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Title: The Last Innocent Man
ISBN: 0316546178
Author:
Phillip Margolin
Publicate Date: 1981-03
Publish: 1981-03
List Price: $11.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest Used Price: $6.42
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Phillip Margolin
If you have never read Phillip Margolin, you are really missing good reads. ALL of his books are so interesting you just can't put them down. The best part is that they never end the way you think they will and it's usually an Alfred Hitchcock ending. If you start to read one for the first time, start with his first book, not only because you won't be able to wait to start the second, but some of his books follow each other. Believe me, you will want to read every book he has ever written. They are lawyer adventure stories (and I mean adventure).
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2: Brialliant Plot Strategist
"The Last Innocent Man", by Phillip Margolin, is a masterpiece of literary genius in plotting. Upon reading the first few chapters that told isolated stories about individual characters, I was beginning to wonder when the plot would kick in and the story would come together. Once it all merged into a courtroom drama,for me, there was no putting the book down until I finished reading it.
I have enjoyed reading some wonderful writers over the years, but Margolin is one of the best I've read in a long time. His twisted plots will keep you turning pages.
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3: The Definition of Innocence?
Is a lawyer dutybound to defend a client he suspects is guilty? To what extent is the lawyer-client privilege protected? Phillip Margolin tackles this and more in the very readable legal thriller The Last Innocent Man.
After wrenching a client, accused of murder, from the jaws of justice, David Nash, lawyer extraordinaire, christened "The Ice Man", has about had enough.
He feels no pleasure in his victory, having grown tired of defending guilty men. Nash is looking for an innocent man.
However when Nash defends a fellow lawyer Larry Stafford for murder, he realizes he has gotten more than he bargained. For not only is he sleeping with his client's wife, he discovers they both could be lying to him.
Realizing what is at stake, The Ice Man mounts a robust defence for Stafford. Will it be enough? You'll have to read the book to find the fate of the Last Innocent Man.
Margolin, a criminal defense attorney at Portland, writes decently well. His tackling of the ethical implication of defending the guilty, or of inappropriate relations with a client's spouse provide for juicy thinking.
Gault comes across as an impressive street version of Hannibal Lecter; Nash, as seriously conflicted. The court scenes though not exceptional are nonetheless formidable. Imagine the drama of the Mercedes Benz testimony in a real courtroom.
Yet as with most books from this genre, there is stuff that stretches the imagination. I have known sex to be a legendary prop for authors, but having sex with a lady the first hour you meet her is taking it a tad too far.
The courtroom scenes with his ex lacked flying sparks, while Conklin's murder merited greater attention. The book ended nicely, though I would have expected a greater punch.
Still The Innocent Man is worth a read, meriting the attention you would give to a Grisham.
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4: Good thriller set against a series of coincidences
Margolin comes through with a book that keeps the pages turning but at times I wondered about the series of incredible coincidences that linked all of the characters together (I won't go into them here, for fear of revealing too much of the plot for those who have not yet read the book).
ARe you looking for a book that leads the protaganist through a series of difficult choices until finally everything is forced to come to a head? Than this is your book. However, be aware that you'll be forced to suspend your sense of disbelief from time to time as well.
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5: Is there such a thing as an Inocent Man?
Another great book by Philip Margolin. This book is about a lawyer who is asked to defend a man who is accused of killing a prostitute. This book is a mystery but it also deals with a lawyer who is questioning the reasons of why he is a lawyer. I think at some point, any criminal lawyer with integrity starts questioning the reasons why they are defending criminals. The thing that makes this book so remarkable is that it really opened my eyes about the legal system. Sometimes you wonder how lawyers can defend people that commit heinous crimes and this books explains why even the worst serial killer is entitled to a proper defense. After reading this book and enjoying the storyline, I also had a new respect for our legal system. It may not always work in favor of the innocent party but most time you do get the bad guy and you lock em up and throw away the key.
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