Write to Die

By: Charles Rosenberg

Narrated by: Will Damron

Hollywood's latest blockbuster is all set to premiere - until a faded superstar claims the script was stolen from her. To defend the studio, in steps the Harold Firm, one of Los Angeles's top entertainment litigation firms and as much a part of the glamorous scene as the studios themselves. As a newly minted partner, it's Rory Calburton's case, and his career, to win or lose.

But the seemingly tame civil trial turns lethal when Rory stumbles upon the strangled body of his client's general counsel. And the ties that bind in Hollywood constrict even tighter when the founder of the Harold Firm is implicated in the murder. Rory is certain the plagiarism and murder cases are somehow connected, and with the help of new associate Sarah Gold - who's just finished clerking for the chief justice - he's determined to get answers. Will finding out who really wrote the script lead them to the mastermind of the real-life murder?

©2016 Charles Rosenberg (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Legal thriller heavy on legal details

The murder victim is a lawyer, so that's an immediate plus, right?

Rory Calburton, who has just been made partner in a prestigious LA law firm, is the kind of guy who finds lawyer jokes unhumorous. In fact, he really doesn't have much of a sense of humor. He's about as buttoned-down as a lawyer can be, but as this surprisingly interesting little legal thriller progresses, his character does begin to unfold. He's got some insecurities, for example, over the fact that he got his law degree from an unaccredited school and he had to work his way up the hard way. He's also not averse to shagging an investigative reporter who happens to be reporting on his firm - something that causes him a few problems in the board room.

The really interesting character, however, is Sarah Gold, who comes to the Harold Firm as a fresh young associate with a brilliant pedigree as a former clerk to a Supreme Justice. It turns out that Sarah has something called "Impulse Control Disorder" (which I had to Google to determine that it's a real thing). It's not that she acts without thinking - she thinks about what she's going to do, knows it's a bad idea, and then does it anyway.

This rubs Rory the wrong way, and for half the book he's threatening to fire her. They are also both denying their mutual attraction to one another. And when he investigates a mysterious two-year gap in her resume, she claims that she spent it as a cocktail waitress, but another source tells him he thinks she's a CIA operative.

That last bit was a real "Huh?" in the middle of the book, and since it doesn't go anywhere, I have to think the author plans a sequel.

The two legal cases are a faded Hollywood star claiming that an impending big movie's script was actually written by her, and Rory's own senior partner/boss being accused of murdering another lawyer who was the in-house counsel to the studio their firm is representing. Rory, rather improbably, winds up defending his boss in the murder trial despite not being a criminal defense lawyer, and the two cases intersect in a not-totally-unpredictable ending.

Charles Rosenberg is - surprise! - a big-name entertainment lawyer himself. This author thing may be just a side gig he's doing for fun, but I liked Write to Die enough to look up more of his books. The writing itself is not spectacular - it's plain, almost workmanlike, with characters described, and their dialog written, in a manner that sounds very much like something written by a lawyer. There is a lot of exposition devoted to explaining fine legal details - if you find that sort of technical detail tedious (much like SF fans who don't care to hear about engineering details or weapon calibers) then this book will probably bore you, as the legal details drive much of the drama. But if you like legal thrillers that don't spare you the blood and guts of jurisprudence and courtroom procedures, then this is a book with a pretty good plot that will hold your interest.

Not as good as reviewed

To me this was an okay book but it wasn't great. Maybe my expectations were just too high because of the reviews that I read.

Based on the title, I had low expectations

Was Write to Die worth the listening time?

I got this as a daily deal, and I'm glad I didn't spend a credit on it, but it was still good to occupy my drive to work in the morning,

Any additional comments?

The story had a pretty corny plot line, but if you start listening to the book already knowing that, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that it turns out a bit better than expected.

it's ok

The book and reader are both ok, meaning not bad enough to return, not good enough to look for more by them. The story is better than the reader.

pretty good

I enjoyed this book. I got it on the daily deal. It was crazy Hollywood.

Lawyers, Movies, murder, etc

Easy listening

Nice book little book to kill time with well performed. the plot could be deeper and intrigue could use some sharpening. the twitter seemed to caught up in the legal details and not in the characters.

Very Realistic Courtroom Scenes

Most courtroom activities are inherently boring (I know this from 45 years experience as a trial lawyer, both prosecutor and criminal defense counsel). As a result, very few authors are capable of writing realistic courtroom scenes that are interesting and entertaining. In this book, Charles Rosenberg managed to do both. The story line, mixing both civil and criminal cases, was intriguing ... and the denouement was mildly surprising, but not totally unrealistic as many "twists" are. This was my first read of a Rosenberg book, but I will now try his others.

Very well written

This author is new to me and I intend to buy his 3 on Audible.

Entertaining

I like the characters and the plot, though this a long book I never got bored. I am going to see what else this author has written. Narration was excellent.

Check Your Impulses

What made the experience of listening to Write to Die the most enjoyable?

Both Rory and Sara had lots of hidden talents. Love the basketball scenes. Heaps of fun.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

This was kinda of sweet in the tenor and the tempo the author had so if that was his intention, then it was achieved.

Which character – as performed by Will Damron – was your favorite?

I purchased this book due to Will as the performer. See him in Tiffany Snow Kades Turn, whoa he was great.
He has a good pace and his female voices are great. He can do sexy if the author writes it.
He is on the fave list as I buy by readers not just authors.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes as you wanted to know who was the culprit. This story kept me guessing. I loved that the story had no gore or violence scenes. Nice change of pace.
If author writes more for a series, and Will reads it , then I will give it a try.

Any additional comments?

Note I did use new 1.25x speed to get full impact