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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about William Lashner's FATAL FLAW.
fairhopes@centurytel.net
Thanks!! The book was a great read.
Ptacek1@aol.com
In part a courtroom drama and much more introspective than most lawyer-authored books, FATAL FLAW captures the innermost thoughts of an attorney, Victor Carl, setting out to defend another lawyer, Guy Forrest, who has called him from the scene of a murder before the police have been notified. Upon arriving at the scene, Victor discovers his friend in a state of shock and despair. After investigating, he is convinced that his lawyer friend is unquestionably guilty of the murder.
Before he calls 911, we are made aware of a serious problem for Victor. He himself has been having a torrid affair with the victim, 30-year-old Hailey Prouix, and he carefully searches for evidence that may be connected with the crime --- before notifying the police. Victor realizes he needs to call the police promptly, but only after removing a few objects from the scene that could incriminate him as well as his guilty friend.
This sets the stage for a complex legal defense; Guy asks Victor to defend him. He agrees, convinced of his friend's guilt and distressed by his own love for the victim. Yes, he will be a defense attorney who will go through the motions of legal defense, but he desperately hopes for a conviction of his client. Hailey was an attorney who was shot through the heart. Beautiful and seductive, she led Guy away from his home, his family and his legal career. The evidence against him is circumstantial only but overwhelming.
Victor begins the defense process, troubled by his own seemingly revengeful attitude about Guy's guilt but anxious for a conviction. His client maintains his innocence and offers a version of the murder night that Victor does not believe yet is possible.
Victor’s own love for Hailey forces him to examine the evidence, including the incriminating items he secretly withheld from the police. He begins investigating on his own and uncovers some old truths about his former love, which challenges him to probe further.
The story introduces a number of interesting characters, including Philip Skink, a private investigator who Victor hates on first sight but later hires to help him sort out the details of Hailey's earlier life. She was complex and driven by forces that led her to seduce men throughout her brief life. From Las Vegas to a small town in West Virginia, we follow Victor as he learns many things about Hailey and even more about himself.
Set in Philadelphia, the story develops a bit slowly but not uninterestingly, as Victor's thoughts and feelings affect his attitude as an ex-lover of Hailey and drive him to learn more about her and her past. The final scenes in court are quite a surprise.
mohendies@earthlink.net
Let me start this review by saying that I have never read William Lashner, but after FATAL FLAW, I am heading to the nearest bookstore to purchase HOSTILE WITNESS and VERITAS! Move over John Grisham, there is another remarkable former lawyer who should be on the top of everyone's reading list!
This legal thriller had me up till the wee hours saying to myself, "just one more page." Lashner's prose is taut and his characters are real. I love the line, "Nostalgia is a fire fueled by failures of memory." It is hard to describe this story without giving anything away. The basic premise is Hailey Prouix has been murdered, and her fiancee, Guy Forrest, is on trial. Guy phones Victor the night of the murder, and Victor comes to the scene of the bloody murder. He agrees to represent Guy, and it is a roller coaster ride from there on! Once you think you know what's going to happen next, there comes a new twist. Great ending! I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves suspense and the courtroom.
SBanton343@aol.com
Imagine you are an attorney and your "secret" lover, Hailey Prouix, is murdered. Your old college friend, Guy Forest, calls you from the scene immediately after the deed was done and you later agree to represent him. Your basic motive? You want to make sure your friend is punished for the crime. You mess with the crime scene and turn the murder weapon over to the police. Later you begin to believe that your friend is not guilty. Now what? You have taken steps to convict him and now you must pull out all stops to prove his innocence.
That is the basic premise in William Lashner's FATAL FLAW. It reintroduces Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl, a figure who is anything but a successful corporate lawyer. When Victor Carl agrees to represent Guy Forest he knows he is entering the dangerous area of potential conflict. Victor believes at first the motive is a crime of passion, yet events evolve that to show that there may be another primary motive for the murder. The saying "Nothing is as simple as it seems" is really true in FATAL FLAW.
