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  <title><![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Martin Fillmore Clark]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[<p>In this crime/legal thriller, Clark explores the boundaries between law and justice, sin and forgiveness, fraternal bonds and betrayal. Mason stands at the center of an ethical dilemma, but he is no less compelling than his brother, their mother, and even Mason's partner. Clark &quot;draws character...</p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45463499">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[it's been awhile since i read this book, but it was GREAT!  Very different!  I grabbed it off the &quot;NEW BOOKS&quot; shelf at the library.  It's about two brothers......one a lawyer and the other a trouble maker.....two very different people.  Their lives get intertwined with an &quot;incident&quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66272193">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66272193]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>26802965</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[fans of Southern fiction, character-driven mysteries, and/or novels of ethics]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 09 17:49:30 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 20 16:31:43 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hmmm.  First, they're pitching this like it's a legal thriller, and at 150 pages in the other shoe, partner to the opening set-up of a crime, had yet to drop.  So don't come in expecting Grisham (god forbid), or even a mystery, really.  This is a novel about ethics and about characters, very densely...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26802965">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26802965]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>23039504</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jeanne]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 27 07:32:54 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 08 11:02:14 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm not sure where I read a review for this novel, and I don't know what appealed to me in that review.  Why am I telling you this?  Because this is not a very good book.<br/><br/>Basic plot:  Mason and Gates Hunt were raised by their mother, Sadie Grace, and their father, Curt, a crazy tyrant.  T...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23039504">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23039504]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>25344044</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Elise]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 24 14:53:33 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 24 13:37:40 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The dialogue can be overwrought at times, but the witty, clever banter is so much fun to read, particularly between Mason &amp; Custis.  Clark does such a good job evoking life in small Southern towns and his ear for the customs &amp; dialects is pitch perfect.  I earmarked the following quote just because ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25344044">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25344044]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>31216283</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[New York Times Book Review Ad]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 26 06:06:32 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 26 06:14:49 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I didn't make it past the second chapter.  I expected a legal thriller, or a mystery, or a tale of intrigue -- but all I got was poor writing, like this sentence, that made the novel, impossible to read.  Just because you are a judge in real life doesn't make you a good writer.  Also, as a northerne...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31216283">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31216283]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jen]]></name>
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  <isbn>0307268357</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780307268358</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">60</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Oct 19 13:50:23 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Oct 19 13:56:35 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Mason &amp; Gates Hunt have a tough childhood.  Their father is abusive and then runs out on their mother after years of torturous behavior.<br/><br/>However, Mason grows up to be a successful lawyer, husband and father.  Gates, on the other hand, goes on to be a drug dealer &amp; murderer.<br/><br/>On ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35703136">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35703136]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>45691992</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Mary]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Feb 07 18:52:09 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun May 17 11:07:53 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is one of the best books I've read in a while.  It is the story of two brothers raised by an awful and abusive father.  One brother overcomes his past and the other goes to the dogs. Gates, a compulsive felon, kills a man in the presence of Mason, who is in law school. They decide to cover up t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45691992">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45691992]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>40166970</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Alicia]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Dec 15 13:56:37 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jul 02 16:13:13 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Densely characterized and plotted Southern Gothic legal fiction. I wouldn't call this a thriller, per se, but it is intense and surprisingly driving, considering the meandering and somewhat lazy narrative. Thoroughly engaging and lively characters populating a wonderful story about life gone wrong, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40166970">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40166970]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>29922447</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 12 05:16:37 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 13 12:54:05 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Almost from the start, I had at least some trouble putting this book down. Two-thirds of the way through, I really couldn’t. It’s that good. This is such a different book than Martin Clark’s first novel, &lt;The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living&lt;/i&gt; -- which I didn’t much like -- that...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29922447">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29922447]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29922447]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>42869103</id>
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    <id>81376</id>
    <name><![CDATA[jillian]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jan 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 12 21:44:33 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 12 21:46:01 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Martin Fillmore Clark is, to quote the book cover, &quot;the thinking man's...and the drinking man's...John Grisham.&quot;  Nice, well written plot; multiple, three-dimensional characters, heavy on dialogue and local flavor.  No crazy schemes and plot twists, just a solid, engrossing narrative.  I e...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42869103">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42869103]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42869103]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32215196</id>
    <user>
