The Lawyer (Michael Gresham #2) by John Ellsworth

The Lawyer (Michael Gresham #2) Reviews

• 
  Manning Wolfe

  I'm finished with Michael Gresham: Great new series start by John Ellsworth. I've enjoyed his Thaddeus Murfee novels for years, and this series is just as good. Can't wait for the next one!
• 
  barbara conroy

  I would not reccomend this book. The author constantly confused me. One chapter he would be discussing an issue and the next chapter he would jump two weeks ahead and discuss another issue. Also mistakes in continuity.
• 
  Fred

  Dumb
  
  I am not sure why I actually finished this book other than to seer if it would ever make sense. Michael is an idiot who has no sense and makes stupid decisions. The story has way too much useless detail, and the dialogue is over the top with cliches and dumb statements. Most of the plot is unbelievable and has too many different storylines going on. The only reason I gave it 2 stars it's because I was foolish enough to finish it. Don't bother. Hard to believe he has written more of this trash.
• 
  David Highton

  I have read all his Murfee books so I thought I would try this. The story jumps all over the place, and he has errors of chronology throughout, but not a bad poolside read
• 
  Chris

  I read the eighth book in this series since it was advertised as a stand-alone and I got it cheap. I liked it so I decided to give the first book in the Michael Gresham series a shot. It was something of a mixed bag.
  
  Many of the problems I had the previous book I found here as well. Despite being the introduction to Michael Gresham, we don't really learn a lot about the man. Gresham - like all the characters in The Lawyer - is very one-dimensional. I was hoping for well-drawn characters but got only faint outlines of personalities and qualities with vague, brief references to their pasts and experiences. It was a real missed opportunity.
  
  Perhaps the biggest issue I had with The Lawyer sounds the pettiest. Ellsworth has no sense of continuity or chronology. He needs a good editor. In the space of two chapters towards the middle of the novel, we jumped ahead one month then returned - in the present tense - four weeks in the past where events seemingly just resumed. Confused? I was too. I actually re-read those chapters to see what I possibly missed. Turns out I didn't; Ellsworth did. And I get it - that's not a big thing - but when you're following three separate plot lines, timing matters.
  
  Overall, it was just okay. There are far better mysteries with far more compelling protagonists out there. Will I read another of Ellsworth's books? Maybe. But I won't be rushing to do so.
• 
  ReBecca

  I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I felt at times it was all over the place and jumped around a lot.... though, in the end it did all tie together. I felt the book was slow though, and not super suspenseful. Unless you are a fan of John Ellsworth or the series, I'm not sure I would recommend.
• 
  Nancy Silk

  "Best Ever Thrill Ride"
  
  I've added author John Ellsworth to my favorite authors' list. I have read the second novel in this series and decided I'd start again with Book 1. Ellsworth is extremely talented, very successful in enticing readers with excellent legal thrillers with well defined characters. Michael Gresham is a criminal defense attorney who also has a brother who won't stay on his meds, a money hungry ex-wife, and a client accused of murdering the wife of a judge. Readers can jump right in and enjoy the twists and turns, fast pace, and the high action. Definitely a must-read novel.
• 
  Jacob Peled

  It seems as if the author “John Ellsworth” had many ideas for many books, but none of them was good enough to fill up 300 pages. So what he did was gathering all those ideas into a single book with a very a thin connection (or none) between them. The result was a scrambled story that doesn’t make much sense. That is probably why it has so many endings at the end .
  Not worth writing a detailed review. Somehow I was able (after a long struggle) reach the end successfully , I think 2.5 Stars are more than enough. ( Normally it is a1 Star when I abandon a book in the middle 2 Stars when I skip lots of pages and get to the end)
• 
  Russ

  Aside from the main characters and a very intriguing plot, there are also some new characters and an interesting subplot. Michael Gresham is in peril almost from the get go. His life is in peril, but along with his drug dependent brother and Michael's body guard they manage to succeed in their quest for justice.
• 
  Walter Kemp jr

  elsworth did it again a stunning change of direction in this book. you still have me reading your books for more.
  
  Love this book
  I recommend this book to everyone who loves excitement at each chapter.
  Great stunning surprising exciting book
• 
  Judy Churchill

  I liked the book. It's not just another lawyer book but down and dirty. Michael Gresham fights for his life and his career as a lawyer. Practicing Criminal Defense Law shouldn't be as dangerous this, but it sometimes is. I will definitely read more by this author.
• 
  Marigold G

  Michael Gresham #1 is a good plot idea -- but that's pretty much all you get with the book -- a plot idea. There are tons of missing gaps in the plot throughout the book, including lost time, dropped sub-story lines and a mishmash of filler thrown in through the last quarter of the book, including a gratuitous romance and happy ending.
  
  Michael Gresham #1 reads like a novice writer's first attempt at self publishing and is in need of a strong editor and at least one or two rewrites. The dialogue is boggy and too much text is wasted describing in detail the mundane aspects of court protocol (describing how to stand in front of a lectern, how to address the judge, etc). And the primary character gets lost between talking directly to the reader, his own internal dialogue and experiencing the story.
  
