A REASONABLE PERSON by Walter Davis

by Geoff Aggelar
(Santa Barbara, CA)

Fiction. 216 pages. 4 crowns

Set in Hawaii, ‘A REASONABLE PERSON’ by Honolulu attorney, Walter Davis, takes a reader into the fascinating world of insurance litigation, where battles over settlements are waged between attorneys who employ whatever devices are necessary to serve the interests of their clients. It is a ruthless competition in which only those willing to commit their skills and energies entirely will succeed. Honolulu attorney, Mark Dorsey, the narrator-protagonist of A REASONABLE PERSON, is a successful "hired gun," as he describes himself, who represents clients being sued by various plaintiffs, some of whom are seeking rightful compensation while others hope to exploit the system. Mark's commitment to his clients absorbs nearly all of his time and energy, and he is conflicted by the love he feels for two women, his devoted wife and an old flame who pressures him to leave his marriage and go to her.
The love scenes in the novel are well handled, and it will hold the rapt attention of readers with a taste for courtroom drama. Obviously the author--like Scott Turrow, John Grisham, and Erle Stanley Gardner--is drawing from a wealth of experience in the legal profession. The courtroom scenes in which litigators cut and thrust on behalf of their clients and the scenes behind which often determine the outcome of cases all have the ring of authenticity. We see how justice may prevail in the legal system if it is not impeded by mendacity, prevarication and incompetence.
The novel's title is taken from the legal definition of negligence as the omission to do something which a reasonable man would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do. As it builds toward a dramatic climax, the significance of the title becomes apparent.
In summation, A REASONABLE PERSON is an absorbing, insightful, well-written book comparable to works by the lawyer-novelists mentioned above. I heartily recommend it.

Geoff Aggeler, author of CONFESSIONS OF JOHNNY RINGO and THE FIREWATCHER