I have been practicing law in Sacramento for 40+ years and have always wanted to write fiction. This is my first attempt and I have very much enjoyed the experience, a mix of hard work and of learning new skills.
This is the story of Mike Zorich, a Sacramento trial lawyer, who is still coming to grips with the death of his wife five years go to ovarian cancer. His law practice is doing well and his son Peter is getting started in the business world. He has a new case involving the Darnoff wine family, who are squabbling over the dissolution of the business and distribution of the assets. Mike suddenly becomes the object of some unwanted and anonymous personal attacks. He is mugged on the bike trail, his home is ransacked and his office is burglarized. To top it off, he is held in contempt of court by a judge in the Darnoff case for no good reason. Then things get worse. Mike and his law partner have to figure it all out before someone gets killed.
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Reviews for "Contempt of Court"
Reviewed by Michael Hartnett
9/12/2018
A Thrilling Novel that Goes Beyond the Courtroom
About two-thirds through Ken Molovos’s fascinating legal novel, Contempt of Court, Peter (the son of our protagonist Mike Zorich) points out to his father: “It’s beginning to sound like a reality show. Your life is becoming way too scary.” Scary indeed. Malavos tells the tale of a seasoned and well-respected Sacramento lawyer who encounters subtle forms of terror and abuse, whether they be physical, professional, or emotional. Mike Zorich must delve into his cases of the past and sort through the actions of the present to slowly unravel the nefarious plottings designed to make him suffer for perceived mistakes and miscalculations.
An experienced lawyer himself, Malovos deftly takes the reader inside the mindset and situations of courtroom intrigue. The trial scenes are quite memorable. Mike’s cross-examination of the witness Montoya at an earlier trial is a wonder to behold, and the courtroom presence of Mike’s own lawyer, Jim Haggerty, is one of the novel’s great pleasures. Plus, the extraordinary behaviors of opposing attorney Robert Cannes and Judge Karen Thoreson give the novel layers of intrigue that keep the reader off balance.
The attacks on Mike won’t be revealed here, since one of the aspects that really grips the reader is in what ways his life will be upended next. Those actions tie into the novel’s central theme – how much responsibility and impact a trial lawyer has on others in his long career. For practical purposes, Mike’s ruminations must ultimately boil down to one pressing matter: “The question today was whether one of his old clients was out to get him.”
What makes this novel so appealing is how well Malavos fleshes out Mike. While likeable and highly skilled, Mike is very human. With a few drinks in him, he can be a critical blowhard and, under great stress, he makes his share of mistakes. But in his relationships with his girlfriend Nancy, his son Peter, and his partner Denny, Mike reveals kindness, charisma, and affection. The reader cares deeply about Mike and the close circle around him right up the novel’s surprising and satisfying ending. I highly recommend Contempt of Court.
