BAD PRECEDENT

A New York lawyer juggles his personal relationship, a high-profile client, and his new job at a shady firm in this debut novel.

Mike Stone may finally have a shot at being a partner. After years as an associate for a solo practitioner, he joins the Silver firm, getting a boost in pay and a chance to move up. But he quickly suspects his new bosses’ interest in him has more to do with his client, Vanessa Glynn. She lost her orthopedic-surgeon husband in a Brooklyn building collapse and is currently suing three companies tied to the tragedy. Mike convinces Vanessa to follow him to the firm, though it’s apparent that the Silver partners plan on dumping him once Vanessa’s case is settled. The young lawyer’s bond with Vanessa, however, makes him invaluable, at least temporarily, so he takes the time to devise some form of revenge against the firm. Such planning monopolizes his headspace, putting a damper on his relationship with his increasingly distant fiancee. Abruzzo’s deliberately paced story is a realistic depiction of the U.S. legal system, with Vanessa’s case going through months of depositions before it gets anywhere near a trial. Detailed passages and prolonged conversations work best during witness questionings, while scenes between Mike and Lisa continually decelerate the narrative. Mike serves as an absorbing character study. His flaws are glaring; he calms his nerves with too much wine and is indisputably uncomfortable with the fact that his fiancee’s salary is considerably higher than his. But his empathy shines through; he genuinely cares for the widowed Vanessa and enthusiastically looks after his misguided brother’s 6-year-old daughter. The novel’s latter half picks up steam when Mike makes a choice that throws everyone for a loop, culminating in a worthwhile ending.

An engaging, conflicted hero elevates this unassuming legal tale.