Well before Jeffery Deaver gained a considerable following with his lengthy Lincoln Rhyme series, popularized by the movie based on the first in that set, “The Bone Collector” (with Denzel Washington as Rhyme), he authored two shorter series of books: “Rune” and “John Pellam {Location Scout}. He also penned several standalone novels of suspense, “Justice” being the first. Although the original story was published in 1992, Deaver admits to totally recreating it in this 2002 edition to make it more of a thriller. Written in two parts, the nearly 300-page first part describes a big NYC high-rise law firm (almost ala Grisham’s “Firm”) that is in the midst of a proposed merger that is little better than a mutiny. One of the prominent partners, Mitchell Reese, has enlisted paralegal Ms. Taylor Lockwood to help find a missing document that might stave off the merger. As she hunts for the insider responsible, she uncovers all manner of office treachery, illicit affairs, and other skullduggery occurring both inside and outside the firm, leading to some fateful outcomes in a related trial about the document. Then in the roughly 100-page part 2, Taylor rethinks some of the earlier events and makes further discoveries about who did what to whom! While we didn’t get to read the original, we’ll agree Deaver has provided us the intended roller coaster ride of a plot. Whether the sleuthing machinations of the otherwise amateur Lockwood might be debatable, the story did move right along, strewing red herrings left and right along the way. We suspect most readers will indeed find “Justice” to be a suitably suspenseful early entry in the Deaver bibliography.
An early Jeffery Deaver that he revised to add more "thrill," and he did a good job of it. The story was, in a way, reminiscent of Grisham's The Pelican Brief starring a female protagonist--an inexperienced, minor player who gets caught up in machinations of the wheeler-dealers. Taylor Lockwood is one of the better paralegals in her firm and is asked to help find an important document that has been stolen. In her detecting, she sees more of the seamy underside and backstabbing within the big firm that she works for than she'd realized, revealing for us too the big, influential, powerful internal law firm insider workings. A good legal thriller, strongly character-driven with unexpected plot turns.
What do You think about Mistress Of Justice (2002)?
This was different from Mr. Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series since it involves people in a law firm. The main character is Taylor Lockwood, a paralegal who fancies herself a sleuth, and faces danger in doing so. The legal profession seems to be a dog eat dog business, and several people in the firm meet their end. She also plays jazz piano one night a week, and has made a demo CD. Results from her sending it to various people underscore the old adage--don't give up your day job. Finally, the ending reveals the whole plot.
—Marti
This is a rewrite by Jeffery Deaver. The book was first released in 1992, but Deaver has never been satisfied with it. His publisher finally gave approval for a do-over and rerelease. I have to say he did a great job this time. I read it years ago and remember being unimpressed, disappointed - though I don't really remember why.I didn't feel that way at all with this release of the book. I enjoyed it, liked the characters, and was blown away by the ending. I can usually guess how a book will end (especially mysteries, as there seems to be a formula used by authors) - but not this time!I started the book while on a cruise and finished it on an airplane ride home that was from hell. It kept me from wanting to strangle the mother of two *really* bratty, annoying kids, as it distracted me just enough.I recommend a reread of this book if you read it years ago!
—Suze
