THE COURT OF LAST RESORT

A federal judge takes justice into his own lethal hands in Flynn’s dark legal thriller.

In the Chicago summer of 1989, drunk driver Dick Lowell fatally hits a young waitress riding a bicycle. Lowell first calls his friend Phil Denniston, a lawyer who ultimately represents him in a civil case. Thanks in large part to incompetence on the part of the prosecutor, the settlement favors Lowell. This certainly doesn’t sit well with the presiding judge Adam Willow, especially after he overhears Lowell all but admitting to his crime. Circumstances put Willow alone with this man, and the judge decides to hold his own personal trial, which ends in capital punishment. But Lowell isn’t the only guilty person who has walked away from court relatively unscathed, and Judge Willow, who abides by United States law, must sometimes let a defendant go. So, he continues pursuing his own peculiar brand of justice; on one occasion, he lets the criminal come to him, but he’s not above ambushing a malefactor. The FBI quickly links the resulting deaths, as each victim had recently appeared in court. But that still leaves a number of potential suspects, from individuals who work at the Chicago Federal Courthouse to “the Court Buffs,” a group of retired men who are habitual courtroom spectators. When the police arrest someone else for one of Willow’s deeds, the judge has a tough choice to make: Can he clear this defendant’s name legally in the courtroom, or will he have to take more drastic measures to keep an innocent person out of prison?

Considering its grim premise, Flynn’s novel is unexpectedly restrained. For starters, the true focus is on the moments leading up to the murders and their aftermath; in many instances, the murders themselves are not depicted. The extensive cast includes the Buffs, quite a few judges (including a Supreme Court Justice), and law clerks, such as the newly hired Ellen Godfrey in Willow’s office. In between trials, motions, and scenes of Willow essentially executing people, the characters intermittently find themselves in lighter situations; a highlight occurs when Buff leader Maguire, after implying that he’s a lawyer, offers cops his amusingly unorthodox identification. The story reveals glimpses of Willow’s backstory—he fought in Korea and is saddled with PTSD-like symptoms. There’s nevertheless very little insight into the judge, and his moral stance, especially with regard to his present-day actions, isn’t quite as lucid as readers may wish. Still, unrelenting tension propels the narrative, as Willow’s actions are often in question: Who’s his next target, how will he “enforce” the law, and what will he do to help the wrongfully accused individual? The plot includes some solid set pieces, including bouts of memorable weather: “The wind swept in from the north, driving the snow into [his] face. The scarf grew moist from his breath. His eyes stung from the ice particles.” Although a romantic subplot is predictable, the final act churns out a few shocks.

This taut vigilante story delivers suspense and a handful of surprises.