Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Spoilers welcome, Chapters 1-15 - the first to post please post a brief summary to guide the discussion.

Contempt

1
Sebastian Rudd-the lawyer.
There are people that want him dead. Partner is his bodyguard.

2
Sebastian drives around in a cargo van converted to an office. He is defending Gardy, since no other lawyer would. The townsfolk protest his arrival at trail every day. The state did not really have a case, but was managing to manufacture one.

3
Trotts, the dim witted co-council.
Huver, the prosecutor
Kaufman, the judge.
Next witness up is a tent preacher who claims Gardy brought Satan to his church.

4.
The Bishop- Jimmy Bressup. Rudd’s local lawyer contact. He says the scuttlebutt is that Gardy is not guilty, but everybody has too much invested in the trial.

5
Gardy, he would just as soon kill himslef.

6
Judith Whitley, sort of a date. They meet once a month, having a mutual child and all. (Starcher is the kid’s name)

7
Tadeo- fighter that Rudd owns a piece of. He is involved in Salvadorean drug gangs though. He goes to the fights, bets heavily, and meets the daughter of one of the jurors. The woman says that her mother knows the witnesses are liars, but not much more.

8
Jack Peely- former boyfriend of the mother of the murdered girls. Also a good choice as murderer, but the police do not see it that way. Rudd heads off to a bar he expects to find him at. Tadeo is with him, and 3 quick punches lay Peely out. Rudd takes the blood from Tadeo’s hand. Great stuff for DNA.

9
Rudd has some DNA evidence fromthe crime, now he has something to compare it to. (a bit of a science hit here, hair, which is hwat he has, does not have DNA without the folllicle).

10
Rudd goes back to court where there is an affidavit of jury tampering because he talked to that woman. He demands a hearing, which the judge and prosecutor fear. He scores some point, but in the end is sent to jail in cuffs for contempt.

11
Rudd has his lawyer file in federal court. Thinks it would be funny if the judge winds up on the slammer for the night too.

12
The state rests, it is Rudd’s show now. Rudd has witnesses that were with Gardy at the time of the murders. Unfortunately, the witnesses are druggies and the homeless, so their credibility does not do well.

13
Rudd learns that the DNA match goes to Peely.

14
Rudd makes his argument on Peely, but the court does not want to hear it. He does get the judge to recess while the evidence is examined.

15
The judge sees the evidence. Peely is arrested. Gardy is set free.

I'm not quite sure what to think of Rudd yet. Reminds me of Connelly's Haller. It was frustrating to read this section and the fabrication of the case by the prosecution. This almost felt like a short story within the book. Wondering how the rest of the book develops.

Thanks for the summaries Barry!!
Wow, the travesty of the entire town of Milo attempting to railroad a conviction on such flimsy evidence is frightening. We get a good feel for Sebastian Rudd and how he practices law, he appears to be fairly prosperous (penthouse apartment and the $thousands he drops on the fight and his fighter) and yet by working completely out of his cargo van he differs from the normal for the usual sort of successful law practice. Mickey Haller comparisons are at the back of my mind.

So Barry I get your science fail comment on getting DNA from the hair evidence. I suppose he could have clipped off the follicle end?
Either way the entire handling of the case from faceless crooked cops to a bumbling incompetent second chair lawyer, to criminally negligent court proceedings and poor evidence handling is a chilling indictment of small town justice.
I sort of (barely) "get" the prosecutor, single minded focus on the case, but the judge, "too much $$" to test DNA for a murder case. Yikes.

This part one case does have a short story feel, beginning, middle and apparent end. I'll start part two on the commute home tonight. Good start!!

Ann wrote: "Thanks for the summaries Barry!!
Wow, the travesty of the entire town of Milo attempting to railroad a conviction on such flimsy evidence is frightening. We get a good feel for Sebastian Rudd and ..."

I agree Ann. This definitely feels like a short story. Nothing wrong with that but would have hoped it would be the start of something bigger. Perhaps it will i the following 'chapters' but noticed the second section has a new title and a glimpse shows new characters. Interesting to see how this pans out - how all the sections make a comment on society and its systems or if it is more concerned with showing the impact this has on the lawyer's state of mind. Certainly gritty though economical in its descriptions. Perhaps again this shows it's more about making a point than simply telling a story.

Just finishing Part 1, and agree with all the comments above. I am still aggravated at how similar Rudd's circumstances are to Connelly's Haller -- works out of car, a driver/assistant, a contentious ex, a kid by that union, a bunch of low-life clients. This feels like an out-and-out rip-off to me. Maybe someone else sees it differently and can explain it, as it is sort of coloring my enjoyment of the book so far.

Carol: the similarities as you listed were so spot on as if Grisham were copying Mickey Haller on purpose and I felt as you did at first. And then the style of this book veered from a straight fiction narrative like a Connelly book in the next segment and I lost most of my annoyance once I stopped looking for the similarities. Not sure that makes sense.
One theory I had was that he was copying that "type" of lawyer, knew there would be questions or accusations that he was copying the Lincoln Lawyer so did it in a way that no one could think he was sneaking about doing it. And that he did it on purpose.
Surely he and Michael Connelly talked about it and the publishers' lawyers in real life studied it. Curious minds want to know!!