Pro Bono by Thomas Perry

 

Charlie Warren is an attorney but it wasn't an easy road getting there.  Charlie's father died when he was young and his mother remarried.  Unfortunately, she married a con man and he took all of the family's money before he disappeared.  Charlie had to put himself through college and law school and the experience of his life molded his practice.  He has a civil practice and specializes in helping those who have experienced what his mother did.

His newest client fits the bill.  Vesper Ellis was widowed three years ago.  Her husband left her well off but after his death, she grieved him and then was busy with her own business.  She didn't track her investments but now that she has, she realizes that her accounts are missing money.  She comes to Charlie to see if he can help.  After investigating, he discovers that the malfeasance is concentrated at two different brokerages and that the managers of Vesper's accounts are related.  He notifies the brokerages that he will be filing a civil case on Vesper's account.  But that stirs up trouble.  Soon the two are being followed and there is even personal violence attempted.  

In the meantime, a strange thing occurs.  It turns out that there may be a way after all these years to salvage his mother's money.  Charlie is given evidence that reveals his stepfather's real name and a way to retrieve the money that was hidden in various accounts and taken over by the states he opened accounts in.  Charlie notifies his mother and she returns to Los Angeles to help Charlie.  Can he get justice for his mohter?

Thomas Perry is known for his intricately plotted mystery novels.  He has several successful series; the Jane Whitfield novels where she helps people disappear, the Butcher Boy series about a criminal family and The Old Man which is now a television series.  I've often thought if I needed to disappear and managed to do so successfully, it would be because of what I've learned from Thomas Perry's books.  In this novel, Charlie Warren opens up the world of legal practice, giving readers an inside look at the intricacies of civil cases.  I listened to this novel and the narrator had a clear voice that moved the action along.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.