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A Patent Lie (Michael Seeley Mystery #2)
A gripping inside look at high-stakes lawyering, A Patent Lie is further evidence that Paul Goldstein is an emerging master of the legal thriller.After being forced from his high-powered Manhattan law firm, Michael Seeley—the tough-but-wounded hero of Errors and Omissions—has set up shop in his native Buffalo. Partly out of need, partly out of pride, Seeley takes on a case...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
June 17th 2008
by Doubleday
(first published 2008)
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Bart
rated it
Recommends it for:
a forgiving reader once it comes out in paperback
Recommended to Bart by:
Allen Chewes' review on NPR's All Things Considered
Shelves:
crime-fiction
This book was very favorably reviewed on NPR's All Things Considered, and I generally trust, if not entirely agree, with its reviewers. But this book really under-performed against the high expectations I brought to it. The book is certainly a departure from the routine legal thriller, and Goldstein is to be admired for even trying to make something interesting out of a civil patent rights trial. But as much as he accomplishes in making *something* interesting out of the topic, it's just not qui...more
The language told too much -- which was perhaps inevitable. He wanted to explain details of patent trial to the reading public. But even character development was too explicitly crafted. The resulting feel of the book was plodding, choppy, creating characters whose motivations were transparently in service of some plot tangent or some character type around which plot development was based. The police officer and the women were particularly not credible.
I enjoyed this second novel by Paul Goldstein about his patent-lawyer character Michael Seeley about as much as the first, "Errors and Omissions." Seeley is an intriguing character raised by an abusive father whom he finally confronts as a 15-year-old. I've finally realized that is a subject that fascinates me: The reaction of children to abuse and what happens when the child becames a young adult and adult. That's something I'll need to explore more, and not just from novels. Basicall...more
This book by Paul Goldstein really grabs you and gets you into the plot along with characters that are believable. It was an enjoyable read, one that kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down. It is a legal thriller, and I really enjoyed it.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'
A good, fast-paced courtroom drama in the same vein as Grisham or Connelly (but not quite AS GOOD). Explores intellectual property and patent law and ethics realted to pharmaceutical companies. I would have preferred a little more mystery and suspense--the book didn't quite pull it all off.
Just because Goldstein teaches law doesn't mean he can write a believable story about a BigLaw trial. He gets all the details wrong, which I usually forgive, but his prose was so generic that I was compulsively rolling my eyes. I think I got about a third of the way through the book.
Much as I love that someone tried to write a courtroom drama about patent law, this was kind of a mess. The characters' motivations were muddled, the plot was confusing (and I understand patent law) and managed to be both drawn out in some places and rushed in others. Everyone was a caricature, the final result was unsatisfying, and the prose was pedestrian. Oh well.
Fun, light novel featuring the bay area, patent law, some interesting characters, trial lawyers, and a reasonably smart premise for some surprise twists.
Very good book. Side of the courtroom I had not read about.
Great setting in the San Francisco Bay Area!
NPR. Novel of a trial --
Don't bother!
Really good legal mystery that is very unlike police detective mysteries. It involves patent law and a cure for AIDS. There is also a mystery revolving around the personalities of the two brothers, one a doctor and the other a patent lawyer. I thought the trial's twists and turns were fascinating. I would definitely read another by this author.
I could not finish this book, it was interesting for awhile, and then half way thru I just gave up, the story line was interesting on the civil suit of a small pharmeceutical company going up against one of the big guys for stealing their AIDS vaccine formula. It was just too draggy for me.
Nicely done mystery about a patent lawyer, AIDS research, and brothers who just seem to hate each other. Twists in the plot kept it moving for me, and reading this made me want to go back and read the prequel, same protagonist. It's on my request list now...
This is an early John Grisham-esque book (John Grisham not being worth reading these days). I heard about it on NPR radio and thought it might be worth a read. It did keep my attention; finished it in a day or two. Courtroom dramas are always interesting.
I enjoyed this, although found the characters all unlikeable. Maybe if I go back and read the first book I will care more about the hero's angst, instead of getting tired of his whining. Also, there was nothing about him to explain why women flung themselves at him!
Given my job how could I resist?? It is supposed to be fiction so I will let you know if "normal" people would be interested :)
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Mindy
marked it as to-read
Heard a glowing review of this on NPR, the reviewer said it was a lot better than John Grisham's books. We'll see...
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Paul Goldstein is a professor of Intellectual Property law at Stanford Law School.
Series:
* Michael Seeley Mystery
More about Paul Goldstein...
Series:
* Michael Seeley Mystery
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