop, named Quincy Reese, nicknamed Q, is never referred to as Q, or as Reese, but always as Q Reese, for example). Certainly not enough to keep you from picking this up, if you're a mystery fan; Cannon's novels may be just the thing for this year's beach reads, if you haven't discovered her yet. ** ½