Grif Stockley
Probable Cause
In Stockley's lucid and moving sequel to Expert Testimony , unpretentious Arkansas lawyer Gideon Page, recently laid off from his law firm, sets up a bare-bones solo practice. His first client is Dr. Andrew Chapman, a black psychologist charged with murder: the mentally disabled daughter of local realtor Olivia Le Master died during a risky, last-resort shock treatment Chapman administered. Chapman's affair with the white realtor and Page's ruminations about the loss of his own racially-mixed wife to cancer allows Stockley to bare the casual racism of well-meaning whites and blacks while underscoring its effect on courtroom dynamics. The oddball clients whom Page takes on to pay the bills brighten the narrative as the conflict between Chapman's and Page's ideals and their desire to win the case is observed through the eyes of his teenaged daughter Sarah. (Simon and Schuster, 1992)
Excerpt from Probable CauseI nearly swallow my tongue to keep from telling him that I was married to a woman more nearly his color than mine, but after so many years, I would sound like those racists who assure everyone that some of their best friends are black. I'm not the man I was when Rosa was alive, and for some reason I can't pinpoint, I'd rather choke on my own spit than try to reassure him how wonderful I am.
Praise for Probable CauseMr. Stockley is a talented writer. The frustrations of a desperate solo practice are delightfully portrayed - the wacky clients, the airhead secretary, the unpaid bills, the hatred for big law firms. -- John Grisham, in The New York Times Book Review Gideon's homespun warmth and wry charm are the real stars of this understated courtroom drama. -- Kirkus Reviews Grif Stockley's Arkansas attorney - a bit unscrupulous, a trifle unethical, wholly cynical l- is no paragon of virtue, but is he ever entertaining! The ride is fast, fascinating and fun-filled. -- The San Diego Union-Tribune Stockley provides sheer reading pleasure in this admirably resolved, insightful and dramatic story. -- Publishers Weekly |
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