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Special Circumstances
Sheldon Siegel Book Review

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Plot Summary of Special Circumstances
"Mike has just been "let go" from the prestigious law firm he works for. Two partners are found dead the next morning, and Mike's best friend, also firm partner, is accused of their murders. Every piece of the evidence points to Joel and Mike strives to find something that will absolve his friend of the crimes, although at some point he comes to doubt of his innocence, and so does the reader. It seems that there is a conspiracy of a sort to convict Joel and alienate Mike. There is also an interesting sub-plot about Mike's relationship with his ex-wife."
Anthie Zachariadou, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Special Circumstances
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story - Dry-cynical - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - power struggle within govt between two factions
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Murder of certain profession? - lawyer creatures
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller Yes
Legal Plotlets - investigating murder of lawyer(s) - fighting evil law firm - finding out whether someone is really guilty
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - a lawyer creature
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - a lawyer creature
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - lawyer creatures

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California
Misc setting - prison

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Special Circumstances
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
A King's Ransom by James Grippando
The Jury by Steve Martini
The Judgment by D.W. Buffa
The Face of Justice by Bill Blum


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