A Butler Christmas

Brooks’s clunky first Naim Butler contemporary romantic thriller has strong characters, but the writing is awkward and didactic (“Damn, bro, we can now take our sons on trips and mold them to be great men and avoid poverty and prison”) and the plot never gels. Naim Butler works in the criminal division at Baker & Keefe, a prestigious New York City law firm that has inexplicably made him partner even though he’s an ex-con who can’t practice law. He’s preparing for the first visit from his 17-year-old son, Marco, whose existence he only recently learned about. As Naim and Marco become acquainted, Naim explains how he amassed his wealth by working as a mitigation specialist. Naim, an affable character, is delighted when Marco decides to stay in New York; Naim also embarks on a sizzling romance with Brandy Scott, an executive editor at the New York Times. After Naim receives a presidential pardon for his past crimes (which are never described in detail) and is finally able to practice law, an anonymous person tries to undermine his career and romantic prospects and he has to discover who might want to harm him. The well-developed relationships among the characters propel the story until the addition of suspense very late in the book, which interrupts the flow and makes for a rather hurried conclusion. (Dec.)