The story takes us to Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Pierce, West Virginia population 649, Hailey Prouix's hometown. It introduces Phil Skink, a private detective who is at first is a lovable as his name suggests. Lashner's winds together a plot involving a mysterious death that took place when Hailey was a teenager; a lawsuit involving Juan Gonzales and a large monetary settlement, and Hailey's uncle, Lawrence Catlip, who Hailey was supporting in a retirement home in Las Vegas. The dark seamy secrets all come to light in the final scenes.
There is darkness to William Lashner's writing. I believe he deliberately portrays the seamy side of human nature in his novels even in the alleged "good guys." His heroes have weaknesses and he explores their motivations well. You can't count on the stereotypical that "good will triumph" in his novels. There is a twist in the very end of FATAL FLAW that changed my feeling of sympathy towards a major character.
I dislike Philadelphia, I dislike William Lashner's characters in this book and yet, I read the book from cover to cover in a very short period of time. Usually if I dislike the setting or the characters the novel gets put on a shelf that is marked in my mind as "Emergency reading material." It is a remarkable writer who can keep me reading. William Lashner is a remarkable writer.
j_gargus@hotmail.com
In his page-turning follow-up to Hostile Witness, former lawyer William Lashner again shows us the not-so-glamorous life of a Philadelphia lawyer trying to figure out whodunnit.
Victor Carl, the main character, receives a call from his longtime friend, Guy Forrest. Guy claims he walked out of the bathroom after a long bath in the Jacuzzi, only to find his lover, Haley Prioux, shot in the heart. When Victor arrives, Guy is despondent, sitting on the front step of the love nest he shared with Haley. Carl finds Haley dead on a mattress on the floor. After slipping a couple of key items of evidence into his pocket, he calls the police.
A couple of chapters later, we learn the water is even muddier than we originally thought when Victor reveals that he is the third point of a love triangle involving Guy and Haley. Victor, not your classic idea of a sophisticated, hard-nosed city lawyer, takes Guy's case with an ulterior motive, but we learn through the 448 pages of wisecracks and road trips, that people, history and the obvious aren't always what they seem.
The title, FATAL FLAW, refers to the effect that history and experiences in our lives sometimes leave on us. Some people bounce back from trials and abuse, while others close out the world and yet others use people, never trusting the intentions of those closest to them. The result can sometimes
be deadly.
Lashner creates believable characters, many of whom are never really likable. He takes us on a road trip from the city of Philadelphia to the outskirts of Las Vegas and to the hills of West Virginia, introducing us to several characters and posing as many scenarios, before cleverly weaving all the pieces together to accurately showing us the life story of Hailey, finally identifying her killer.
For me, the journey was enjoyable, although at times uncomfortable. The story didn't lend itself to any shed tears over the characters' fate, but instead allowed me to follow Victor's rationale as he came closer and closer to discovering what happened to his lover. I am looking forward to Lashner's next venture.
Thanks for sending me an ARC of FATAL FLAW to read and review. This was my first book review for a website, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process!
clschomer@dmci.net
William Lashner peppers his latest book FATAL FLAW with nuggets of philosophy. He dances us through a minefield of "No secrets are safe;" "Upon what can you hold absolute enough to stake the life of another;" and "Our life stories are always lies" while withholding clues to the truth about the murder of Hailey Prouix.
I highly recommend FATAL FLAW to readers who enjoy solving crimes that are rooted in the past; who want to puzzle over of the amorality of basically good men; and who agonize over the state of our justice system.
Sjsoiferman@aol.com
I've read his previous books and am especially drawn to them because they are set in Philadelphia, a city I know well. In FATAL FLAW the descriptions of the city and its suburbs are right on. Anyone who knows those areas can easily visualize and identify with Lashner's word pictures.
Lashner does not disappoint with his latest book, although one aspect of his writing distracted and annoyed me to the point where I wanted to stop reading. Early in the book he overuses repetition and the passive tense as the narrator alludes to actions he took and decisions he made. I'm not certain why the author did this; in my opinion the device did nothing to enhance either the plot or my understanding of the superbly drawn protagonist, Victor Carl.
