Review by dgoore97 -- The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorn...
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dgoore97
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Review by dgoore97 -- The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorn...
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorney at Law" by J.T. Hartman.]
The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorney at Law - Book One: Greene v. Singh, by J.T. Hartman is the first in a series that it is my sincere hope will not have any further installments, at least not in its current form. Ostensibly a legal drama, the book follows the case of a shop owner being sued for damages by a sketchy plaintiff who asserts that he worked for the defendant in exchange for a small amount of cash and the promise of an ownership share in a future store. However, while I have seen worse storylines, the execution of this one left much to be desired.
As a reader, I judge books first on plot and the extent to which its characters are interesting and memorable. In this case, the plot is thin and predictable and follows characters that are, for the most part, underdeveloped abbreviated tropes we have all seen in a hundred better-told books and movies. Frank Strong is perhaps the exception, but even in his case, sarcasm and misanthropy substitute for real personality.
Likewise, though I am not a woman, it was clear to me that the women in the book are merely foils for Strong and other male characters mostly to ogle and appreciate or not based on their sexual attractiveness. Similarly, in addition to the relative tokenization of women, there is a strain of racism in the descriptions of Strong's Indian colleagues and client. One is described as shaking his head in “Indian fashion,” whatever that means.
The writer seems to have knowledge of the legal system but spends way too much time proving it to us. Much of the dialogue and descriptions are taken up with explaining legal arguments and strategies that are either unimportant to the plot or could have been shortened to a sentence or two. In addition, the author seems to have a view on the extent to which frivolous lawsuits have corrupted the system and makes this point over and over again.
Many of the scenes, and even specific dialogue is repetitive including the author's annoying habit of having characters repeat verbatim questions that have been asked of them. Even without the repetition the dialogue is pedestrian at best including such gems as “I spoke my next words with enough energy to let her know I meant business: ‘Lets have tea.’” Many non-repetitive scenes are nevertheless irrelevant to the story and thus irritate rather than illuminate, like the one recounting Strong's kindergarten experiences with pigeons.
Writing a decent novel is not easy by any means, and I do not mean to belittle the author's effort, but before I would read anything else by this person, I would want to know that some attention has been given to them working on their craft.
For all the reasons outlined above, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorney at Law
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorney at Law - Book One: Greene v. Singh, by J.T. Hartman is the first in a series that it is my sincere hope will not have any further installments, at least not in its current form. Ostensibly a legal drama, the book follows the case of a shop owner being sued for damages by a sketchy plaintiff who asserts that he worked for the defendant in exchange for a small amount of cash and the promise of an ownership share in a future store. However, while I have seen worse storylines, the execution of this one left much to be desired.
As a reader, I judge books first on plot and the extent to which its characters are interesting and memorable. In this case, the plot is thin and predictable and follows characters that are, for the most part, underdeveloped abbreviated tropes we have all seen in a hundred better-told books and movies. Frank Strong is perhaps the exception, but even in his case, sarcasm and misanthropy substitute for real personality.
Likewise, though I am not a woman, it was clear to me that the women in the book are merely foils for Strong and other male characters mostly to ogle and appreciate or not based on their sexual attractiveness. Similarly, in addition to the relative tokenization of women, there is a strain of racism in the descriptions of Strong's Indian colleagues and client. One is described as shaking his head in “Indian fashion,” whatever that means.
The writer seems to have knowledge of the legal system but spends way too much time proving it to us. Much of the dialogue and descriptions are taken up with explaining legal arguments and strategies that are either unimportant to the plot or could have been shortened to a sentence or two. In addition, the author seems to have a view on the extent to which frivolous lawsuits have corrupted the system and makes this point over and over again.
Many of the scenes, and even specific dialogue is repetitive including the author's annoying habit of having characters repeat verbatim questions that have been asked of them. Even without the repetition the dialogue is pedestrian at best including such gems as “I spoke my next words with enough energy to let her know I meant business: ‘Lets have tea.’” Many non-repetitive scenes are nevertheless irrelevant to the story and thus irritate rather than illuminate, like the one recounting Strong's kindergarten experiences with pigeons.
Writing a decent novel is not easy by any means, and I do not mean to belittle the author's effort, but before I would read anything else by this person, I would want to know that some attention has been given to them working on their craft.
For all the reasons outlined above, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Trials of Frank Strong, Attorney at Law
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
