In the Shadow of the Law

"This is an impressive novel—with equal emphasis on both adjectives . . . I recommend this book with real enthusiasm . . . because it doesn't glamorize its subject. Roosevelt's gritty portrayal of the transformation of bright-eyed and colorful young associates into dim-eyed and gray middle-aged partners (no one seems to make it to his or her golden years) rings true of all too many corporate law factories, which have turned what used to be called a 'learned profession' into a service industry that does little more than help the super rich get even richer."—Alan M. Dershowitz, The New York Times Book Review

"Readable, informed, sophisticated, often devastating . . . [an] astute character study."—The Washington Post

"Perhaps only once a decade does a brilliant young lawyer write a terrific first novel that suddenly announces him as a first-rate storytelling talent while revealing anew the enormous drama hidden within the colossus that we call the American legal system. Kermit Roosevelt is such a writer, and In the Shadow of the Law is such a book. A tremendous, satisfying read."—Colin Harrison, author of The Havana Room

"It wouldn't be wrong to call In the Shadow of the Law a legal thriller, but it would sell the book short. There are suspenseful, devious plots aplenty . . . but it's Shadow's cast of characters that will keep you up at night. Roosevelt writes about the law more passionately and entertainingly than anyone since Scott Turow."—Time

"This legal thriller combines satisfyingly intricate puzzles with plenty of bite . . . strong characterizations, and insider's knowledge."—The Christian Science Monitor


"In the Shadow of the Law offers that profoundly pleasurable experience, traveling a great distance with a writer who has smarts and heart."—The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

"The mysteries in each case unfold in clever ways, but the real fizz and pop in In the Shadow of the Law comes from the characters, a surprisingly vivid and idiosyncratic bunch. Roosevelt sketches them with such shrewd, witty aplomb that you feel impatient to get back to them whenever he turns to the plot."—Laura Miller, Salon

"Roosevelt has written—and written well—a thoughtful and disturbing legal thriller that is also a meditation on the law itself."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"This tour of the profession's dark side should not be missed."—The Week

"In this graceful performance, Roosevelt establishes himself as chronicler of the menagerie. . . . [A] hugely readable novel."—Knight Ridder newspapers

"Remarkable characters . . . he creates an expertly paced, well-written, readable story in which good and bad are nuanced and the law is shown in all its majesty and intricacy."—Richmond Times-Dispatch

"A brilliantly funny, acidly accurate riff . . . coupled with a penetrating moral critique of the way we practice now . . . In the Shadow of the Law stands in the shadow of great realist novels like Stendhal's The Red and the Black and Dickens's Bleak House."—The American Lawyer

"Fresh young associates and cynical old partners do battle with shifty prosecuting attorneys, soulless corporations, treacherous families and each other, in an issue-packed first novel from a young, famously monikered Penn law professor. Skillfully pitching to the latest generation of young lawyers now facing the shock of the law in practice v. the law in school and wondering whether the career will be worth the huge student loan, Roosevelt sets a brood of Ivy-educated fledglings in a richly feathered nest on K Street. Earnest, sleep-deprived Mark Clayton, equally earnest distance-running Katja Phillips, terminally shallow Ryan Grady and former Supreme clerk Walker Eliot have begun their careers at D.C. power firm Morgan Siler, pulling down six-figure salaries but, with the exception of superstar Walker, nearly collapsing under odious and endless assignments. The firm is girding for battle in the defense of a careless Texas chemical firm against a class action suit featuring a shocking number of dead low-wage workers, and the young associates must learn the ins and outs of the corporate shell game crafted by Morgan Siler to insulate the chemical company from just such pesky problems. Glamour boy Walker, meanwhile, has saddled poor Mark with the pro bono defense of a soon-to-be-executed Virginian whose family seems a little too easily resigned to the man's fate. Alternating trips to the Texas Chernobyl, where the locals despise the Washingtonians and the only motel is a dump, with drives to Norfolk, where the executioner's clock is ticking but the hotel is luxe, Mark begins to piece together the alleged murderer's defense. Meantime, Katja works her way through boxes of documents until she accidentally stumbles on unpleasant truths about the toxic fire, unaware that she is becoming ever dearer to the heart of a clever but lonely and much older litigator. And at the top of the heap, the stuffed-shirt son of the firm's founder ponders the idea of a trophy wife. Possibly a roman a clef, but the clef probably fits any number of doors. Entertaining."—Kirkus Reviews

"If the first few pages of Roosevelt's debut call to mind John Grisham, don't be fooled. This isn't a plot-driven legal thriller of the sort Grisham writes. The protagonist is Law, with a capital L, and Roosevelt, who has both taught and practiced law, creates his story with full attention to his subject's multidimensional personality. Law is greedy, amoral, ruthless, and all-consuming; yet, in its own way, it is elegant, even beautiful, and fair, when practiced by lawyers with conscience. Law thoroughly overshadows the human characters: Wayne Harper, awaiting execution on Virginia's death row; the victims of an explosion in a Texas chemical factory; even a group of legal associates learning the ropes at Morgan Siler, a top D.C. law firm. 'If you give yourself to the [law], it will give you something in return,' one of the partners tells a puzzled associate. He's right, but the gift isn't always what's expected. Legal terms and concepts abound so this isn't breezy reading; thought-provoking is a much more accurate description."—Booklist

"The powerhouse Washington, DC, law firm of Morgan Siler is so driven by the quest for 'billable hours' that its head partner advises a young lawyer to bill the time he spends in the men's room because he's 'thinking' about work. Both a legal thriller and a first-rate legal comedy of manners, this debut by a University of Pennsylvania law professor adeptly weaves together two complicated legal cases—a pro bono appeal of a death sentence and the defense of a manufacturing conglomerate accused of negligence in the death of several workers—with satisfying insider details to give readers a full sense of what life in such an environment is like . . . [A] superior novel . . . Recommended."—Library Journal

"This outstanding debut goes behind the scenes at Morgan Siler, one of Washington, D.C.'s most powerful K Street law firms, as several lawyers become embroiled in two difficult cases: a pro bono death penalty case in Virginia and a class action suit brought against a Texas chemical corporation after an explosion kills dozens of workers. Assigned to the pro bono case is the earnest, rumpled first-year associate Mark Clayton, who wonders, as he struggles with sleep deprivation and trying to reach his billable-hours target, if he hasn't made a terrible career choice. Also on the case is the brilliant, cocksure young lawyer Walker Eliot. Leading the Hubble Chemical defense is the ferocious litigator Harold Fineman, and lording over them all is Peter Morgan, the supremely confident, never-satisfied managing partner of the firm. Though the novel features plenty of satisfying twists and turns, the book transcends the legal thriller genre. Roosevelt, who practiced and teaches law and who once clerked for Justice Souter, offers a fascinating insider's look into the culture of a high-stakes firm, while also presenting a considered meditation on the law itself and its potential to compromise those driven to practice it. Most of all it's the vividness and complexity of the characters—drawn with the precision and authority of a winning legal argument—that heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)