Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506190001
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: F-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY KATHLEEN RATLIFF
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Everyone needs an attorney like "The Rainmaker," described here as a "bright young star with a golden touch."
In legal jargon, it refers to the concept of bringing in a bright young lawyer who will greatly add to a law firm's coffers. Surely O.J. Simpson and his team could benefit from the meticulous skills and research tactics of young Rudy Baylor in his search for justice in John Grisham's latest best-seller.
Grisham has become the legal-eagle tale spinner of our day and this one may be his most absorbing - equal to his first novel, "A Time to Kill." The fun in this book could be compared to a gourmet meal; it's so good you don't want it to end.
The appetite is whetted when Rudy, about to graduate from law school, visits a senior citizens center, as part of his final class requirements, to offer legal assistance to the elderly, gratis. The visit is the turning point of his career. He meets Dot and Buddy Black who present him with their raging battle against a multimillion dollar insurance company. At first Rudy is reluctant, but he learns that the Blacks' son, Donny Ray, is dying of leukemia and the company blatantly refuses to pay for his life-saving treatment.
Incensed, he jumps into the fray and quickly learns he is up against the most powerful industry in the nation as well as its prestigious team of lawyers.
The main course quickly begins with a delightful buffet of Rudy's endeavors: passing the bar exam; finding the "ideal" apartment with Miss Birdie, another senior citizen client; falling in love with a beauty whose husband regularly beats her; and encountering the most difficult of all - finding a job, which soon becomes an impossibility.
Through a bizarre set of circumstances and unsavory but loyal pals, Rudy and his newest "least-best friend", Deck, set up a shoestring law office. This odd couple may be poor and inexperienced but they know the dynamics of a legal battle and leave nothing to chance. It is fascinating to observe the workings of these minds in their determination to overthrow their opposition in court and to ruin the greedy company.
The best part - the dessert - is the trial, packed with suspense and courtroom drama.
"The Rainmaker" is an education in the detailed workings of case preparation and the shady behind-the-scenes methods of a corrupted corporation. Grisham has prepared a sumptuous feast, sure to stimulate the palate of the pickiest of mystery lovers.
Kathleen Ratliff lives in Roanoke.
by CNB