Synopses & Reviews
QUINTER: An Adventure Story with a Heart.
Thomas March Quinter, 44, is a Cleveland trial lawyer with a love for the law and a thirst for justice. Not long after leaving the safety of one of Cleveland’s white shoe law firms to set up his own shop, he’s approached by a former college classmate, David Bordman, an increasingly mysterious figure whose background since their days at Princeton includes the Navy, the CIA, and the U.S. State Department.
Now Bordman offers Quinter a job complete with international travel, adventure and generous pay. The offer extends to Jennifer Milleux, Quinter’s secretary, as well. Soon the pair embark on a journey that will change their lives forever.
The picture darkens quickly as events spin out of control. In the United Sates, offices are ransacked, murder strikes, and clear Middle-Eastern connections are made apparent. Internationally, attacks and abductions are standard fare as Quinter and Jennifer pool their efforts to resolve increasingly complicated and threatening questions.
Their quest becomes even more difficult as Quinter and Jennifer find themselves labeled suspected killers, and become the objects of a nationwide manhunt.
Will they be able to clear their names while simultaneously discovering the reasons for the violence surrounding them? Quinter is determined to do so. His first task, however, will be to keep Jennifer and himself alive.
Review
First-time novelist Keller weaves the tale of a lawyer working for a company that may have shady Middle Eastern contacts and a willingness to resort to murder.
Thomas Quinter, a lawyer with a small firm in 1987 Cleveland, is offered a job by David Bordman, an old friend who was his commanding officer in the Navy. Bordman, VP for arms manufacturer Nortex, enlists Quinter to scout real estate in Spain while the company moves some of its business there. But a ransacking of his office and attack on Jennifer, his secretary and former lover, is only the start of his troubles. Soon, he’s noticing people watching and following him, and Quinter suspects an Iraqi connection to Nortex. The novel begins as noir, but ultimately, it’s a story of espionage and romance that gives equal air time to exposing Nortex’s deadly secrets and Quinter and Jennifer’s romance. The protagonist is shrouded in mystery, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Quinter’s time in Naval Intelligence may explain owning a gun but not why he has a silencer or an ability to pick locks. But enigma surrounding his background makes him a more curious character, particularly when he employs his skills as Jennifer and he evade scimitar-armed men. But not clarifying the “petty meanness” of Quinter’s divorce backfires when a flashback generates more sympathy for his ex-wife, who spies the lawyer getting cozy with his secretary. On occasion, descriptions of the scenery and sumptuous meals in Spain overtake progression of the plot—Quinter and Jennifer, knowing that the bad guys are in pursuit, stop at a cafe for a bite to eat. But overall, there’s a commendable fusion of a contemporary Middle Eastern conflict with old-school storytelling: Quinter twice uses the classic distraction of “Do you have a match?” and a kidnapped Jennifer seduces one of her captors. Not everything is explained, but the ending leaves just enough open to pave the way for a potential follow-up.
Readers should welcome this spy novel about a lawyer who prefers action over words, in both love and war.
--Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Thomas March Quinter, forty-four, is a Cleveland trial lawyer with a love for the law and a thirst for justice. Not long after setting up his own shop, he’s approached by a former college classmate, David Bordman, whose background since their days at Princeton includes the Navy, the CIA, and the US State Department. Bordman has a big job with a big arms manufacturer that includes a big promise: pull off a delicate business deal with Spain and jump the line to become the CEO of Nortex. Bordman hires Quinter, who is well-acquainted with Spain, to go to Costa del Sol and set up several sites for Nortex, but under Quinter’s own name, not the company’s. The fee offered is more than generous, but Quinter has a nagging suspicion that all is not what it seems to be. Eventually Quinter must prevent the deal from taking place—without getting himself killed in the process. And Quinter has one other important task—bringing David Bordman to justice.
About the Author
Ren Keller attended Princeton University and obtained his JD from the University of Michigan. A practicing trial lawyer in Cleveland for over 40 years, he continues to live in Chagrin Falls, Ohio with his wife, Alice. This is his first novel.