The Rainmaker (1995)

Rudy Baylor staat aan de vooravond van een carri als advocaat. Maar helaas, het advocatenkantoor waar hij direct na zijn studie zou gaan werken, wordt overgenomen en alle employees komen op straat te staan. Rudy is zijn baan alweer kwijt.
Hij ziet zich gedwongen tot een vernederende gang langs alle mogelijke advocatenkantoren, als hij maar aan de slag kan. Ten einde raad brengt hij ten slotte zijn dagen door in poliklinieken en op eerstehulpposten in de hoop een zaak voor zijn eigen miezerige kantoortje te pakken te krijgen. En dan blijkt een van die zaakjes een heuse Zaak te zijn. Rudy ziet kans een gigantische levensverzekeringsmaatschappij voor het gerecht te dagen, met een schadeclaim van maar liefst 10 miljoen dollar. Rudy Baylor, het groentje, ziet zich in de rechtszaal geplaatst tegenover een leger geslepen topadvocaten...

Quite a book about law and insurance companies. It takes a while to get going, but once the main trail starts the book becomes very fascinating. Great page turner. ( )

I know it's schlock, but I love it. ( )

Rudy Baylor, just out of law school and having just passed the bar exam takes on the case of the century. He takes on the case of a poor family whose son is dying of leukemia against the huge, greedy insurance company refuses to pay for the expense treatment that will save his life. Eventually the son dies before the trial has a chance to even get started. Its found out during the trial that the insurance company, for a period of a couple years, schemed to deny paying on all claims no matter their validity in order to save money. At the end of the trial, the company had a verdict against it for some $50 million. Shortly afterwards, the company goes belly up and the family and Rudy are left not recovering any money at all.

During the trial Rudy meets Kelly, a battered wife. During the trial they see each other on occasion, the first time was at the hospital after the deadbeat boyfriend knocks her around for the umpteenth time. As the trial nears its ending, Rudy helps Kelly file for divorce, which enrages the husband. The husband gets hit with a baseball bat in the head. Rudy actually does it, but Kelly tries to take the blame. Rudy get Kelly off because of the previous abuse charges and the husband's family threatening both of them. After everything settles down, they decide to drive far off into the sunset to start a new life together. ( )

Readers of this novel will be glad to have a conversation starter in cafes and other public locales, as friendly strangers weigh in on which Grisham novel is their favorite. Otherwise a reader will vacillate between slight interest and minor boredom as they make progress through this narrative. What may help is there is a young Matt Damon movie version; a good carrot dangling at the end of a mundane read. There is also credit for the theme present throughout: being in the minority, but being right about a cause, that can give you the courage to make a difference. ( )