Just out of college, a young "cowboy" attorney unravels a murder-for-hire scheme launched by his own law firm in Colorado.

SYNOPSIS:

A brilliant young attorney struggling with his Native American roots unravels a murder-for-hire scheme at his prestigious Denver law firm. Aided by his ranching girlfriend, a retired senator, an ex-con and a retired Alaskan FBI agent, he must outmaneuver hired killers, corrupt lawyers and powerful politicians. Is water worth killing for? It is in the modern day Wild, Wild West.

The Water Lawyer is for fans of John Grisham, Steve Martini. Michael Connelly, Harper Lee, and Scott Pratt.

Review: An intriguing and informative tale of murder, corporate greed, and "the last of the honest men". It all boils down to the importance of water rights. A colorful cast of characters which literally include cowboys and Indians. Add to this mix an ex-CIA hit man, a crocked lawyer, several judges on the take, a female barrel rider (and love interest), a shaman, and many more and you have the makings for a wonderful story.

Review: The Water Lawyer is a scary book, not in the Halloween sense of imagined demons, but in the historical sense of all too recognizable human devils emerging out of court records. This is a well-researched and artfully crafted novel, rich in character and place. Some of the book’s characters are familiar icons from Colorado’s recent history. Others, one can only hope, are fictional. The villain of the piece, Big Ben Wallace, whose brother, Jerry, is capo de tutti capi of a Denver law firm of soulless predators specializing in water rights, is an especially memorable character. His counterpoint is Matt Wolfe, recent law school graduate and hybrid cowboy/Indian bull rider, destined to ride the most dangerous bull of all.

This is a yarn that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with a rhythm of ever-increasing tempo leading to a final, wonderfully appropriate resolution. The novel, set in Colorado, has a unique sense of place and local lore. The book could easily be required reading for anyone interested in water law, or obliged to practice it.

Dialogue, which constitutes the majority of the novel’s text flows as easily as the water that is the book’s focus. All in all it is a very good read, well suited for a larger screen. Six months ago I had never heard of The Water Lawyer. Now I would rate it as one of the best short novels I have read in a long time. Hats off to Barry Hickey and Kevin Donovan for this fascinating, richly detailed story about this most important of resources, and what is required of those who would protect it.