7. Questions for Discussion

Chapter 11

1. Mitch learns about the score at the bar exam. Why did the partners choose that particular way of breaking the good news? Did it heighten the joy?

2. Tarrance claimed he had come to meet Mitch to warn him about the firm. Do you think it was the only goal he pursued?

3. Tarrance spoke about such trivial things as money not growing on trees. Could Mitch have cared about if before signing on? Why didn’t it arouse his suspicion in due time?

4. Mitch’s condition after meeting Tarrance. (“He didn’t know whom to believe.”) Did the partners manage to reassure him and shift the guilt to their clients? Do their arguments sound convincing to you?

5. Comment on Lambert’s statement: “…no lawyer can dictate morals to his client.”

6. What did Mitch keep back from his senior colleagues? Guess what his motives might have been.

7. Were the partners worried about what had happened? DeVasher’s vision of the situation. Who, do you think, Lazarov was?

Chapter 12

1. Ray’s character sketch as seen by Mitch.

2. Sum up what you have learnt about the brothers’ past. Mitch thought that “they had nothing in common, but the past”. Can common past unite people forever? Speak about Ray’s attitude to Mitch.

3. Mitch comes to see Eddie Lomax. Describe his office: its interior and atmosphere.

4. Tammy’s husband is a clown pretending he is Elvis Presley. The phenomenon of idolizing a celebrity and impersonation. Why are some people obsessed with it?

5. Eddie Lomax who used to be in a legal profession had never heard of the Bendini firm. Does it seem surprising to you or not?

6. Why did Mitch need Eddie’s assistance? He admitted he needed information not out of curiosity alone. What did he imply? Was he about to start his own investigation?

Chapter 13

1. The effect of Mitch’s workaholic routines on his marriage. How did Avery explain the partners’ concern about what had happened at Mitch’s house?

2. Mitch’s first trip abroad. The basic data on the Caymans: geographical location, political status, population, economy.

3. Mitch meets the girl and can’t resist her charms despite some misgivings.

He consoled himself reiterating that nobody would ever know. Do you think he was to turn out right or wrong?

4. The issue of the “unwritten rules” is raised again. Why did Mitch bring it up? Which of the two is more of a lawyer: Mitch who feels misled if the rules, even if unwritten, are violated, or Avery who admits that one can violate “as many of them as you want, but just don’t get caught”?

5. How did Mitch manage to escape from his pursuers? Would he have been on the alert if it hadn’t been for Tarrance’s warnings? Describe his disguise outfit.

6. Mitch continues his own investigation and visits Abanks. What was Abanks’ interpretation of the accident? Did he accept the drug version?

Chapter 14

1. Why did Mitch need to see Abby immediately on arriving in Memphis? He considered a few scenarios of meeting Abby. Why did he finally decide on “a surprise attack”?

2. DeVasher about Mitch while showing Lambert the beach photographs: “We own him now. He would kill us if he knew about it.” What did he imply? Why did the partners need the compromising photos?

3. Does DeVasher run the surveillance effectively?

Chapter 15

1. Abby’s ways of establishing relationships with other people.

2. Abby’s complaints: “I’m starved for adult conversation…I’m beginning to feel like a widow… There is a hell of a lot more to life than a big yard and a Peugeot.” What did Abby imply? Do you agree with Abby that “a cottage is a castle for those in love”? Did Mitch fail to understand that spiritually he was getting estranged from his wife? Why?

3. Abby’s misgivings about the firm: “I’m competing with the firm and I’m losing badly…That place is eerie…those people make my skin crawl.” Why does she have bad vibes about the firm?

4. What information did Lomax manage to find on the three dead lawyers? What questions remained unanswered? Lomax’s reasons for considering the firm a dangerous place to work.