Fortunately, at some point the story grabbed me enough to keep me reading, and by midpoint I couldn't stop. The plot is full of twists and zingers, and much of the surprise comes from the victim, Hailey Prouix, whose troubled motivations (and equally troubling murder) keep the reader in suspense to the very end. FATAL FLAW is a terrific read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a legal thriller with complex plot and equally complex characters.
awright55@kc.rr.com
William Lashner's book, FATAL FLAW, captured my attention from the first sentence and held it through a wild ride of betrayal, murder, infidelity, graft, and corruption. As the novel begins, Victor Carl has agreed to defend his old friend, Guy Forrest, against a murder charge even though the circumstances seemingly make it obvious that he was guilty as charged. As the plot unfolds, however, the story of the victim becomes ever more complex and another fifteen year old murder surfaces as a key element of the crime. Lashner evokes places as distant as rural West Virginia, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia as his protagonist struggles first with the conviction that his client is guilty and later with the knowledge that he may be an instrument of his conviction. Lashner's use of legal terminology clearly indicate his familiarity with the criminal court system but it never overpowers the novel. A wide assortment of characters populate the novel, from the loyal and efficient legal partner, Beth, to the shady, perceptive private investigator. All are drawn sharply and effectively and make me feel as though I am a witness to the courtroom drama. Thanks for allowing me a glimpse of the work of a winning author. I will definitely revisit Mr. Lashner!
PBALVR@aol.com
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in an advance reading of this novel. I now have a new author to add to my list of favorites! I will definitely be on the lookout for his previous novels. In recommending this novel to my friends, my first observation concerns the plot. This novel has an engrossing, intricate plot with enough twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued to the last page. Next, are the characters --- they are complex and very well developed during the novel. Lastly, the author's writing style makes for an excellent read. He has a clear, concise manner but still enables the reader to "see and feel" it all! Excellent novel --- goes on my "keeper shelf." Thanks, again.
jkgregory@mindspring.com
I tried very hard to read this book but just could not finish it. It just seems to bog down with too many details. Something about it made it not to seem to flow into the story as it should. I had not read any of his books before so I'm unfamiliar with his style. Don't plan to read his previous books. For some reason I don't get into mobster type settings.
I'll be happy to return the book or ask a friend to read and get his/her opinion. Since we share books, I think their opinion will be the same.
JDDistef@aol.com
Thank you for the opportunity to read the advance copy of William Lashner's FATAL FLAW. I had never read any of Lashner's work and was very interested after reading about this book on your site.
Overall, I enjoyed FATAL FLAW. I enjoy legal/suspense/mysteries and I was not at all disappointed by this one. Victor Carl was a complex protagonist with questionable ethics and motives which made him a believable character. The "supporting cast" was well rounded, especially the character Phil Skink who actually grew on me after a while. Beth, Victor's partner, was not fleshed out as thoroughly as the other characters and was sometimes a distraction more than an enhancement.
The story was original and engrossing. I enjoyed the twists in the plot and eagerly read well into the night until I finished.
My biggest problem with FATAL FLAW was a little literary "quirk" that was used repeatedly in the first half of the book. For some reason, Lashner used a heavy hand to make certain points by repeating repeating repeating phrases. Really, I understood "A decision was made" the first time. I found this to be very distracting. Luckily, Lashner revved up the action and stopped using the repetitive phrasing in the second half of the book.
I would definitely recommend FATAL FLAW to fans of Grisham and his companions in the genre.
JHahn15878@aol.com
This is the kind of book you want to tell all your friends about. This is the kind of book you can't put down --- you think you will stop at the end of the chapter, but moments later find you have kept reading, even though its a long day tomorrow and its late at night. This is the kind of book that makes you got to the library or bookstore to find other books by this author.
