The Dead Hand
$36.19
- Paperback
240 pages
- Release Date
6 September 2016
Summary
St Louis lawyer Rachel Gold deals with many a family drama, mostly of the dysfunctional variety. Divorce. Paternity. And death. Occasionally, all three combine into a “dead hand” trifecta, where the deceased seeks to control the living-and especially his descendants-from beyond the grave.Rachel calls them “zombies.” The legal term for such inheritance plans is “the dead hand,” the English translation of the Old French term “mortmain.” The term refers to the attempt by wealthy individuals to exert perpetual ownership over property (and future generations) through legal documents prepared before they die. But not even the most obsessed tycoon or his skilled attorneys can foresee every future contingency. To quote the old Yiddish maxim, “Man plans, and God laughs.” And angry descendants sue.It’s so true. Rachel suddenly finds herself representing two women-one a young widow, one an older divorcee-in a pair of nasty zombie cases where the outcome of each hinges upon a clause in a contested estate plan.Client Cyndi Mulligan is the trophy widow of the late Bert Mulligan, a billionaire entrepreneur whose last will and testament left his estate to Cyndi’s unborn daughter. The challenge comes from Bert’s angry first wife and her angrier only son. Their claim: Cyndi’s daughter-born eleven months after Bert’s death-cannot possibly be Bert’s child.In the other case, Rachel represents Marsha Knight, the first wife of the wealthy founder of a women’s lingerie manufacturer. Marsha has been sued by his young widow, who seeks to invalidate Marsha’s divorce settlement and, in the process, impoverish her through invocation of the ancient and nearly inscrutable Rule Against Perpetuities.As the trial date approaches in each lawsuit, the threats to Rachel and her two clients begin to escalate. Zombies, as Rachel discovers, are hard to kill. And even worse, they can still kill-and where least expected.The Dead Hand is written with the verve, humor, and legal smarts that are trademark Michael Kahn.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781464206795 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1464206791 |
| Author: | Michael A. Kahn |
| Publisher: | Sourcebooks, Inc |
| Imprint: | Poisoned Pen Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 240 |
| Release Date: | 6 September 2016 |
| Weight: | 455g |
| Dimensions: | 140mm x 216mm |
| Series: | Attorney Rachel Gold Mysteries |
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Critics Review
“The Dead Hand” is better than most mystery novels, with its engaging characters and a page-turning pacing that holds the reader’s attention from start to finish.
As compelling as it is genuinely funny, a dash of romance may enter the field when Rachels mother delivers the dream of every matchmaking yenta. A practicing trial attorney, Michael A. Kahn is one of the few authors who continues to make courtroom scenes absolutely delightful. – Cynthia Chow * Kings River Lite *
I had not read the other Rachel Gold novels; I’ll certainly look for Kahn again. Try this if you like complex legal thriller/mysteries. – Kathleen Gray * NetGalley *
The Dead Hand is better than most mystery novels, with its engaging characters and a page-turning pacing that holds the readers attention from start to finish. – Robert A Cohn * St Louis Jewish Light *
Readers who enjoy legal procedurals will find the complex reasoning involved in these cases satisfying. Kahn, a lawyer with a good sense of humor, uses a light touch to make complicated points of law accessible and even enjoyable as mystery fare. – Barbara Bibel * Booklist *
A good sense of humor sneaks in there once in a while. This is the tenth in the Rachel Gold series and Kahn is an accomplished writer. – Mary Ann Smyth * Bookloons *
St. Louis attorney Rachel Gold lands not one but two cases that feature trouble arising from beyond the grave. Both cases spring gorgeous plot twists that keep recasting the hapless litigants in new and ever more unflattering roles. Both are ripe with the promise of legal and ethical complications that Kahn seizes with unholy glee. * Kirkus Reviews *
Michael A. Kahn
Michael A. Kahn is the award-winning author of several novels, praised by Publishers Weekly for their “intelligent, breezy dialogue and clever plotting.” A graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, Mr. Kahn began his literary career writing free-lance feature articles for Chicago Magazine while teaching fifth grade in the Chicago public schools. Now a trial attorney in St. Louis, he wrote his first novel on a dare from his wife, who got sick of hearing him announce, each time he finished a paperback thriller that he’d purchased at an airport newsstand, “I could write a better book than this.” “Then write one,” she finally said, “or please shut up.”
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