Book Review - Death On A High Floor

Death On a High Floor by Charles Rosenberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Legal thrillers are my most cherished literary genre. You could blame John Grisham for that since my first real tryst with reading novels (yes I started quite late!) was with his brilliantly awesome books, the earlier, better ones. Not only did his stories whet my appetite for reading more books but also help define the legal thriller genre for me.

When I read the reviews for this particular title, the fact that it was penned by a former attorney and legal consultant to many legal TV dramas instantaneously sealed the deal for me!

The basic plot centers around, well, a death that takes place on the high floors of a reputable Los Angeles based law firm. The death is soon categorized as a murder and the story follows (or rather is narrated by) the senior partner at the law firm who becomes the prime suspect for the said murder.

Although our senior protagonist is a person of interest, there are numerous possible suspects and the narrator's personal investigations and thoughts tend to point the needle on the guilty compass, rather convincingly, to a few of them. Among them are other senior members of the law firm, present and retired as well as the victim's former lover! Throw in a counterfeit (potentially) ancient coin in the middle and the story also has something for fellow Numismatics


The first person narrative was quite refreshing and felt very comfortable (since I've kinda gotten used to that format reading GRRM's A Song Of Ice And Fire Series). That, the author has been a consultant to prime time legal TV dramas is quite evident in the dialogues between the characters in the story. And this is a good thing since it keeps the story quite engaging even when legal jargon is being jutted out in huge blocks.

The plot, environment and characters are, or at least have been penned, in a way that makes them very lucid and realistic further enabling you to truly get absorbed into the story. The author cleverly peppers subtle breadcrumbs for a sleuth-in-training to begin piecing the puzzle together and derive at a conclusion on his own. Fret not, for if you're without a background in investigatory studies because the plot is demystified and you do learn who is the true culprit.

The one tiny complaint that I would have the story would be the slightly late disclosure of the true murderer and the fashion in which the revelation is done. Apart from being slightly improbable it also forces the motive and opportunity of the said murder to be disclosed as an epilogue rather than as part of the actual story. Like I said it's a very tiny complaint because it doesn't really rob you of the satisfaction of the getting closure on the mystery.

I'd recommend this title to folks, who like me, enjoy devouring entertaining albeit slightly movie-style legal dramas. Give it a read!




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