Review for Atticus for the Undead (The Legal Fiction Series #1) by John Abramowitz
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆Description: Hunter Gamble is an idealistic young attorney in a very special area of the practice: arcane defense. Funded by enigmatic billionaire Charles McClain and aided by shy-but-energetic research attorney Kirsten Harper, he's making the world a better place -- one vampire, zombie, or werewolf client at a time. After all, they deserve their day in court too, right?
When a young zombie walks into Hunter's office accused of murder (by brain-eating), Hunter's idealism is tested as never before as he struggles to secure the man's freedom. To do so, he must square off against a savvy and ambitious district attorney, contend with a judge who is deeply biased against arcanes, and stand up to a human-supremacist group which will stop at nothing -- not even Hunter's own death -- to see his client convicted.
Review: This isn't my typical "type" of book. I don't usually read much outside of YA, unless it is some acclaimed literary fiction. Or, in this case, the work of an author I have previously read and reviewed. Despite my hesitation to read something so different, I was intrigued by the unique premise, and eventually, impressed with what I had read.
With that said, there's a few things that really struck me about this book. This is a tightley woven mystery that isn't a "mystery". I flew through each page, dying to know the immediate fate of each character, all of which were entertaining and likeable (even the "bad guys" were amusing... as in, frogs and politics...) consistently.
Main character: Hunter Gamble. He doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes his clients and their fate's seriously - and personally. Casually dressed and legally armed with Kirsten Harper, he's an ardent protector of "arcane" civil rights at a firm that specializes with supernaturals, referred to "arcanes" in the way of being politically correct.
"Atticus for the Undead" is narrorated in third-person, and switches focus mainly between Hunter (the main character, a fierce arcane defense lawyer) and Kirsten, while occationally including characters like Sam (a zombie faced with a prejudical court case). It's an extremely quick read - I finally (finally!) got an oppertunity to sit down with it on Saturday, and I devoured this book in a single sitting, overnight. On my Kindle app it was about 105 pages - single spaced. If you're looking for something quick, funny (but dark too!), and creative, I definitely suggest picking it up.
Who, exactly, is this recommended for? If you are a fan of the author's YA debut, Weaver, you are definitely going to love this one too! Fans of the Sookie Stackhouse Series: if you love the concept of "Coming Out of the Coffin" - you'll love reading all about "The Unveiling" in Atticus for the Undead! Fans of the movie Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - if you are interested in Dylan Dog's line of work - you'll be facinated with Hunter! If you have ever sat through a marathon of SVU, or NCIS, you'll definitely love the tensity and process of justice here, too!
Oh, and the ending is going to just kill you! You might be bummed, but still worth the read!
Recommended! So go get yourself a copy! :)
Where to Find Atticus for the Undead:
Where to Find John Abramowitz
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