Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Substitution Order by Martin Clark

Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia, who turned to legal fiction as a retirement occupation. His books have been named New York Times Notable Book, New York Times Editors Choice, Boston Globe Best Book of the Year, Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and winner of the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award in 2009, 2016, and 2020.

The Substitution Order (Knopf, 2019) is an unusual legal thriller with a sympathetic though imperfect lead character. Kevin Moore was a lawyer on the top of the legal pyramid in Roanoke, Virginia, happily married and successful. Until one summer he decided to experiment with drugs and alcohol, things he had previously left strictly alone. In a matter of months, his erratic behavior cost him his marriage and his license to practice law. On parole, he moved to a small town some distance from Roanoke to try to rebuild his life. He conscientiously adheres to the court’s reporting and drug testing requirements while managing a small low-rent sandwich shop.

About a year after his downfall, a stranger approaches Kevin with a proposition. He tells Kevin that one of his last clients is going to sue him for mishandling the case she hired him for, alleging that she gave directions that he failed to follow and that she lost money because of it. All Kevin has to do is accept liability and his malpractice insurance company will pay up. In return Kevin will receive a large sum and behind-the-scenes assistance when he reapplies for a license to practice law. Kevin is incensed at the idea he failed to provide the best possible representation, even when he was using drugs, and declines the offer.

The actors behind the scam turn the screws, and Kevin is set up for failing his next drug test and drugs are planted among his possessions. His probation is revoked and he lands in jail and that’s when he learns that no one believes a word he says. Once a drug addict, everyone including his friends believe there is no rehabilitation.

Instead of the usual courtroom pyrotechnics found in legal thrillers, the legal legerdemain here takes place largely elsewhere, as Kevin maneuvers around the jail sentence and irreversible professional damage he is facing. I had to focus closely to understand the intricacies of the law he invoked and the steps he took to reverse the tables on the grift artists who put him behind the eight ball to begin with.

A fascinating read. For fans of legal thrillers, especially those with knowledge of case law. Publishers Weekly starred review.

 

·         Publisher: Knopf; First Edition (July 9, 2019)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎352 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0525656324

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0525656326

 

The Amazon Associate thingy is messed up, again, so go here to pick it up. 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.