Michael Brock is a young lawyer with a promising career destined to make partner in the giant DC Drake & Sweeney Law firm. He comes from a conservative and affluent family that set high goals for him and his brother. Michael is married to young surgeon that is working her way up the ladder in her profession, also. Sadly, their dedication to their careers left little time for each other and they have grown apart.
Michael’s life changes dramatically one morning as he gets on the elevator to go to his office and a homeless man gets on with him. The homeless man follows him into his office and informs him and others that he is wired with explosives. The homeless man tells them they may call him Mister. As he holds Michael and his co-workers hostage, he questions them about their attitude and generosity towards homeless people. Ultimately, Mister is shot and killed by police.
Mister’s real name is Devon Hardy. Michael reads in the paper the name of a lawyer from the 14Th Street Legal Clinic representing Devon. Michael finds it too difficult to return to his own office and drives aimlessly until he ends up at 14th Street Legal Clinic and introduces himself to the street lawyer named Mordecai Green.
This is where the story takes another dramatic turn. As Michael digs deeper into his own law firm he finds the connection that brought Devon to Drake & Sweeney. An illegal eviction served by one of the attorneys that worked for his firm caused people to be put on the street in February. While Michael spends time helping Mordecai at a mission he meets a woman and her young children that were also evicted. Sadly they become victims of the street life in the middle of winter.
In his search for answers, he puts himself in legal jeopardy that costs him his marriage and his future with his law firm. Although he has given up a lot, he finds a calling and new life working for the poor and fighting for justice for people without a voice. Grisham’s talent for telling each character’s story keeps the reader interested and makes it hard to put the book down. It is real page turner.
By Jane Flanders