  I wish I had been able to read a preview of the first ten pages before I spent the money for this book.
• 
  Virginia Erickson

  Lots a fun
  
  This book is a good read. I love detective stories. This detective is an attorney. There is humour and unbelievable situations. It's hard to believe one person can survive such abuse and still keep a positive attitude and carry on. I'm ready to start book number two.
• 
  Tulay

  Not one of my favorite story.
  
  Read all of John Ellsworth wrote, but this one is not like his other books. Many twists kept me reading, end came with so many unanswered questions. Michael Gresham character some times likeable.
• 
  Tere Fredericks

  Mind Blown
  
  For those who have never read one of my reviews before, I review as I read, making sure I leave no spoilers. Because of this, my reviews may be weird, until you read the book, but I hope afterwards, you can say, ooooh, that's what the frog meant!
  
  I loved the first book in the series so much that I immediately downloaded this one. As life is wont to do, it interfered, so it took a while to get to it.
  
  I am still in the first few chapters, and see so many grounds for appeal I want to scream. How The Lawyer gets his client away from this "hanging judge" will be interesting. But this is not about an appeal, it is about the trial. So back to it.
  
  Personal note: move to Chicago where the food is nice and cheap.
  
  Chapter 28 starts with a character in shock. I must admit I am but I'm not. Everything is game in criminal court. (I was a paralegal, working for defense attorneys for almost 30 years.) But this is a shocker, even after the first book, where I figuratively had the motions of a fish breathing - jaw up and down. Since I can't do that, therein lies the figuratively.
  
  Reading this brings back vivid memories of an attorney I once
  worked for getting popped for selling cocaine. Yes, he used; almost all lawyers in the area did at the time. The ones who didn't? Those are the ones I went to work for. Now the coke-using lawyer had no reason to sell. He went through some pretty hard times before he was vindicated. Not that there's a character in this book facing any dealing charge. In fact, I haven't seen drugs mentioned at all. I mention it only to say that it must be the same for a jurist.
  
  Why is it that when people think other people only have two choices, there is always a third, and that's the choice made? Rhetorical question, of course.
  
  This time, the ending is bittersweet, a little bit of a cliff-hanger, and in its own way, rather funny. I can't wait to read the next one.
  
  Mr. Ellsworth is an excellent writer, as I would expect of a lawyer of so many years. This is a keep up late in the night to see what he comes up with next. I am sure he has a wealth of material to draw from, so I personally am not worried that each book will start to be the same. Criminals are nothing if not crafty - at least in their own minds.
  
  This second book is worthy of reading the third. That alone worth five stars.
  
• 
  Roy Murry

  THE LAWYER
  John Ellsworth
  
  Reviewed by Author Roy Murry
  
  The twist and turns in this legal thriller will have your head spinning. Michael Gresham, the series protagonist lawyer, defends a low life in a murder case with one judge on the bench and another, the victim's husband in the courtroom.
  
  To top this off his brother, a well-known lawyer, is a missing person with an international problem which has involved Michael in a deadly incident. And the reader, to the conclusion of the novel, is trying to figure out who is attempting to kill who.
  
  Attorney Gresham's brother appears with a show-stopping evidence to put Mexican corporate people away, costing them money and time. This confrontation leads to murder, kidnapping, and an uphill battle that conflates with Michael's original case.
  
  This novel is a well-written introduction to a series. The characters are well defined, the story-line leaves the readers with items they might care to follow, and the courtroom drama is compelling and should continue.
  
• 
  Judi Haley

  This is the 2nd in the series about the lawyer, Michael Gresham..It is equally as entertaining as the 1st.
  
  Michael is trying a murder case for his client who has been accused of murdering the wife of a judge. When Michael finds out that the client has a low IQ and wouldn't be able to plan something like this, plus a tape surfaces of the police beating him in order to get his confession, the man gets off. But now, the judge wants to get back at Michael. He does by double crossing him. Not only his Michael fighting to keep his license and out of prison, his brother Arnie is missing. Arnie was trying a case for the Mex-Tel and when he finds evidence that they are guilty of the crime, Arnie runs with the evidence to convict them. Now they are after Arnie..When Michael gets involved in having to find Arnie, they turn on him.
  
  Great book, very suspenseful, few surprises! Really enjoyed it and will look forward to reading more of the series about Michael!
• 
  Mike Adamchuk

  Michael Gresham is kicked out of his own law firm and becomes an independent criminal lawyer. He is asked to defend James Lambon on trial for murdering Judge Pennington;s wife. Judge Pennington himself asked Michael to be the defense attorney. The prosecuting DA is Bob LaGuardia with a 55 and 0 record. Besides having to deal with the trial, he also has a whacko brother who is off is meds and is the main attorney in a big case involving a Mexican communication company. His ex wife, Sue Ellen, is also hounding him for money to do in vitro with her much younger boyfriend.. His defendant doesn't seem to be able to help with the case very much, his IQ is just a few points above disabled. How does Michael manage all this? You'll have to read it to find out.