{Review} Suzy's Case by Andy Siegel

ISBN #: 978-145165878-1

Page Count: 352

Copyright: July 10, 2012

Publisher: Scribner

Book Summary:

(Taken from dust jacket flaps)

Introducing Tug Wyler, a dogged and irreverent New York City personal injury and medical malpractice attorney. He is as at home on the streets as he is in the courtroom, and larger than life in both places. Once you've met him, you won't ever forget him.

When Henry Benson, a high-profile criminal lawyer known for his unsavory clients, recruits Tug to take over a long-pending multimillion-dollar lawsuit representing a tragically brain-damaged child, his instructions are clear: get us out of it; there is no case. Yet the moment Tug meets the disabled but gallant little Suzy Williams and June, her beautiful, resourceful mother, all bets are off.

With an offbeat, self-mocking style, Tug Wyler's a far cry from your ordinary lawyer. Unswerving in his dedication to his mostly disadvantaged clients, he understands only too well how badly they need him with the system stacked against them. Tug is honest about his own shortcomings, many of them of the profoundly politically incorrect variety, and his personal catchphrase, handy in all situations, is "At least I admit it."

When his passionate commitment to Suzy's case thrusts him into a surreal, often violent sideshow, the ensuing danger only sharpens his obsession with learning what really happened to Suzy. Blending razor-sharp intuition, intellectual toughness, and endlessly creative legal brinkmanship, Tug determinedly works his way through a maze of well-kept secrets - encountering a cast of memorably eccentric characters along the way - to get to the truth.

Mandy's Review:

Tug Wyler is an opportunistic, self-serving lawyer. He has a self-depreciating personality that manifests in the relationships he chooses to keep himself involved in. For example, his wife is a selfish, bitchy woman who may or may not be cheating on him with her tennis instructor. Tug's paralegal, Lily, has the same type of personality as his wife. To be honest, I don't like either of these characters and wonder why Tug puts up with either of them.

June Williams is a very persistent mother intent on getting retribution for her daughter's fatalistic injury. She has an uncanny level of resourcefulness that's almost unbelievable. She has spunk and she has fire, though, which is something I admire in her.

Suzy's Case is the debut novel for Andy Siegel and reminds me a lot of the John Grisham novels that I've read. There are differences, though. I'd consider Grisham's novels more of a dramatic telling of a legal case, while Siegel's debut is more of a satirical telling.

I didn't like that Carlton Williams, Jr.'s character was thrown in at the end of the story. Including him did tie up some loose ends, but I felt those ends could have been better tied up with a re-write of several parts of the story. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but including this character felt forced and almost like an after-thought.

Andy Siegel has done well with his debut novel, but there is some room for improvement. I'm willing to read any future novels he writes to watch his progress as a promising author.


*A physical copy of this book was provided by the publicist in exchange for an honest review.