Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. He works out of a customized bulletproof van, complete with WiFi, a bar, a small fridge, fine leather chairs, a hidden gun compartment and a heavily armed driver. He has no firm, no partners, no associates and only one employee, his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant and golf caddy. He lives alone in a small but extremely safe penthouse apartment and his primary piece of furniture is a vintage pool table. He drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun.
Sebastian defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, Sebastian, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn’t like insurance companies, banks or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system’s notions of ethical behavior.
Sebastian Rudd is a lawyer who takes on cases that other lawyers won't. The police are corrupt and cover up when they screw up and he doesn't think that's right. Rudd doesn't have an office ... he operates out of the back of a van so he's always on the move and has just one assistant, Partner, who also doubles as a bodyguard.
Rudd's clients in this book include a guy who is accused of killing two young girls because he had tattoos and likes metal music, a crime lord who ends up on death row but escapes in the last hour and then wants his fees back from Rudd, an elderly man who was suspected of dealing drugs and his wife was killed by police officers when they invaded his house at 3am, a man who is suspected of kidnapping and murdering a young woman and then taunts Rudd, and a cage fighter, who Rudd owns a piece of, who is charged with murder when he beats up a ref after he loses a fight.
In addition to all that, Rudd's ex-wife is constantly challenging him about the visitation he has with his son, Starcher.
It's been a while since I've read a book by Grisham. I liked this one. I liked the writing style. I found that it started off a bit weird ... it was more like a collection of short stories about Rudd's clients. But it came together and seemed to become a novel.
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