Tomes of Miscellany--Mahogany Row

Tomes of Miscellany

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W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Mahogany Row
Author: Wayne J. Keeley
Publisher: The Fiction Works
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 2001

When attorney Jonathan Simpson, one of the senior partners at Ashley, Stepford, and Simpson, is found dead in his office, suspicion immediately falls on Mark McCoy. Mark certainly had motive and opportunity--as did hordes of others--but he knows he didn't do it. Unfortunately, no one is willing to believe him, not even the somewhat questionable lawyer he hires to defend him. Faced with the prospect of losing all he's worked hard to attain for himself and an indefinite prison sentence, Mark does the only thing he can do: search for the truth. Somebody, however, is definitely trying to cover his--or her--tracks, and doing his--or her--best to see that Mark gets no information, even if it means killing everyone with a link to the murder. The big question, however, is this: is Mark really being targeted as a murder suspect, or is there another story behind his frame-up?

While I don't usually care for lawyer thrillers--John Grisham's books-turned-movies being the exceptions, and only because they became movies--Mahogany Row isn't so much a law-and-justice thriller as it is a murder mystery. Which, to be sure, makes it that much more interesting to me. Though nowhere near so long as the likes of Grisham--thankfully--this book is much more palatable. I'll be honest: I started the book one morning before work, and I finished the book by lunchtime, squeezing in moments here and there to finish the novel.

There are some things which I can't stand reading about unless it has a major purpose to fulfill in the novel. Gratuitous sex and violence are two of them. This book, however, only refers to the sex, and the violence that crops up now and again--car chases, gun shots, fist-fights, etc.--don't seem awkward or contrived. There's nothing here that doesn't need to be. The author does a good job of intertwining legal terms and practices with straightforward exposition, dialogue, and description. Now, those of you in the know may be groaning at my assertion of "exposition" being present in the text, but I assure you that each instance of said exposition is necessary, mostly brief, and to the point. Of course, being a first-person narrative, the main character is allowed to get away with more exposition than a third-person narrative would allow.

I'm glad author Wayne J. Keeley invited me to read Mahogany Row. It's a quick-paced, less-law-more-mystery legal thriller that keeps the reader spellbound right until the end. It's not the first time I've read and reviewed and written to writers who have earned awards, but this is the first time I've heard from someone who's won Emmy awards. Two, even! If you want to find out more about the author first, click here!

Rating: Thumbs up! Not a drawn out legal novel but a fast-paced roller coaster of quick, strong writing!

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