I was actually looking for a FATAL FLAW when I read this book --- I kept waiting for him to drop the ball --- perhaps run out of steam in the last few chapters. It never happened. From the beginning pages when you meet the two main characters --- three if you count the dead woman, Lashner gives you clues, gives you answers and actually allows you to figure out much of the case before he does. Two lawyers, friends, both with flaws, fall in love with the same woman. They aren't close till her murder draws them together --- one as the defendant in her murder, the other as his lawyer. Along the way as the Defense Attorney struggles with his own emotions, and finally begins his own investigation you see the clues --- sometimes at the same time as he does, sometimes before he does, once in a while afterwards. At some point you think the outcome is a forgone conclusion, but in the end, there is one surprise still left. This book isn't full of likable characters, but they are very real, very believable, and in the end you come to a grudging admiration and understanding of most of them. I know I will be very interested to see how this book is accepted once it is published, and now I'm off to the library to find more books by William Lashner.
MAP5402@aol.com
WOW.....................that about covers my opinion of this book LOL.
"Lust will make a fool of any man, but it is only love that can truly ruin him."
I think that pretty much covers the entire premise of this book. The love for Hailey that destroys.
While reading the beginning I thought to myself, I really don't like any of these characters. They never got any more likable, but it was impossible to put down until I found out what happened to them. Victor with his thirst for justice, Guy with his panic, Detective Berger with his quiet watchfulness, Larry Cutlip with his black heart and of course Phil Skink someone with more secrets and twists than Hailey herself. With Hailey's death her secrets are finally brought out into the light. I found myself completely immersed in these characters with all the twists and turns and unexpected events. The end was unexpected, maybe I should have seen it coming but I didn't and that's something I love in a book.
I have not read Mr. Lashner's other books yet but they are certainly on my list for the next trip to the library.
kathleenheller@excite.com
This is the first novel I have read by author William Lashner. It is a mystery/demented love story/legal novel. I did not like the characters. By this I do not mean I did not like the story or the way in which the characters were drawn, but the characters are not sympathetic, they are not people I would choose as my friends: Guy, the philanderer; Victor, the jaded criminal lawyer; Hailey, the woman all men fantasize about and most women hate; Lawrence, the despicable. The one character I found somewhat likable was Skink, the seedy detective. I did enjoy the story, the twists and turns and, of course, the surprise ending. Even though I initially did not like Hailey, I did come to understand what made her the person she was. I, as an attorney, enjoyed the court banter and legal questions. It is definitely a good read and I will certainly seek out other works by William Lashner.
sanderso@pmt.org
I thought the book was great. I read it one night, I couldn't put it down. Mr. Lashner gives his characters depth and keeps you involved in the story. You can't wait to see how it ends. I am going to be getting his other books to read. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to read FATAL FLAW.
camurray@webtv.net
I loved this book. Normally, I don't really go for legal thrillers, but this one had me hooked right from the start. I hadn't heard of William Lashner before, but if he keeps putting out books like this one, his name will be as popular as John Grisham. After reading this book, I am going to buy his previous books, and put him on my list of authors who are an automatic buy.
The story started out with the murder of Hailey Prouix. When the body was found by her boyfriend, he called his best friend, who happens to be a lawyer with his own ties to Hailey. I don't want to give the story away, but I loved how William Lashner developed these characters (especially Phil Skink) and the storyline. A lot of what happened to Hailey was tied to her past, and I liked how he tied it in with the
present.
I am encouraging people who like a good read, and a good legal thriller to buy this book. You won't go wrong.
wbevitt@tscpl.lib.ks.us
William Lashner's book FATAL FLAW caught me by surprise; the main character Vic Carl is not your run of the mill leading man who you cheer for throughout the book. Vic is a defense attorney that takes the case of his college friend, Guy, who is accused of murdering his fiancee Hailey Prioux. Vic doesn't do this out of the kindness of his own heart however, he does it in part because he was having an affair with Hailey. He is secretly sabotaging his friend's case because he resents that Guy had something that he couldn't have fully. He then gets caught up in the search to figure out who Hailey really was and what secrets she had in her past. The book kept me glued to its pages not because of Vic, who I really disliked, but because of the interesting twists and turns that he took down the road to discover her past and eventually revealing the truth to the mystery behind the death of Hailey Prouix. I would give this book high ratings. It was a true mystery that kept me guessing the whole way.
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