CBA Record November-December 2022

fund about to come due from his father that requires him not to be with Vicky. Woven throughout is a look back at some things that may have contributed to the present occurrences. As we read, we realize that Vicky and Simon might be involved in a great deal of conduct that is criminal, regardless of whether Simon is the murderer of the socialite. Many have compared this book to Gone Girl or Strangers on a Train. It is a roller coaster of a read, whatever the com parisons. Even those adept at figuring out the ending well before the fiction ends (such as my wife) will be hard pressed to have any clue as to the plot twists that lead to the very surprising, perhaps improb able, ending. We cannot say more with out spoiler alerts and so will leave it there. Ellis has the two main characters, and some others provide their perspectives in the chapters. We learn something each step of the way, but the twists continue. For those not familiar with David Ellis and his fiction, look closer. He is an Illi nois Appellate Court justice by day but continues to produce amazing fiction on a regular basis. You will not be disap pointed by his stories. And the CBA will feature a book talk with him once we can nail down the details; more to come!

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

Look Closer By David Ellis

I n 2001, a new legal genre author in Chicago published his first novel, Line of Vision, which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. His name was David Ellis. Over the next two decades, he published sev eral other novels in the legal, thriller, mystery, and suspense genres, includ ing several with James Patterson. His work includes the Jason Kolarich series. As a member of the CBA Edito rial Board writing the Summary Judg ments column back in 2001, I met with David over lunch at Governor’s Pub. We discussed writing in general, the pro cess that writers engage in, and his first book. We discussed others in the genre, with an extensive discussion of the Chi cago legal genre “godfather,” Scott Turow. I had read Ellis’s book and reviewed it. From that first book, Ellis demon strated the elements of good writing— excellent plots and twists, interesting characters, and crisp writing, includ ing credible dialogue and court scenes. With Look Closer, Ellis again dem onstrates his mastery of good writing. In this book, we meet a married couple, Simon and Vicky. They appear to have a decent, if unexciting, marriage. Simon is a law professor seeking tenure; Vicky is a domestic violence victims advo cate. But nothing, we learn, is quite as it seems. A young socialite connected to Simon is found hanging from the bal cony in her mansion on Halloween. Simon is a suspect. Simon has a trust

Penguin Random House (2022) Reviewed by Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is Attorney and Counsel at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, a member of the CBA Record Editorial Board, and Past President of the CBA.

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