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Michael Seeley Mystery #1
Errors and Omissions
An astonishing novel of legal and moral suspense from Paul Goldstein, a stunning new legal literary talent.Meet Michael Seeley, a take-no-prisoners intellectual property litigator–and a man on the brink of personal and career collapse. So when United Pictures virtually demands that he fly out to Hollywood to confirm legally that they own the rights to their corporate cash-cow franchise of Spykiller films, he has little choice but to comply. What he discovers in these gilded precincts will plunge him headfirst into the tangled politics of the blacklisting era and then into the even darker world of Nazi-occupied Poland. Drawing on historical fact and legal scholarship, this is a breathless tale of deception and intrigue.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
69 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Paul Goldstein
75 books18 followersPaul Goldstein is a writer, lawyer, and the Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. His novel "Havana Requiem" received the 2013 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.
Series:
* Michael Seeley Mystery
Series:
* Michael Seeley Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 13, 2022
An audiobook that was not only fun to listen to but also very informative. Not being an attorney, I learned a little about art and intellectual property and how the law applies to it. Good character development- the attorney had a bad booze problem- so you get to see him get up the courage to overcome it. I was surprised that the guy was able to get through the withdrawal- and DTs without medication or therapy. So I had to suspend my disbelief a little to listen to this one.
May 17, 2025
A great fan of legal thrillers, I turned to an author I only recently discovered. Paul Goldstein tells a gripping story and knows how to pepper it with complex backstories, while never straying from the issues at hand. Michael Seeley has many struggles in life, though he does not allow this to completely derail his legal work. However, there are times his personal filter is lacking and he finds himself in hot water. When he is tasked with trying to lock down proof of ownership relating to a popular movie script, Michael does his best to assemble all the pieces. Things take a turn and soon the race is on to collect a number of story fragments to get to the truth, all in an effort to save those who have engaged his legal services. Goldstein delivers an intense series debut that has me eager to see how things will follow from here.
Michael Seeley may have personal foibles, but he is known as one who takes no prisoners while arguing the law. Michael is an intellectual property litigator who hides the struggles in his personal life with well-delivered advice. When he is hired by United Pictures and told to fly to Hollywood, Michael agrees, though his mission to confirm legal ownership of a popular movie franchise could have a wrinkle or two. Michael soon learns that nothing is as it seems, particularly when he begins turning over rocks for answers. As Michael follows the trail, he must travel far for answers, while also shedding light on a time in the movie industry that was clouded in politics, blacklisting, and deep-seeded racism. The truth is out there and Michael Seeley intends to find it, whatever may cross his path. Goldstein does well to keep the reader well-educated in this unique legal thriller.
I love a legal thriller that gets me thinking and taps into historical references. Paul Goldstein did that with the first of his books and read and relies on the same process once more. He pushes the limits of the law and challenges the reader to think well outside the box as they learn various nuances. The narrative pulls the reader into the middle of the story from the outset and refuses to wane at any point. Numerous questions emerge and are only slowly answered for the attentive reader. Characters remain important to Goldstein's story, using key interactions to lay important groundwork, none more than Michael Seeley himself. The plot moves at times to send the reader in various directions, though I did find it lagging on occasion, perhaps adding too much detail and focus on things I might have wanted handled with brevity. Still, I was impressed and am eager to tackle the next book in the series.
Kudos, Mr. Goldstein, for a powerful opening to the Michael Seeley collection.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Michael Seeley may have personal foibles, but he is known as one who takes no prisoners while arguing the law. Michael is an intellectual property litigator who hides the struggles in his personal life with well-delivered advice. When he is hired by United Pictures and told to fly to Hollywood, Michael agrees, though his mission to confirm legal ownership of a popular movie franchise could have a wrinkle or two. Michael soon learns that nothing is as it seems, particularly when he begins turning over rocks for answers. As Michael follows the trail, he must travel far for answers, while also shedding light on a time in the movie industry that was clouded in politics, blacklisting, and deep-seeded racism. The truth is out there and Michael Seeley intends to find it, whatever may cross his path. Goldstein does well to keep the reader well-educated in this unique legal thriller.
