Praise for Green 61

Submitted by Simon Barrett

Green 61 by Cody Fowler Davis

I will be the first to admit that when I picked this book up I muttered “Oh no, it’s another John Grisham wanna be), another Lawyer book, another peek inside our not so clean legal system.
 
It was with great joy that I found “Green 61” to be different. Mr. Davis weaves an engaging tale, two Lawyers that had recently ‘gone their separate ways’, one taking the high road, and one taking the not so quite high road. They are destined to meet again following an accident.
 
This is a classic tale of good versus evil. The plot revolves around a boating incident, three people are dead, two are small children, and the question is who is responsible for this horrible situation? Is it the professional test pilot of boats for Pacer Marine, or was it Kevin Holson, the drunk driver of boat number two? The only boat clear of blame seems to be a small Kayak skippered by Terry Harmon and his two young children.
 
It is the function of a lawyer to do his or her best for the client. In this book we find Anderson Parker and Justin Cartwright represent two very different sides of the legal process. Anderson is clearly on the side of justice, while Justin’s must win attitude reveals that he cares little about ethics, the law, or truthfulness. Maybe these characters are not quite black and white, but they are certainly at different ends of the grey scale.
 
From an early point in the story Anderson guesses that Justin (his ex boss) is hiding some information, the question is what? More importantly how can Anderson uncover the truth?
 
Eventually the case comes to the court room. Justin loves the courtroom; it is his theatre of choice. One by one Justin destroys the testimony and credibility of Anderson’s witnesses. What can Anderson do?
 
To tell more would spoil the story!
 
At 213 pages it is a short read, the story moves at a breathtaking pace, but it is well crafted and the development of the main protagonist’s characters is done with style.
 
Mr. Davis may not have the ‘word-smithing’ abilities of John Grisham, and his style is a little rough and ready in places, however this is one book that you should not pass up. For a first novel it is a great entrance into the literary world.
 
Mr. Davis apparently is working on his second novel, and I for one am eagerly waiting for it to arrive in the bookstore.

Green 61 - 4/5 Stars

Green 61 is a legal novel publicized as a thriller. While it is a very good read, it certainly is not a thriller. Rather, it is an exciting novel in parts, and the reader finds it difficult or unable to lay it down. Author Cody Fowler Davis does an outstanding job of addressing the problem facing our society with more and more lawyers descending down upon us from law school. The problem is, of course, unethical attorneys. As competition increases, some lawyers become desperate and lose their ethical standards. Allegedly aiding the downtrodden and unfortunates, they become overzealous. This novel is about some of these types. In his first novel, Davis delivers an exciting plot and character study, unusual for a new writer on the scene.

The story revolves around a collision of three boats near channel marker 61 on the Intercoastal Waterway in western Florida that causes the deaths of two children and an adult. The inevitable lawsuits soon follow, and the firms involved are owned by Anderson Parker and Justin Cartwright. Cartwright is the type of lawyer whom we would all dread opposing in a courtroom or law office - unscrupulous, unfair, corrupt and beyond redemption. Cartwright usually represents large corporations rather than individuals. He will do anything to win his case for his clients - and usually does.

Anderson Parker, on the other hand (and as might well be expected), is ours and the author’s hero. After three years of working for Cartwright, making good money and taking all types of abuse, insults and humiliations, Parker finally tells him off and is fired. He opens his own office and is making a living, but not at the standard that he and his family were used to when he worked for Cartwright. He interviews a doctor, a potential client who once observed him in a courtroom. The doctor advises that he has been in a terrible boat collision and his two children have been killed. This new case gives Parker a threefold opportunity: to obtain justice for his client, to build a reputation, and to get revenge on Cartwright, who defends the apparent negligent boat driver. Another incompetent lawyer joins the foray representing the third boater.

The actual courtroom battle follows, and the author’s legal expertise and experience becomes broadly evident to the reader. Further confusing the issues, Cartwright’s client was speeding and not paying attention, Parker’s client’s boat was overloaded, and the third boater was drunk driving. The reader will quickly find himself engrossed in the story, wondering which way the case will go.

This being the author’s first published work, what other masterpiece will follow? Davis is the second coming of Scott Turow or Robert Traver.

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Lawrence McMicking, 2007

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