    <id>1012435</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jenna]]></name>
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    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 06 19:22:15 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 06 19:25:11 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I definitely enjoyed the story - there were a lot of twists and turns, which were great, but towards the end it seemed to drag a little bit and there were a few incidents that were from left field and didn't really feel like they factored into the story. Granted this is based on truth, so it may hav...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32215196">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32215196]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32215196]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>41433723</id>
    <user>
    <id>326280</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Carrie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></location>
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  <isbn>0307268357</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Dec 31 13:37:19 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jan 04 15:30:32 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a good read - best when you read it straight thru because it has a rhythm to it that takes over. It was a bit hard to believe that every character was a constant wealth of one-liners, but still amused.  Wouldn't have to do all that much to this to turn it into a Hollywood movie - but that's...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41433723">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41433723]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41433723]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Janice]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Monmouth, OR]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 20 07:38:54 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 20 07:41:11 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A legal procedural ala John Grissam.  Poor boy from the south makes good, brother makes bad.  Both have a horrible secret that comes out in a blackmail driven plot.  The author ties up loose ends in rapid fashion and brings story to a &quot;feel good&quot; close.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40518894]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40518894]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>60188208</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 18 11:17:51 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 15 08:08:55 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read somewhere that this was a sort of &quot;John Grisham meets John Berendt&quot; novel.  A &quot;southern crime novel&quot;. I'm not sure I completely agree, but overall, I enjoyed the book.  It is definitely more of a character study with a legal plot than a crime thriller, but I like my charac...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60188208">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60188208]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>65280157</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Dorinda]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jul 28 10:58:03 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 12 08:28:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I enjoyed the author's first book:  The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living.  The author is a circuit judge in Virginia and writes about the people with whom he lives.  This novel is entertaining even for non-lawyers, and much more about the law than his first.  Entertainment but a little more than t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65280157">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65280157]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>48738593</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

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  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 09 16:30:58 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 01 21:05:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Sorta. I sort of read this book. I started it, but couldn't get into it. While I appreciate that the hero isn't &quot;broken&quot; in a &quot;classy&quot; way, like most are--many flawed heroes are something like hard drinkers but with a soft heart and good interior design skills, whereas Clark's co...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48738593">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48738593]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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  <read_at>Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Feb 16 20:13:47 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 09 20:58:31 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I lost a copy of this book either on the subway or at my 24-hour convenience store. So rather then admittedly confess and pay the 20+ bucks last week, I renewed my lost copy from the library and checked out another. It was thoroughly entertaining ... enough so to go through all the trouble but it is...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46590308">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46590308]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>121</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[criminals, the families of criminals, judges, lawyers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 30 12:24:32 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 25 18:05:56 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[More wacky legal entanglements from a real-life judge. This third book of his is different—based on a real case, much is true to fact. <br/><br/>But much is deliciously vintage Martin Clark's viewpoint of law and order: the convict's underbelly white prison pallor and distinctive odor, wire-tapp...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28770300">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Legal Limit]]>
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    <![CDATA[Martin Clark's most remarkable novel yet is the gripping, complex story of a murder cover-up that wreaks widespread havoc even as it redefines the concept of justice - a relentlessly entertaining saga that delves deeply into matters at once ambiguous and essential.<br/><br/>While Gates Hunt chose to fight his abusive father head-on, his younger brother, Mason, eventually escaped their bitter, impoverished circumstances by earning a free ride to college and law school. And while Gates became an intransigent, compulsive felon, Mason met and married the love of his life, had a spitfire daughter, and returned to his rural hometown as the commonwealth's attorney. But Mason's idyll is abruptly pierced by a wicked tragedy, and soon afterward his life further unravels when Gates, convinced that his brother's legal influence should spring him from prison, attempts to force his cooperation by means of a secret they'd both sworn to take with them to the grave. And with his closest friend and staunch ally suddenly threatened by secrets of his own, Mason ultimately finds himself facing complete ruin and desperately defending everything and everyone he holds dear.<br/><br/>Intricately plotted and shot through with authenticity, <em>The Legal Limit</em> is a roller coaster of moral relevance. What should govern our actions when family loyalty challenges personal integrity, when the letter of the law defies its spirit, and when fate plays dice with our best endeavors?]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Mar 07 08:06:27 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 07 21:59:47 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Really good legal thriller - excellent, believable characters, interesting plot. A win from the New Books shelf at MultCoLib.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48502215]]></url>
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