I love a legal thriller that gets me thinking and taps into historical references. Paul Goldstein did that with the first of his books and read and relies on the same process once more. He pushes the limits of the law and challenges the reader to think well outside the box as they learn various nuances. The narrative pulls the reader into the middle of the story from the outset and refuses to wane at any point. Numerous questions emerge and are only slowly answered for the attentive reader. Characters remain important to Goldstein's story, using key interactions to lay important groundwork, none more than Michael Seeley himself. The plot moves at times to send the reader in various directions, though I did find it lagging on occasion, perhaps adding too much detail and focus on things I might have wanted handled with brevity. Still, I was impressed and am eager to tackle the next book in the series.
Kudos, Mr. Goldstein, for a powerful opening to the Michael Seeley collection.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
May 3, 2010
RATING: 2.5
I don't know about you, but when I see genre labels on a book, I find that I expect certain things from the narrative. The words "romantic suspense" lead me to believe something specific will be covered, as do terms such as "psychological thriller", "police procedural" or "village mystery". Thus, reading that Errors and Omissions was a legal thriller, I thought that I would see the following elements:
A problem or issue centered around an interesting point of law
Suspense (as in thriller) about the characters involved in the legal situation
A lead character who is a lawyer and more than likely an expert on the legal issue covered in the book
A courtroom scene or other legal proceeding that would resolve the issue
Unfortunately, only the third element applied to this book.
Michael Seeley specializes in intellectual property law. As the book opens, he is blowing his career with a respected law firm because of his alcoholism. He is assigned pro bono cases, which don't bring money in to the firm; they are on the verge of terminating his employment. At one time, Michael was well respected in the field; currently, he is about to be disbarred for a drunken episode in a judge's chambers. In addition, his marriage is on the rocks. He is offered one last-ditch chance to turn things around; he reluctantly takes the assignment.
The legal issue at hand is the assignment of an artist's rights in the entertainment industry. The author of a book called "Spykiller" has never signed over the rights for the screenplay; the folks in Hollywood have built a hugely successful movie franchise on the work. Actually, the situation has its roots in the 1940s and 50s when authors and other creative people were placed on the infamous Blacklist because of their political sensibilities. It appears that the real author had someone else take the credit for his work because of the impact of being blacklisted.
Miraculously, Michael instantly gives up drinking and takes it upon himself to find the author of the book and gain his signature. He has to travel to Germany to do so, and faces many obstacles along the way, including a very recalcitrant and stubborn author who is close to dying. Michael transforms himself from a lawyer into an intrepid investigator as the narration progresses and even manages to trade punches with a few bad guys.
If you detect a note of sarcasm in that last paragraph, you're very astute. I found it very hard to believe in the character—he's in an advanced state of alcoholism and gives it up as if it is nothing, warding off all the temptation that he faces. The fact that he is supposed to be a lawyer is forgotten as he goes into full blown search-and-destroy mode. Forget any exciting courtroom scenes, or legal thrills—the book isn't really about that at all. The introduction of the young, beautiful, intelligent, sensitive woman made me want to groan. The one element of the book that I did find to be well done was the depiction of the German setting. Goldstein does an excellent job of describing not only the physical locale but also the culture of the area.
Paul Goldstein is a noted intellectual property lawyer who is widely recognized as one of the top experts in the field. I question why he chose to focus on the whole blacklisting period of history, as many people reading this book will likely not have even heard of it. There was not enough dramatic tension in the plot premise to sustain the narration; at times, the writing was extremely plebian and the resolution unsatisfying. I would assume that Mr. Goldstein faces many controversial intellectual property issues that are important and interesting to today's world and wished that he had chosen one of them as the basis for the book.
