Philip Randall is a walking template for lawyer jokes. He is corrupt, greedy,
grasping, shallow. If he were running with a sharp stick, you would root for him to trip
and for sticks to do what they do best. You would also, should you find yourself in a
courtroom on the wrong side of the bench, wish him to be on the wrong side of the bench
with you. Randall, as I ever-so-cleverly neglected to mentioned, is brilliant, quick, and
handsome as well. Blessed with an intellect and endowed with a work ethic, he is THE UP
AND COMER in the A-list firm of Campbell and Devine. He is married to a beautiful woman
whose daddy's rich and whose mommy's good-lookin', and daddy, in order to keep his
daughter happy, keeps her not wanting for anything; he buys the couple a nice condo in
Manhattan and refers clients to Randall's firm on a regular basis.
All of this, of course, is not enough for Randall. He must also have an affair with the
wife of his best friend. Yes, even though Randall is not wanting for action at home he is
still, as they say, eating out at lunchtime, meeting his paramour two or three times a
week at a hotel where he is known by name. He is comfortable enough, and brazen enough,
that he and his wife meet with his best friend and his wife/girlfriend for dinner a couple
of times a month. In the meantime, Randall is doing all things perfectly --- winning
cases, schmoozing his senior partner and in-laws, and living what appears to be the
perfect life.
Then, one day, Randall gets a call from a former acquaintance from prep school who informs
Randall that they need to talk. The acquaintance, a weird, on-the-border character named
Tyler Mills, knows all about Randall's delictos flagrantes --- and can prove it.
Randall's perfect, shallow little life begins to unravel as Mills threatens him with
blackmail. Randall decides to resolve the matter and does so the same way in which he does
everything else: perfectly. But his troubles are only just beginning.
Howard Roughan is listed as the author of THE UP AND COMER. If it were to develop down the
road a piece that this is yet another pseudonym for Donald Westlake, I wouldn't be
surprised. Roughan's writing is that good. He also has the ability, like Westlake, to
combine comedic elements with serious matters. There were times while I was reading THE UP
AND COMER that I was howling with laughter while almost falling off the edge of my seat.
At the same time, Roughan plots so well, and so simply, that in the end everyone gets what
they deserve. Well, almost everyone.
The title THE UP AND COMER applies not only to Philip Randall but also to the book itself.
This is one novel that is going to get passed around, read, reread and talked about. The
title does not apply, however, to the author. If Roughan's aim was to be a great writer,
he's not an up-and-comer. He's already there. And then some.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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