cover image Suzy’s Case

Suzy’s Case

Andy Siegel. Scribner, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4516-5878-1

While Siegel, a personal injury and medical malpractice attorney, refreshingly makes Tug Wyler, the hero of his debut, an unscrupulous jerk, fans of sophisticated legal thrillers may have trouble with the many clichés and coincidences. New York City lawyer Wyler has inherited a kennel of dog cases from a colleague, Henry Benson, one of which concerns a heartrending tragedy. Suzy Williams, a gifted six-year-old with sickle cell anemia, suddenly went into cardiac arrest, and the seizure left her “a spastic quadriplegic with severe brain damage.” Is some hospital employee guilty of negligence? The medical expert Benson retained for the plaintiff opined that the blood disease was solely responsible for what happened. Meanwhile, Wyler prepares to turn down the complaint, until Suzy’s bombshell mother persuades him to look further. Once that happens, the plot’s dominoes essentially fall in a straight line. Still, Siegel displays enough promise to suggest he could deliver a more realistic sequel. Agent: Sterling Lord, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)