Rating: 4/5
Review:
Gripping and intelligent
I found this a gripping, well-written and thoughtful book.
The plot summary seems to feature many of the clichés of the genre - a young, inexperienced lawyer agrees to defend a murder case but finds that his client obviously committed the crime but won't say why. The lawyer finds that he has a close personal connection to the victim and to his family. His legal opponent is a brilliant, powerful and respected lawyer and the victim one of the richest and most influential men in Germany whose past begins to emerge... It all sounds like the usual sort of legal/conspiracy blockbuster, but is in fact very different. This is a brief, concentrated and quietly powerful book celebrating personal and legal integrity and making important points about the manipulation of the law.
The narrative is beautifully constructed and excellently told (and translated) in unflashy prose which I found gave it real strength and drive. The characters and dialogue are wholly believable and the tension in the courtroom scenes builds very well. This may perhaps make more impact in Germany where the legal revelations are more directly relevant, but as a non-German I still found it very gripping and very interesting.
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