Cookie's Case

Cookie's Case
A Tug Wyler Mystery
Mysterious Press
Open Road Integrated Media
New York, New York
ISBN: 978-1-4976-6276-6
February 2015
Paperback
$ 14.99
287 pages


"What I've learned over the years is that every single event is riddled with several versions of truth. It all depends on whom you ask."

Being a personal-injury lawyer in New York City, Tug Wyler daily meets challenges that keep his life fast-paced and anything but dull. Being in the category as an ambulance chaser, he knows that he is better than most lawyers in his business and that frequently he faces ethical challenges not faced by other attorneys. This is what makes him a successful and classy attorney.

There are always at least two challenges in his business. The first is the honesty of the client. Are they believable? Does Tug really have the complete report of the incident causing the injury? What information has the client chosen not to tell him. The second is the underhanded behind-the-scenes competition and cut throat of other personal-injury attorneys in their attempt to make easy money. It is common for lawyers to steal each others' clients in this business.

Tug is fortunate that he usually does not need to search for his clients. He has HICS - Henry's injured criminals. Henry was an extremely successful criminal defense attorney who committed legal malpractice and can no longer acquire professional insurance needed for his business. Henry chose Tug to continue his business. Even though this is a consistent and constant income source for Tug, each case has some element that isn't quite legal and somehow Tug has to discover a way of smoothing over this wrinkle and winning the case for the client. Of course, Henry receives a percentage in payment for his referral. Their relationship is a win-win situation.

The latest case involves Cookie who is a longtime favored exotic pole dancer at Jingles Dance Bonanza. Cookie has a charismatic charm but has had difficulty dancing since her spine surgery three years ago. She always uses some prop during her acts. What caused her initial injury was the banana peel she had used as a prop. Accidentally she slipped on it hurting herself at the conclusion of her dance. Three surgeries and years later, she has horrendous headaches that require a spinal tap to relieve the pressure on her brain. She still wants to continue to dance and does so, even in a neck brace, cartwheeling her way around the stage.

Cookie's Case is a realistic fast-paced novel that is a mystery but the actual crime is not revealed initially. The writing is addictive with pages flying. The pacing is perfect with visual protagonists and antagonists, family life concerns, and the ethical concerns of a personal-injury attorney.

The author, Andy Siegel is actually in the same business as his protagonist, Tug, as a personal-injury and medical-malpractice attorney in New York City.

Cookie's Case is the second in the Tug Wyler following Suzy's Case. The first novel was named People.com's Best Beach Reads in 2013.

This short concise novel is wonderfully written and a great insightful glimpse into the legal community