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The name Victor Carl refers to a series of legal novels written by William Lashner. The books follow the exploits of a Philadelphia lawyer with dreams of grandeur.
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Order of Victor Carl Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hostile Witness | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Bitter Truth / Veritas | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Fatal Flaw | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Past Due | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Falls the Shadow | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Marked Man | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | A Killer's Kiss | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | A Bite of Strawberry (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Bagmen | 2014 | Description / Buy |
When he is first introduced in Hostile Witness, the first book in the series, Victor is a little down on his luck. All he wants to do is to stumble upon that one case that will make all his financial dreams come true.
And the answers to Victor’s prayers are seemingly heard when a successful lawyer brings him a case in which all he has to do is show up in court and keep his mouth shut
What starts out as a relatively straightforward opportunity to make a lot of money takes a nasty turn when Victor learns that he is being set up. Rather than laying down and taking the beating, Victor fights back, and it doesn’t take his opponents long to realize that the hard-luck Philadelphia attorney has a much sharper bite than one might assume.
The draw of Hostile Witness isn’t just the legal stakes at play but William Lashner’s approach to writing Victor Carl.
The lawyer isn’t exactly morally upright. Victor wants money. He wants to live a life of excess, but his legal career is anything but successful. The decisions he has made in life have led him down some less than favorable roads.
He seems to know all the wrong people, which is why his connections keep coming back to bite him. And he doesn’t think twice before taking advantage of other people’s misery, especially if it will allow him to climb the financial ladder.
Yet, William Lashner does not write Victor Carl as a villain or even an anti-hero. Victor always starts out with the worst of intentions. He only ever thinks about using his clients to get ahead.
And it is because of that mindset that Victor keeps stumbling into trouble. Because he is always on the prowl for a ticket to quick success, it doesn’t take much to lure him into danger.
But once Victor is at the bottom and once he realizes the danger that he and his client faces, he won’t stop fighting until he gets justice. For all his shady dealings, the people Victor deals with often leave him satisfied with his services.
Victor’s willingness to get down and dirty makes him far too effective a lawyer. As the series progresses, Victor is slowly but surely forced to admit that he might be a far nicer and more caring person than he likes to let on.
Best Victor Carl Books
William Lashner writes such engrossing legal dramas because he started out as a criminal prosecutor working for the Department of Justice (Washington D.C.) and his experience stands out in this series, with the best Victor Carl books including:
Past Due: Victor Carl is a defense attorney who doesn’t always have the best crop of clients. However, when Victor pledges to offer his services, he commits. So when Joey takes a knife to the throat and reveals his terrible secret to his lawyer, Victor has no choice but to investigate.
Victor doesn’t always fight for the right reasons but when he has a good fight on his hands, he never backs down. So he starts his search for his client’s murderer by looking into Joey’s youth.
There he encounters a vengeful enemy that could bring his investigation to a halt before Victor can find the truth.
Falls the Shadow: When a beautiful woman dies, Victor Carl takes up the task of representing the husband, who was convicted of her murder, in a new trial. If taking on a determined prosecutor and a police detective wasn’t enough, Victor must also deal with his new friend.
Bob has a problem. He loves helping people. It is almost a compulsion, and when he comes into Victor’s life, the shady attorney cannot help but appreciate Bob’s work.
Not only has his wardrobe improved but there’s money in his pocket and Victor actually has a beautiful woman on his arm. But Victor begins to question his luck when a connection between Bob and his client’s murdered wife emerges.
Other Book Series You May Like
Another good read is the “Butch Karp” Series by Robert K. Tanenbaum. Roger Karp is a Criminal Courts Bureau Chief. His girlfriend, Marlene Ciampi, is an assistant District attorney. Together, they solve crimes and stop everyone from murderers to terrorists in this humorous legal police procedural.
Many people enjoy the “Joseph Antonelli” Series by D.W. Buffa. Joseph Antonelli is a superstar defense attorney with an impeccable record who struggles to keep the bad guys off the streets without dirtying his hands in an increasingly corrupt system.
What Is The Next Book in The Victor Carl Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Victor Carl Series. The newest book is Bagmen and was released on August, 1st 2014.