The President’s Lawyer is an exciting legal thriller in which the President of the U. S. Is accused of murder. His lawyer is a good friend who needs to prove the President’s innocence. This book held my interest and even surprised me with an unexpected twist.

“The President’s Lawyer” was uncomfortable to read during a political season. A creepy ex-president charged with murdering his young lover bullies his childhood best friend into defending him; the defender loved the same woman; and there’s a real mess all around. The big reveal is alarming, but so is the scenario of an ex-ex-president running an ultra right-wing network. This book left me feeling icky.

Lawrence Robbins' smashing debut novel, The President's Lawyer, is a twisty, first-class, stand-out, high-stakes legal thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the jaw-dropping, shocking, and surprising plot twist that will leave you reeling.

With its unique blend of political intrigue, personal drama, and courtroom suspense, this novel is a must-read for fans of the legal genre.

A Washington, DC, litigator defends his best friend, the former President of the United States, against a murder charge. Could his oldest friend be capable of murder, or is something even more sinister at play?

About...

Rob Jacobson, one of DC's most powerful litigators, faces the case of a lifetime. His childhood best friend, Jack Cutler, the former President of the United States, has been accused of murdering his mistress, lawyer Amanda Harper, and dumping her body in Rock Creek Park. The legal intricacies of defending a former President against such a serious charge and the complex moral dilemmas Rob faces add a layer of intrigue and challenge to the case.

Rob and Jack have a shared history, having gone to school together in Brooklyn. However, their connection runs deeper than just friendship. It appears the two men have similar tastes in women, as well. Years ago, Rob dated the woman who would become Jack’s wife and the First Lady. More recently, Rob had a passionate affair with Amanda, an associate at Rob’s law firm, adding a layer of emotional complexity to the narrative.

Cutler is married to Jess Friedland Cutler, has two teenage children, and has a bad reputation for philandering. Jack is imperfect, with many past misdeeds, including infidelity, anger, and unconventional appetites. Plus, Rob has a past with Jack, complicating things and making him more doubtful. Jack had it all when they were growing up. Rob was not so lucky. Both had terrible fathers.

As Rob delves deeper into the case, he is haunted by the possibility that Jack might be guilty. The uncertainty surrounding Jack's innocence or guilt, coupled with his affair with Amanda, further complicates matters. What if the prosecutors discover this? Could it jeopardize the case and Rob's career? This uncertainty keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to uncover the truth.

There is a mountain of evidence, including DNA, against Jack, and there is an ongoing question of WHODUNIT, motive, and proof.

My thoughts...

The author's high-profile trial litigator background shines through in his clever, highly entertaining, stellar legal thriller debut, The President's Lawyer. His expertise, understanding, and knowledge of how a DC courtroom works and how a defense lawyer thinks are on display, making this a must-read for legal thriller fans.

Rob's internal struggle, torn between his loyalty to Jack and his duty as a lawyer, is a poignant exploration of the human condition, adding depth to the narrative.

One major positive highlight is that this is a dazzling, intense legal crime thriller (which I love) that is light on politics. Readers will be captivated by well-drawn characters, fast-paced action, and superb, first-rate courtroom scenes.

Jack's character shares some traits from our past presidents (you may recognize). You may see parallels between the events of the book and our current world today, even though (Robbins wrote before), which makes this gem even more surprising and highly entertaining. Readers may be reminded of the Washington, DC, Chandra Levy 2001 unsolved mystery case, which adds real-life intrigue.

I would love to see the scandalous THE PRESIDENT'S LAWYER played out on the big and small screens. It's an electrifying, twisty legal thriller that is well done, and I eagerly anticipate what comes next from the mega-talented Robbins!

Recs...

The novel is for fans of intelligent, top-notch legal thrillers and readers who enjoy John Grisham, Scott Turow, Robert Dugoni, and David Baldacci.

Thanks...

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for an honest review.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Oct 8, 2024
Oct 2024 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter

When the president is accused of murder, he calls of his friend and former colleague to be his lawyer -- but those relationships are far more complicated than they first seem. This is an engaging legal thriller. What it lacked in likable characters it made up for in propulsive-ness. This is a great one to pick up when you are in the mood to binge a scandalous courtroom drama.

