I started this on a Sunday evening figuring I at least could get a taste of what it was about. Wondering if I was going to be mildly interested and have to force myself to read through it. (Yes I know that sounds awful but when it comes reading because you promise to read it almost is like reading for school. I can read The Decameron over and over again when I want to but make me read it in class? I struggle through each of the 100 day tales). But I had promised John so I clicked on the Kindle and settled down with my ice tea and began to read... and read.. and squeel and tell Geoff "OHHH this is awesome", and read and fall asleep reading only to wake up to finish reading! This book was SO much fun!

The review:

Atticus for the Undead is both a parody on the legal eagle hero of old, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird and a statement on how the legal system has treated racism and treats the uprising of new minorities and developing racism. Except for our book the racism is against The Arcane races. The Arcane are straight out of the myths, the movies and the pages of books. Around 15 years ago "The Unveiling" happened and the vampires, witches and zombies came "out" and our protagonist Hunter has set out to defend them. I found the author's comedic take on what happens in today's court systems with some of the over the top and ridiculous accusations made due to hysteria brought about and still holding steady because of 9/11 was refreshing.

Like Atticus Finch, our protagonist Hunter Gamble leads the way in protecting the rights of the newly recognized races, The Arcane. Hunter takes on the legal struggle for the Arcane with that wonderful and passionate "brand new lawyer attitude". Breaking away from his father's old school law firm and striking out for the little man (or zombie in this case). Even with Hunter's self-righteousness a little unnerving at times, made the the tale and character even more believable for me.

Within the world Hunter lives the supernatural the Arcane (it is considered a racial slur to call them supernaturals and Hunter continually reminds of this with inner and outer dialogue throughout the book) are persecuted and the struggle to set precident within the legal system is being fought locally; within the high schools (as one of his clients finds out), in the judicial system (as Sam the undead client finds out with a prejudiced but ethical judge) and all the way to the congressional level. Atticus for the Undead a is a reflection and statement of what many face today and not just a hell of a lot of fun to read.

I fell in love with the characters, they were well developed and rounded out. By the end of it I was frustrated and heartbroken and also left wanting more from Hunter and the world of the Arcanes. It just ENDED with a horrific shock, drizzling out weakly and is the reason behind my 4 out of 5 stars. The book was strong and kept you going from page to turned page RIGHT till it ended with this fizzle. It was sad, which is ok, but disappointingly sad. Though the addition of the brainstormed titles for the book was hilarious. It still left me wanting to read more about Hunter and his trials and tribulations with the Arcane. I will be buying the next one. John is a great new emerging Indie Author. Over all this story is, taking a original strike at a much played at plot.

I think my father is going to get a kick out of it and have made sure that when he turns on his Kindle tomorrow he finds a present from me! (Every lawyer knows how to laugh at themselves). I would reccomend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal crime, humor and parody, to those that like Law and Order marathons and that CSI humor. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror/Legal Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of horror and legal fiction and urban fantasy
Trigger Warnings: violent death

My Thoughts: I've had this book for over a year. Recently I was approached by a friend who runs blog tours to ask if I'd consider reviewing the 2nd book in this series, Identity Theft from an ARC copy. Since I already had this and another book by this author, and they sounded like the sort of thing I'd enjoy, I agreed. So, here we go!

This book's ending is a total kick in the teeth and completely unexpected, but wow, what a great story! Hunter is a very interesting character, full of idealism and anger over what he perceives to be injustice. I saw a lot of parallels with any type of civil-rights action you might consider: racial relations, GLBTQ issues, what have you. The book makes no secret that these issues are being addressed via the idea that people are prejudiced against those they perceive as “abnormal”. It's a very typical human reaction: if someone is different, that makes people afraid, and what humans fear, they seek to destroy. Age-old idea. As such it is often very uncomfortable to read the book, and that is yet another reason I enjoyed it so much; I like a story that will make me question and think and consider. So, a high recommendation from me, whether you enjoy horror, urban fantasy, or legal thrillers, this combines the best of the lot. Check it out, and watch for my review of the upcoming book Identity Theft next.

Disclosure: I picked up this book a bit over a year ago when it was on the Amazon KDP program because it sounded like the kind of thing I'd enjoy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: The next chapter in the struggle for equal rights begins!

Hunter Gamble is an idealistic young attorney in a very special area of the practice: arcane defense. Funded by enigmatic billionaire Charles McClain and aided by shy-but-energetic research attorney Kirsten Harper, he's making the world a better place—one vampire, zombie, or werewolf client at a time. After all, they deserve their day in court too, right?

When a young zombie walks into Hunter's office accused of murder (by brain-eating), Hunter's idealism is tested as never before as he struggles to secure the man's freedom. To do so, he must square off against a savvy and ambitious district attorney, contend with a judge who is deeply biased against arcanes, and stand up to a human-supremacist group which will stop at nothing—not even Hunter's own death—to see his client convicted. ( )

How could I resist with a title that immediately brings me back To Kill a Mockingbird?

It was worth the read... see my amazon review here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1CYLR6VEQVFK2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm ( )

This is one of those books that I get a request to read and review, and then get totally bummed out that I have to wait to read it until it comes up on my list for review. So I have basically been sitting on this book for months, seeing it on my kindle every time I go to read another book, and trying desperately to resist the urge to take a little sneak peak. There are a lot of things I like about this book, I like that it involves all types of paranormals, but at the same time, it focuses on zombies. I haven't read a lot of books having to do with zombies, I think this is my second one in total. But then it brings my favorite element, it's written about a lawyer who defends the "arcanes" (the political correct name in the book). I love the law, in fact I had such a love affair of the law that I starting teaching Supreme Court law to high school students.

Needless to say the book didn't disappoint. I am one of those people who wake up like 8 times a night, so while I started reading this book right before bed, I only got a couple of chapters in, next thing I knew I was waking up at 2am and reading a couple more before going back to sleep. I even got up early to finish reading the book, which if you knew me you would know that is a big accomplishment, I hate getting up early.

The writing is fantastic. It's funny because it doesn't seem like a book that would involve a lot of action like a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal do. There isn't some kind of major life or death battle, the main character Hunter didn't spend his time picking up a battle axe to fight for Arcane rights. But even though Hunters action has a lot to do with his actions as a lawyer it doesn't make the book any less fun to read. In fact the reason I say the writing is so good is because even without the "action" of most of the books in this genre have, this book is still a page turner.

You can't help but like Hunter. He is an everyday normal guy with the skills to help people who are being persecuted. He fights for civil rights, just on a paranormal level. He cares about his job and he cares about his clients. He is genuinely a good guy. Kristen is such a great character too. She is the research assistant for Hunter, and she is every bit the home body who thrives on research. She also harbors the cutest little crush on Hunter as well.

You meet other characters along the way, including Sabrina and Sam, both people who Hunter represented in cases brought against them. Although Sam is the case of the zombie eating the brains that the synopsis teases about. Those characters are equally as enjoyable to read.

Moreover I enjoyed the trial, there were surprises along the way, moments where you thought you knew how the case was going to turn out, and then moments when you had no idea. And then of course that brings me to the ending, which of course I want to talk about but can't because I don't want to give anything away. What I will say is that the ending is anything but what you would expect. And that if this book ends up having a sequel I would be very interested to see where it goes from here.

Overall, I am going to say this is a great book. I loved reading it. I could easily see how not just people who like all things paranormal could enjoy this book, but also how people who like reading book about crime/law would like it too. Or people who have an interest in civil rights, because you have to admit this is a whole new spin on civil rights. At any rate I recommend this book, and I think you should definitely go out and buy it. ( )