Conflicts of Interest

There's a secular Passion Play being enacted in modern fiction. It involves lawyers, and it's just as ritualized as the New Testament Passion: a taste of success, then a fall from grace, followed by a chance at courtroom redemption. In this second novel from California lawyer Martel (Partners), the format is particularly obvious because everything else that could have brought the story alive seems sketchy and shallow. Small-town lawyer Seth ``Cowboy'' Cameron dreams of a career in one of San Francisco's upper-class law firms. When he bluffs his way to a high-profile courtroom victory, he lands a job at prestigious Miller & McGrath. He also lands in the middle of a tug-of-war between M&M's young turks and firm dictator Anthony Treadwell, who uses the politically sensitive liability lawsuit of beautiful Elena Barton as an excuse to get Cameron fired. The same lawsuit proves Cameron's ticket to redemption, however, when Elena sues M&M for malpractice and gets Cameron to take the case. The attorney arguing for M&M is Anthony Treadwell--which would have made for a tense, dramatic confrontation if any of the characters were three-dimensionally portrayed or if the narrative proceeded at any speed below that of fifth gear. Martel's characterizations are strictly paint-by-the-numbers, while his dialogue is more glib than clever and his pacing is so relentlessly manic that there seems no time for motivation or thought. Meanwhile, Cameron comes across as a clever lawyer but not much of a human being, making reading his story akin to wolfing down a six-course meal of fast food in rather unpleasant company. (Aug.)