This was just about everything I like in a legal thriller - fast-paced and authentic. You can tell this author is either a lawyer themselves or did an incredible amount of research for this -- it read very accurate to me. I thought I had it figured out, but was pleasantly surprised by the reveal at the end. I will definitely be picking up more from this author!

An entertaining, fast-paced legal thriller. The courtroom scenes are well done and I admit, I didn’t see the twist at the end. Nicely done for a debut.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun "Presumed Innocent" style legal thriller about a lawyer who helps defend his best friend from childhood (also the President) in the murder of the President's mistress.

1. The author clearly has a huge amount of litigation/trial experience and it showed (thus my comparison to Scott Turow, as both went to Harvard Law School).

2. The murder premise reminded me a little of the Chandra Levy case.

3. I enjoyed The President's Lawyer overall.

4. Should point out that it was a very testosterone heavy book with a truly weird ending. <spoiler> Like Turow in Presumed Innocent, I think Robbins was going for the shock ending, and I love that!

This story focuses on the death of a lawyer who did work for the president but now the evidence is pointing towards him.
If you like legal thriller you’ll like this .

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on October 8, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

This was an engrossing legal thriller that I ate right up. You could easily tell that Robbins had done a great amount of research and had written a book that was so well done. Really enjoyed it.

The President's Lawyer is one of the most compelling reads I have encountered. While the book focuses on the death of a lawyer who at one time worked for the President of the United States, it also focuses on the likelihood, given the evidence, that the President committed that crime.
Much of the book focuses on the exciting criminal trial of the President and the interplay of those who knew him, loved him, hated him, represented him and prosecuted him. I confess that the book kept me guessing in its entirety. At times, I felt certain that I knew what the outcome would be and at other times, I recognized how little I knew.
Could not put the book down, enjoyed the characters, the story line and the many twists and turns!

You can 100% tell that the author is not only passionate but extremely knowledgeable about what they are writing - which I absolutely love.

This is my first legal thriller and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves legal thrillers. I fear they are not for me, but now I know. Although I don’t love legal thrillers, that doesn’t take away from how great the book was.

All of that aside, the book is written very well. The scenes were so realistic and the twists and turns kept me engaged. The end was not at all what I expected, and I’m normally pretty good at predicting. All in all, would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a legal thriller or anyone who has yet to experience one!

Atria eARC
I love a good legal thriller, and this one delivered. I was fully into it right in the beginning because I was getting some Scandal vibes. I think the author really shined in multiple places and one was the flashback parts of the book. They were used to develop the story and weren't overdone. I think this balance is hard to get sometimes, and I applaud his work here. I also loved the courtroom scenes. They were can't look away from moments, and he just knew how to leave the perfect amount of breadcrumbs to leave me wondering what exactly was going on here. I enjoyed this story a lot and will look forward to more from this author again.

This was a very good book for a debut author, it was intriguing, though I found the setup took a while but it certainly gave a good background on the characters motives. Robbie and Jack are close friends, went to school together, Jack stole Robbie's girlfriends (two at least) and married one, whom he is still married to when he is accused of murdering his mistress, Amanda, who also happened to be pregnant. Jack is the former President of the USA, not long out of office and asks Robbie to defend him against the murder charge, Robbie comes up with several valid reasons why he shouldn't but Jack will hear none of it and with the help of his second Jane, they setout to defend the seemingly undefendable. Jack doesn't want to air his sexual deviances to the public, doesn't want to even discuss them (he likes rough sex, though so did she) but that he has to is unavoidable. Robbie does a commendable job of defusing the Prosecutor's case, putting out details before they can, though the Prosecutor still brings up some zingers that cause angst for the defense. The story is told mostly from Robbie's perspective, interspersed with some dialogue between a psychiatrist and a person, who that person is you don't find out until the ending, I did not guess who the bad guy was. Overall a good book for a debut, I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria Books for the ARC.

The President's Lawyer is a debut by Lawrence Robbins about Rob Jacobson, a lawyer and best friend to the former President, Jack Cutler, only months after his failed bid to win re-relection. The police have charged Cutler with murdering his former White House advisor and BDSM-aficionado mistress, who also happened to be the mistress of Jacobson...until she left him for reasons she wouldn't explain. A bum finds her strangled in a Washington, DC park, and her autopsy reveals clear signs of recent sexual activity...and her body being moved to that location to throw off any investigation.

