Books

Standard Of Review: 'Infamy' Is A Novel That Will Live In Ordinariness

Tanenbaum is a very experienced trial lawyer, and the novel’s courtroom scenes are excellent.

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Infamy by Robert K TanenbaumI have noticed a pattern in several of the legal novels that I have recently reviewed. Lawyers turned authors are usually (and unsurprisingly) very skilled at writing courtroom scenes. But attorney authors frequently have difficulty with character development or even with establishing a coherent plot. The new legal thriller Infamy by Robert K. Tanenbaum definitely falls into this category.

Infamy is part of Tanenbaum’s Karp-Ciampi series (disclaimer: this is the first book in the series that I have read) and focuses on Roger “Butch” Karp, the Manhattan District Attorney. Karp is prosecuting a former army veteran who has murdered a prominent army colonel, Mick Swindells, in cold blood in the middle of Central Park. After the murderer claims that he was set up, Karp meets with investigative reporter Ariadne Stupenagel (the names in this novel are just begging for me to make a spelling error), who reveals that Swindells was her source on a story about a multinational government conspiracy involving black-market oil in Iraq. Karp’s investigation leads him to suspect wealthy industrialist Wellington Constantine, whose company operates oil refineries in Iraq and is one of the most prominent donors to the President of the United States (presumably a fictional one, not President Obama). Constantine is an abusive husband to his wife Clare, who has begun an affair with Richie Bryers, the basketball coach for Constantine and Clare’s son. Clare and Richie uncover evidence that could help Karp tie Constantine to the conspiracy.

Robert K. Tanenbaum (author photo by Blake Little)

Robert K. Tanenbaum (author photo by Blake Little)

The novel’s courtroom scenes are excellent. Tanenbaum is a very experienced trial lawyer himself and the trial scenes are full of realism, particularly the way Karp methodically cross-examines the various defense witnesses. I appreciated little touches such as Karp entering documents into evidence that would never be included in other works of fiction. Furthermore, Tanenbaum includes some insider tricks of the trade, such as explaining that Karp does not take notes during his interview with Stupenagel because they would have to be turned over to the defense, or explaining why Karp would support delay tactics by a defense attorney in one case because it helps the prosecution of another case.

However, the characters in Infamy are thin and the plot is based too much on contrivances. As a murderer, an abuser, and a participant in a nefarious conspiracy, Constantine is a cartoon villain who never seems like a real person. Constantine is not even a smart villain, as he helpfully writes down his evil scheme in a notebook. Constantine’s goon Shaun Fitzsimmons is equally difficult to believe. In two separate instances, Fitzsimmons successfully convinces others to commit suicide in a mere matter of minutes, with the victims putting up little resistance.

There are also too many coincidences involving Karp. His daughter is involved in a special ops mission in Syria that is the inciting incident for the entire novel. Bryers happens to be Karp’s best friend from growing up and reaches out to him. The novel mostly eschews depicting Karp’s investigation; instead, Karp basically has the case land in his lap. In addition, some seemingly important plot points are glossed over, such as the fact that Karp receives a death threat during Constantine’s trial that necessitates his family to go into hiding.

Moreover, there is very little mystery to the story. Tanenbaum establishes very early on that Constantine is villainous and is somehow involved in the conspiracy. He also establishes that the presidential administration is part of the plot. The novel opens in medias res before flashing back, so the reader knows that Karp is going to be prosecuting a major figure. The book contains few, if any, actual twists and turns.

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Given the popularity of legal thrillers and the fact that it is an easy read, some people will undoubtedly be entertained by Infamy. In my opinion, though, there are just better legal thrillers out there.

(Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book)

Infamy [Amazon (affiliate link)]

Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at harrygraff19@gmail.com. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.

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