I don't know about you, but when I see genre labels on a book, I find that I expect certain things from the narrative. The words "romantic suspense" lead me to believe something specific will be covered, as do terms such as "psychological thriller", "police procedural" or "village mystery". Thus, reading that Errors and Omissions was a legal thriller, I thought that I would see the following elements:
A problem or issue centered around an interesting point of law
Suspense (as in thriller) about the characters involved in the legal situation
A lead character who is a lawyer and more than likely an expert on the legal issue covered in the book
A courtroom scene or other legal proceeding that would resolve the issue
Unfortunately, only the third element applied to this book.
Michael Seeley specializes in intellectual property law. As the book opens, he is blowing his career with a respected law firm because of his alcoholism. He is assigned pro bono cases, which don't bring money in to the firm; they are on the verge of terminating his employment. At one time, Michael was well respected in the field; currently, he is about to be disbarred for a drunken episode in a judge's chambers. In addition, his marriage is on the rocks. He is offered one last-ditch chance to turn things around; he reluctantly takes the assignment.
The legal issue at hand is the assignment of an artist's rights in the entertainment industry. The author of a book called "Spykiller" has never signed over the rights for the screenplay; the folks in Hollywood have built a hugely successful movie franchise on the work. Actually, the situation has its roots in the 1940s and 50s when authors and other creative people were placed on the infamous Blacklist because of their political sensibilities. It appears that the real author had someone else take the credit for his work because of the impact of being blacklisted.
Miraculously, Michael instantly gives up drinking and takes it upon himself to find the author of the book and gain his signature. He has to travel to Germany to do so, and faces many obstacles along the way, including a very recalcitrant and stubborn author who is close to dying. Michael transforms himself from a lawyer into an intrepid investigator as the narration progresses and even manages to trade punches with a few bad guys.
If you detect a note of sarcasm in that last paragraph, you're very astute. I found it very hard to believe in the character—he's in an advanced state of alcoholism and gives it up as if it is nothing, warding off all the temptation that he faces. The fact that he is supposed to be a lawyer is forgotten as he goes into full blown search-and-destroy mode. Forget any exciting courtroom scenes, or legal thrills—the book isn't really about that at all. The introduction of the young, beautiful, intelligent, sensitive woman made me want to groan. The one element of the book that I did find to be well done was the depiction of the German setting. Goldstein does an excellent job of describing not only the physical locale but also the culture of the area.
Paul Goldstein is a noted intellectual property lawyer who is widely recognized as one of the top experts in the field. I question why he chose to focus on the whole blacklisting period of history, as many people reading this book will likely not have even heard of it. There was not enough dramatic tension in the plot premise to sustain the narration; at times, the writing was extremely plebian and the resolution unsatisfying. I would assume that Mr. Goldstein faces many controversial intellectual property issues that are important and interesting to today's world and wished that he had chosen one of them as the basis for the book.
July 10, 2009
On page 50 and liking it!
Finished book last night. Was somewhat disappointed. Perhaps sequel will be better; Uncle D liked sequel much better. The writing wasn't bad; plot thin, pace uneven.
Finished book last night. Was somewhat disappointed. Perhaps sequel will be better; Uncle D liked sequel much better. The writing wasn't bad; plot thin, pace uneven.
May 16, 2018
I wanted to like this book especially since it was the first of a series. I might try the number two book since EandO has potential. It just got boring by the end.
November 24, 2020
Molto molto descrittivo, la trama è bella e solida, ma personalmente preferisco più dialogo e più azione. Studiando io stessa legge, posso dire che Goldstein scrive e ragiona davvero come un professore di giurisprudenza, quale in effetti è. Consigliato per chi è appassionato di ciò che si nasconde dietro lo sfavillante mondo di Hollywood.
September 18, 2023
I strongly recommend this book. It’s complex and the characters are vivid and believable. I am open to reading the next entry in this series, as Michael Seeley is a compelling protagonist
January 4, 2022
Book #1 of the IP attorney Seeley. The twists in this legal thriller are original and the character development of Seeley is good. I am looking forward to reading books #2 & 3. One of the best details of the book is the casually placed legal details which provide depth and context in an edifying and entertaining way.