Cutler is clearly a composite of JFK, Bill Clinton and that 45th Disgrace Who Shall Not Be Named. He's a classic narcissist: self-serving, manipulative, dishonest if it will get him what he wants, and deluded that he's smarter than he actually is. For instance, he's smart enough to call his minion--er, old friend the lawyer when he thinks he may be in trouble about his dead girlfriend, then he promptly ignores explicit legal advice and talks to the police without counsel. Worse, he lies to them about knowing the victim (Barely knew her! Just some flunky hanging around! Sound familiar?). He thinks he's outwitting them, when they know he knows her--and knows her quite well. Intimately, one might say, and thus his classic narcissistic belief that he's the smartest guy in the room and thus can talk his way out of anything makes him the #1 target of the investigation.

Rounding out the cast of characters is Cutler's wife, eerily similar to him in her capacity for manipulation and self-serving deceit (note: she was Roberson's girlfriend before she left him for Cutler); Jane Cashman, a brilliant former litigator and black conservative who comes out of retirement to assist in defending liberal Cutler; Nan, Roberson's bitter and cold ex-wife; the Robersons' schizophrenic son, Jonathan, and Rob's brutish elder brother, Nathan, seen mostly in flashback.

From there, we get pretty much boilerplate legal thriller elements of secrets revealed about victim and her murderer, the requisite red herrings pointing at other potential suspects, exposed lies and betrayals, and, of course, putting together the legal defense, then the courtroom antics. Robbins is a former attorney, so he doesn't play too fast and loose with the legal complexities and subtleties. He sticks to realistic depictions of the legal process, especially some of the grayer parts of it, like spousal testimony during a trial--not required, unless the spouse wants to give it about things not said in confidence.

As with all mystery/thrillers, pay attention to the small details in this book, because a few of them are the kind that niggle but might get forgotten until the end. And :::SPOILER ALERT::: the book does have a twist ending, so it's important to follow the bread crumbs that seem like throwaway info at the time.

This isn't a great book, the serviceable writing won't ever win any literary awards, but the book isn't mediocre, either. Reading it was a pleasant way to pass a few hours, but it won't change the world any....or stick in the memory for long. I read it only a few days ago, but I needed the notes I took about various impressions to remember what stood out for me during the reading.

This one-person jury was underwhelmed by this legal thriller:

What I Liked:
-author knows the law well
-great dialogue during cross examination and questioning in court

What I Didn’t Like:
-the main character (not evil enough or good enough to really be intrigued by)
-guessed the plot twist halfway through
-writing style felt choppy for me
-implausible turns through different rabbit holes

Lots of others have liked this one - it just was not for me, even as a huge fan of legal thrillers.

For fans of John Grisham and Scott Turow, this legal thriller will hold you spellbound to the end. A one term president with a string of infidelities is accused of murdering his latest girlfriend. To defend him, he turns to his oldest friend who narrates the story and takes us through the court case. The story is fast-paced, and the legal strategies are explained without slowing down the action.
This review is short because I don’t want to give away a single clue and spoil the pleasure of this book. This is definitely a 5 star book.

Huge thank you to Atria for the ARC!

Title: The President's Lawyer
Author: Lawrence Robbins
Pub date: October 8, 2024

This one was overall so fun and easy to read! I flew through it in a day!

I loved the timing of this release being right around election season and felt like it was the perfect escape from real life presidential drama to pretend presidential drama (I much prefer pretend).

This book starts out with a bang! We quickly learn that the former President of the United States has been accused of murder, and he must now rely on his lawyer and childhood best friend to prove his innocence. The whole book is from the perspective of the former president's lawyer, Rob Jacobson, and I really appreciated the singular POV in this case. It was such a unique take and perspective on a crime thriller!

The pacing was great and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time with no idea how things would turn out for the president or his lawyer! I can't say much more without giving anything away, but I will say that the ending was VERY well done!

I think this one will be a hit, especially with crime thrillers fans!

Pretty interesting read but a bit formulaic, I felt. Could have been better. But loved the political and legal aspects and the author certainly knew what he was writing about
4 stars

Do you love a thriller with all things legal and a little kink and a gasping ending? Then this one’s for you! I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one as im done with politics in general but I was shocked and surprised at how fast I became invested in this book. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages as fast as your fingers will allow. Loved it!