Books

Standard Of Review: New Novel 'Proof' Proves To Be An Entertaining Legal Thriller

Don't judge this book by its (rather generic) title; it's a fun and fast-paced read.

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Should you judge a book by its title?

Writing for Above the Law, I review many novels with generic titles. Indeed, I have reviewed two different novels entitled Big Law! Recent novel Proof by attorney C.E. Tobisman definitely falls into this category. But the generic title (which is not to be confused with the 2005 Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal film) belies Proof’s entertaining and fast-paced nature.

Proof tells the story of Caroline Auden, a former computer hacker turned attorney. After leaving her big law firm due to the events of the prior novel in the series (which admittedly I have not read), Caroline begins her own practice in Los Angeles, despite being only a year or so out of law school. As the novel begins, Caroline’s grandmother passes away, and to Caroline’s surprise, bequeaths her entire estate to Oasis Care, the facility in which she resided, instead of to Caroline and her family. Caroline soon learns that an extremely valuable family heirloom watch has gone missing and is not with her grandmother’s other belongings.

After doing some digging, Caroline learns that an abnormally high number of residents have donated their estates to the facility, which is part of a web of companies owned by Simon Reed, the son of a beloved television personality. After Caroline’s lawsuit against Oasis is quickly and improperly dismissed, her life is put into danger and she is falsely accused of a crime. Caroline is forced to go on the run to avoid Oasis, and she turns to her homeless alcoholic uncle for help.

Proof’s best characteristic is its pacing. I am usually pretty harsh on overlong books, but even at 350 pages, I wouldn’t cut much from Proof. Readers will certainly never be bored. Caroline is a strong protagonist, and Tobisman provides characterization with Caroline’s strained relationship with her parents.

Only the first half of Proof is really a legal thriller; once Caroline goes on the run, she does not do much lawyering, although she does get in touch with a helpful assistant U.S. attorney. But the first half is a good encapsulation of Caroline’s life as a young solo practitioner. Without much experience, she struggles to obtain clients. She is frequently appointed by the court to represent defendants, which is not a lucrative business.

CE Tobisman (via Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP)

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Tobisman, an appellate attorney, uses her knowledge of the law to further the story. For example, Oasis uses a loophole in the law to effect its scheme. Because estates under $150,000 do not go through probate, Oasis can coerce its residents to leave them those small estates without any oversight. And if any family members ever complain, Oasis can just cut its losses and give back the money.

I was not as much of a fan of the demurrer hearing in which Caroline’s initial complaint against Oasis is dismissed. The judge is clearly unqualified and asks Caroline to prove her entire case at the demurrer hearing, even without the benefit of discovery. The implication is that the judge has been bought and paid for by Oasis. I appreciate Tobisman’s critique of state court judges as a mixed bag (state and local government employees do not come off well in this novel compared to their federal counterparts), but this judge seemed too terrible to be believed.

The corrupt judge is a microcosm of my biggest complaint with the novel – that Oasis seems too powerfully evil. I have never been a huge fan of the trope of the all-knowing evil corporation that has tons of public officials in its pocket. In addition to the judge, Oasis has numerous police officers in its pocket, who conspire to set Caroline up for murder. To add insult to injury, Oasis employs a hit man who seriously injures Caroline’s friend and seeks to kill Caroline. Maybe I am naive, but this all-encompassing evil behavior by a corporation seems unbelievable.

Despite this criticism, I enjoyed Proof due to its fast pace and engrossing story. Even if it is lacking in the title department.

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

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Proof: A Caroline Auden Legal Thriller [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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