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Author: Steve Clark

Publisher: Rorke Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-9903700-2-4

Steve Clark's debut novel, Justice Is for the Lonely: A Kristen Kerry Novel is a legal thriller that skillfully blends dual plots one dealing with a huge malpractice suit and another involving a detestable criminal that ultimately snake their way towards resolution.

A former Dallas Cowboy All Pro football player, Brook Layne mysteriously lapses into a permanent coma after undergoing a successful heart operation. This triggers a huge malpractice suit brought about by Layne's family against the surgeon who performed the operation, Dr. Gary Galway and the hospital where the operation was performed, Adventist Hospital.

Kristen Kerry is a young sexy attorney and is assigned to defending the hospital and its nurses. She is also ordered by her client, Hospital Casualty and her boss, Pete McGee to do everything possible and whatever it takes to find out what Michael Stern, attorney for cardiologist Galway, has up his sleeve, even if it means seducing his associate Tony Caswell. Apparently, Caswell has the “hots” for Kristen and is a known windbag. Kristen is quite disgusted at the thought of sleeping with Caswell and during their first encounter fights off his advances giving him quite a beating which he never forgets and is waiting to avenge his humiliation.

Stern is quite ruthless and will do anything to win his cases even if it means stooping to risky unethical and illegal behavior. He is also a philanderer and is not exactly on friendly terms with his wealthy wife, Diana who has played an important role in his successful career. Eventually, Kristen and Stern decide to present a joint defense, however, behind the scenes, they both are planning to double-cross one another as they want the others respective client to be entirely liable for the unfortunate medical error.

Joe Bragg, attorney for Layne finds out about the joint defense and intends to drive a wedge between the defendants as he is quite sure their unity would not hold. He is also certain that “Kristen's real assignment was to hose Stern.” Stern is smitten with Kristen and would love to get her between the sheets, however, he discovers through some very illegal shenanigans her family secrets that were never to be made public. Readers become acutely aware that Kristen is grappling with disturbing childhood memories and as a result, Stern's feelings towards her change dramatically which will in turn influence how the malpractice suit turns out as well as their relationship.

While all of this is going on, there is a second plot line concerning Stern's wife Diana and Leonard Maars who was convicted for a sexual assault of a young woman and kidnapping. Diana is on the Texas Pardons and Paroles Board when Maars parole comes up for hearing. She decides in favor of his parole which would require close supervision. Consequently, one of the toughest parole officers, Lyndon Zelner is assigned to him. You will have to read the novel to find out why did she rule in favor of parole and its relationship to the malpractice suit.

Thoroughly unsettling, Steve Clark has produced an audacious and intricate chilling story of accountability in a world where sometimes ethics and integrity is thrown out the window as long as you win at any cost. The novel doesn't stop moving with story-telling that gets its hooks into you from the first page, never letting go and with quite a few surprises thrown in along the way involving evil, murder, perjury, romance and courtroom drama. Clark who is a lawyer in Oklahoma City specializing in medical malpractice, has no doubt used his professional experiences in portraying some slippery behind-the-scenes individuals who unfortunately actually form part of our legal system.

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