A review by ncrabb
The Associate by Phillip Margolin

4.0

Interestingly enough, Amanda Jaffe has almost a cameo role in this book. It centers mainly around the life of Daniel Ames, a recently hired associate with the fictional prestigious law firm of Briggs, Reid. Ames grew up on the hard and ugly side of the tracks, so he understands how difficult life can be. He worries that he will one day awaken and learn that his new job was all a dream. He is one of the lead attorneys on a case that seeks to defend a pharmaceutical company against lawsuits claiming that a drug taken by pregnant women caused birth defects in babies. There's no proof that the drug is linked to birth defects until the opposing counsel finds reference to a study done by an employee of the pharmaceutical company that indeed establishes a link. Daniel's boss is furious that Daniel didn't find the document in the discovery process, and soon Daniel is out of a job, framed for the murder of his boss, and eventually becomes a suspect for another killing.

This book will take you from the wealth of a Portland, Oregon law firm to an isolated town in the Arizona desert, and things will end rather satisfactorily. There's almost no profanity in the book, and while there are references to Daniel's relationship with an attorney who believes in his innocence, there's nothing here that describes the sexual encounters in a detailed or drawn-out way.

This is a relatively quick read that will keep you turning pages to the back cover.