Summary
Comparing the 1849 gold rush in California with the 1851 gold rush in Victoria, Australia, this book shows how cultural factors gave each gold rush a distinctive shape and character, and a distinctive set of social, cultural, and ethical meanings. But it also reveals that underneath these differences lay certain historical and social commonalities.
Published Reviews
Publisher's Weekly Review:
"Brown ( Presumption of Guilt ) pushes several topical hot buttons in this intricate courtroom thriller about an adopted lawyer who must defend her half-sister against the charge of murdering her callous, abusive husband. Kathleen Sullivan is the single, 37-year-old legal eagle who's caught in a tangled family web when her hitherto anonymous birth mother sends word that Kathleen may be carrying the gene for Huntington's disease, a degenerative nervous system disorder. Pursuing this information, Kathleen meets her half-sister, Deb, whose marriage to a hard-driving, ambitious state legislator is on the rocks. When Deb, who's newly pregnant, miscarries, her husband accuses her of having an ``induced abortion,'' leading to a fight in which Deb kills him. Kathleen is asked by Deb to handle her defense, but since she'll appear as a defense witness, she turns the case over to Tony Biviano, a slick but underqualified colleague with whom she's having an affair. The author, a retired Ohio Supreme Court justice, struggles with the family machinations while setting up his story, but once he gets the appropriate parties in front of a judge, the narrative takes off like a rocket, with the suspense approaching that of Turow and Grisham. Legal-thriller fans willing to wade through the thorny family ties will be amply rewarded for their patience. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
| Publisher |
New York :Donald I. Fine, Inc.,1994
|
| Language |
English
|
| Description |
278 pages ; 24 cm
|
| ISBN |
1556113943
|
| Other |
Classic View |