Trial by Ordeal - Softcover

Parshall, Craig

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0736915133 ISBN 13: 9780736915137

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, 2006

Synopsis

Sweating in a hot cauldron of lawsuits, red tape, and Mafia threats is history professor Kevin Hastings.

The young, modestly successful professor stumbled across just the right investment property in downtown Chicago. And met just the right buyer for it, he thought.

But when you’re a little guy running with the big guys, you gotta be careful you don’t end up squished. Kevin’s real–estate lawyer gave him bum advice. His buyer turned out to be a mob boss. And his new attorney is a legal torture expert, putting everybody—including Kevin—through an all–but–medieval ordeal–at–law.

Booted out of his apartment and on the run, Kevin ends up at a rescue mission—another torment. There’s no way things could get worse...right?

About this title

About the Author

Craig Parshall is a highly successful lawyer from the Washington, DC, area and the author of the popular Chambers of Justice series of legal thrillers. With his wife, Janet, he has also authored the historical novel Crown of Fire, which takes place in the 1500s against the turbulent backdrop of the Scottish Reformation.

From the Back Cover

Kevin Hastings is ready to stake out his piece of the good life. The last thing he has in mind is a spot under the Chicago River courtesy of the local Mafia.

Pursuing a good real-estate investment, the young professor stumbles onto a prime chunk of property in downtown Chicago. It just has an old church building to be cleared away. But the dream deal turns into an ordeal when Kevin discovers he s signed a contract with the Mob one he can t deliver on.

With death threats coming from the Mob boss and lawsuits piling up, the one bright spot is his new love interest, Tess...until he finds out she s a rabid architectural preservationist.

What else can go wrong? Don t ask. Kevin hires an attorney to untangle the mess, and the guy turns out to be a master of legal intimidation and dirty tricks. When he starts dispensing pain and chaos, Kevin has to run for his life. He ends up finding sanctuary at a local rescue mission.

The lawyers keep ringing the cash register while the bell tolls for Kevin and he begins to wonder if there s Somebody who can bring justice into all the torment

Reviews

In this enjoyable legal thriller, rife with crime, academic politics, courtroom drama and dashes of romance and Christian faith, Parshall, a D.C.-area lawyer, unfolds a tale of what happens to those who mess with the mob. After history professor Kevin Hastings is refused tenure and dumped by his girlfriend, he decides to get rich quick by pouring his savings into Chicago commercial real estate. It's a reasonable plan until the first property he buys turns out to house a historic church that can't be torn down. Unfortunately, Hastings has already contracted to resell the property, and his buyers turn out to be gangsters who want to build a parking garage as a venue for money laundering. They turn up the heat on Hastings, as do protestors who want to save the church (including an attractive potential love interest). After Hastings's life unravels, he ends up at a local mission, where an expected conversion scene ensues. Parshall knows how to have fun with his story, and there's humor and poignancy in watching one well-intentioned man's life go down the tubes. The title comes from an ancient custom of using torture to determine innocence or guilt, and Parshall weaves these references throughout the pages. Despite the predictable conversion scene, this is an enjoyable romp for legal thriller aficionados.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0736915133
• ISBN 13: 9780736915137
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336