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Worthy Brown's Daughter CD (2014)

by Phillip Margolin(Favorite Author)

3.57 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0062310992 (ISBN13: 9780062310996)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

HarperAudio

review 1: Margolin takes the reader back into the newly created State of Oregon in 1860, where slavery has been abolished, but the sentiments are still high among Americans. Matthew Penny, a young lawyer, is commissioned to assist in the meagre defence of a man accused of stealing money from a young woman. What transpires is a kangaroo court like no other and Penny is forced to see that justice is blind (to equality) as well as deaf (to reason). When Penny is approached by Worthy Brown, a negro who has negotiated his freedom, he is highly intrigued about the case put before him. Brown's daughter, Roxanne, remains in the custody of Caleb Barbour, the owner of the Brown family who brought them to Oregon. While he has permitted Worthy to live free, he holds onto Roxanne and has her liv... moreing as a servant, without pay, to earn her freedom after spending much time under Barbour's care but unable to work as a younger child. Worthy seeks to free Roxanne and have Penny enact the legal proceedings to bring this about. However, after a lustful attack on Roxanne, Barbour lays dead on his porch steps and all eyes turn to Brown. Penny must fight with his conscience and do the right thing, defending a negro for a murder there is no way he could have committed. If that were not enough, a Jezabel-like woman has her claws into all the wealthy men of the community, sucking them dry and taking their riches. Will her wiles finally catch-up to her and how will this prowess taint Penny and his attempts to get Brown of the hook? Margolin has done it again, with a riveting story sure to keep the reader hooked, back in a time when justice saw colour before constitutional rights.I was highly impressed with the story, even more so when I learned that Margolin wove it together from a number of cases in the 1860s. He portrays the characters, the general sentiment, and the setting in such a way to make it realistic and effective. While I was certain the story, and its judicial angle, were headed in a specific direction, Margolin turns the tables numerous times and gave a secondary or tertiary case the limelight for much of the book. The writing is sound and the plot is highly manageable, as well as the judicial arguments. That said, the book lacks the impetus of a real, centralised legal battle to hold the entire novel together. When I met Matthew Penny, I suspected that he would be a throwback form of Jake Brigance (of Grisham's A TIME TO KILL fame), defending an African American in front of a white jury. Instead, the cases were short and usually completed in a single chapter (which are quick and very fast paced). The novel is almost three stories collected into one, with a thread pulling them all together, but none receive the adequate attention that they deserve. That said, it was a swift read and highly entertaining.Kudos, Mr. Margolin for your hard work and wonderful presentation.
review 2: Margolin usually writes legal thrillers, but this one was historical fiction, based on a true story. A man takes his slaves (Worthy Brown and his daughter) to Oregon with the agreement that he will free them after he is settled. The owner goes back on the deal and will not release the daughter. Her father takes him to court. There were a couple of subplots also going on. Margolin wrote this many years ago and only recently rewrote and published it - I think it showed. Although the book was interesting, the writing seemed a little amateurish. 4/5 less

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