The Legal Writer by Judge Mark Painter—a review

This is a fantastic book. I was an editor for more than 13 years when I decided to go back to school for paralegal. This was one of the textbooks for my Legal Research and Writing 2 class. Judge Painter shows in common-sense ways how to be an effective writer. You would never know this is a legal writing book. It reads like The Elements of Style by Strunk & White. The only part I would take issue with is Rule 39: Use the Possessive Before Gerunds. Frankly, if you have a construction in which you need a possessive before a gerund, I think you need to recast your sentence. "His following the man did not help prove his innocence" sounds affected. Better: "Following the man did not help prove his innocence." Aside from that, I think every lawyer, judge, and paralegal should take Judge Painters 40 rules to heart. It will definitely make you a better writer because you well be understandable. And that is always the goal of writing.

Killing Freedom by Ryan Casey—a review

This is a very sad book. This is a book that has no redemption. Jared is a killer. He enjoys killing. His boss sends him on a mission to kill a family of 3. He has to kill a man but also the man's wife and the man's little boy to clean up the mess. But it's the husband who is the reason killing needs to be done. Jared gets hired by the man to rearrange some files in his office. While he is working there, he becomes attached to this family. But wait—that's not supposed to happen. This is just business, it's not personal. Try as he might, he cannot bring himself to kill this family. And that presents a serious problem. His boss sends out another team to kill them and put fear into Jared. Or do they kill all of them? When the wife appears to still be alive, Jared quickly helps her get medical assistance. She lives. But now what to do? Jared is in hiding, but he's not hidden from his boss's thugs. They kill one of those he is with. Jared thinks the wife had something to do with it. He ends up killing her. So much for helping her survive.

The writing is good, and it is to some extent an enjoyable read. But there is nothing, I repeat, nothing in this book that shows any redemption. Jared never changes. In the end, he is his own worst enemy.