Corrupt Practices

April 29, 2013
L.A. lawyer Parker Stern, the hero of Rotstein’s fine first novel, hasn’t set foot in a courtroom in the 18 months since the suicide of his mentor, Harmon Cherry. Stern mostly hangs out in the West Hollywood coffee shop run by his ex-colleague and occasional lover, Deanna Poulos, who informs him that Rich Baxter, once his colleague and anything but a friend, needs his help. Baxter wants Stern to represent him against numerous charges—notably, the theft of $17 million—brought against him by the Church of the Sanctified Assembly, a Scientology-like organization for which Baxter had been working. When Baxter becomes a second suicide, Stern’s personal, complex history with the group pushes him to delve deeper. Stern’s early career as a child actor and the betrayal he felt when his stage mother joined the church become relevant factors in the investigation. A steady stream of intriguing revelations delivered in a lively, precise style will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Jill Marr, the Sandra Dijkstra Agency.

Starred review from May 1, 2013
Parker Stern's promising career as a litigator at Macklin & Cherry ends abruptly when he's stricken with paralyzing stage fright in courtrooms after the suicide of his mentor, Harmon Cherry. When the firm subsequently breaks up, Stern's former partners are supportive: Manfred Mason, now associate dean at a law school, hires him as an adjunct professor, and occasional bedmate Deanna Poulos, now a coffee-shop operator, persuades him to represent another ex-colleague, Rich Baxter. When Baxter, accused of embezzling from his longtime client, the cultish Church of the Sanctified Assembly, is found hanged in his jail cell, Stern begins to believe the outlandish charges that Baxter has made against the church. Hired by Baxter's father to fight the church over his son's estate, Stern finds himself at risk, along with his student, Lovely Diamond, who is helping him with the investigation and with whom he becomes romantically involved. Rotstein's debut is a tautly constructed, fast-moving narrative with an appealing protagonistsmart, articulate, and craftywho nevertheless literally faints from fright in front of a judge. This promises to be a compelling series for legal-thriller fans. Get in at the start.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)