July 28, 2011
Maybe it's because I've read so many Grisham novels being the reason that I was not too entertained by Errors and Omissions. Mike Seeley, a lawyer with a drinking problem, represents the rights of independent artists. Somehow he manages to get involved with two men whose parents died in concentration camps. The law firm he works for coerces him to sign the standard practice Errors and Omissions paperwork for the movie studio they represent, but once Mike arrives in Los Angeles he realizes that the blockbuster movie series in the studio wants to produce isn't owned by the studio. Seeley's bosses at the firm, and the owner of the studio become increasingly angry as Mike, determined not to sign the E&O document, embarks on a mission to find the real artist of the script. Full of suspense, the story reveals betrayal, contradictions, and and a sad childhood secret between the artist Max Kanarek, and studio owner Mayer Bermann, which coincidentally ended their friendship. Now, as Max is on his deathbed does he agree to end the fight. This book is about manipulation, desperation, and salvation. It is a good book but not my preference.
April 30, 2013
Michael Seeley is an attorney specializing in intellectual property. His life is not going so well lately: his wife has left him, as are his paying clients, he drinks too much and an angry judge wants to see him disbarred. So maybe getting away for some days to work on an Error and omission report for a movie studio would be a good idea... But things are not so easy when he discovers that the author of a scenario in issues may not be the real author... As Seeley goes to Europe to meet with the real author so he can sign an authorship declaration, he also must face his own reality.
As an intellectual property manager, I was really interested in that book. I enjoyed it and am looking forward for the next in the series.
As an intellectual property manager, I was really interested in that book. I enjoyed it and am looking forward for the next in the series.
July 8, 2009
I like legal fiction, I like crime and "action" books, and I like historical fiction, but somehow even though this book had all three elements, it just didn't really thrill me.
Goldstein tends to do a bit more telling than showing (Oh, are we doing exposition now? For three pages straight? OK.) which probably comes from being a lawyer. The main character was fairly compelling, but a lot of the secondary characters were a bit cardboard. Also a bit more conspiracy theory stuff than I typically go for, but still not a bad book overall.
Goldstein tends to do a bit more telling than showing (Oh, are we doing exposition now? For three pages straight? OK.) which probably comes from being a lawyer. The main character was fairly compelling, but a lot of the secondary characters were a bit cardboard. Also a bit more conspiracy theory stuff than I typically go for, but still not a bad book overall.
Read
December 6, 2013I couldn't get into this book while other mysteries beckoned me from the bedside table. Perhaps it would've gotten better, but without a murder or foreshadowing of same early on in the reading, I get bored. This author gets great reviews, but I'm just not sure that intellectual property law is going to do it for me as a crime subject. Now I'll go see what other Goodreads members think.
August 16, 2014
If you're looking for a one-off Grisham, this ain't it. It's complicated, not action-packed, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. It's also elegantly written, insightful, and accurate as to legal practice. Very human, no surprise twist, and esp interesting to anyone interested in Intellectual Prop law. Not quite what I expected; better.
November 25, 2008
You would think that intellectual property claims would not make that compelling of a legal thriller but it was pretty interesting listening. The ending, though, was a bit of a let down but I would probably try another by this author. The narration was done by Paul Michael.
December 15, 2014
First in the Michael Seeley attorney series. As an intellectual property attorney he gets involved in the case of who really owns the rights to a movie franchise ala James Bond. The case goes back to the Nazi era and the Hollywood blacklist days.
September 11, 2008
for some reason this book didn't engage me. its an interesting storyline (the hollywood blacklist) but I couldn't get into it. back to the library it went.
September 13, 2011
A good airplane or beach book if you like legal thrillers.
April 24, 2009
this book is full of nonsense.
August 31, 2011
Interesting legal thriller.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews