Book Review: Order In Court

*I was provided with this book, Order In Court, for free so I could read it and create this review.  All opinions are my own.*

Order In Court is a courtroom story.  But it’s different – it happens in many courtrooms. 

This book follows Toby Potts, a fresh, young lawyer, who is just getting his feet wet.  Fresh from the bar, Toby is an up and coming criminal advocate.  But being fresh and new means he often gets passed the less exciting cases.  Many of those cases still allow Toby to impress judge and jury alike with his wit and legal knowledge.

I found the book a bit of a struggle to get into.  I’m not entirely sure why – the content is good and the writing flows very well.  I think perhaps the initial introduction of plot and characters didn’t immediately reveal to me where the story was going to go.  And frankly it didn’t go much of anywhere.

Order In Court is a collection of (fictional) cases all defended by the same lawyer, with a bit of his life and musings thrown it.  At the risk of ruining the ending, nothing really happens in a conflict and then resolution pattern.  I mean each case is interesting and has a flow, but the overall book reads a bit like case studies bound together.

Once I got a few cases in, and Toby’s character and his connections to a few other recurring characters was evident, I did enjoy the book more.  In fact I read the second half of the novel in less than half the time it took me to get through the first half.  Whether that was because I stopped expecting a more complex plot, or I just genuinely liked the second half better, I’m not sure.

David Osborne is a lawyer himself, and it’s evident in the writing.  Everything is explained well, and the legalese is very well used.  I was never confused (unless Toby Potts was confused as well) by the terms or language used in the story.  I think that speaks highly of the author’s writing skill!

Overall I enjoyed the story, but it isn’t my favourite style of fiction story.  If you’re looking for a fairly funny collection of courtroom stories, I would recommend reading Order In Court!

~Jess

Read more of my book reviews here.  If you’re interested in having me review your book, visit my Book Review page.  I’m always open to reading something new!