Most of us think of civil law as a tedious, sometimes arcane world of legal technicalities that we'd just as soon not know about. Laurance Priddy, a Fort Worth attorney who has practiced personal-injury law for years, takes us inside that world in Critical Evidence, but the book proves that the wheels of justice don't always grind slowly forward. This is a fast-paced story, centered on a traffic accident during a rainstorm. A plaintiff's attorney, down on his luck, accepts a long-shot attempt to find justice for a victim's wife, and the resulting journey takes the reader through not only the world of civil law, but inside the personal world of its practitioners, and finally through a suspense-filled adventure in industrial espionage. The book is a real page-turner, and the reader will be rewarded at the outcome. The downsides include some editing flaws and strained credibility in the romantic encounters. But it will keep readers awake watching for the next turn of events.

The book opens with a horrifying accident on the interstate - a multi-vehicle pileup is then the target of a tractor-trailer with a load of fuel. The plot turns to the resultant search for justice for the injured parties, and the tortuous path of the legal system. The situation rapidly becomes quite complex, and Mr. Priddy does a great job of detailing the unexpected turns the case takes as evidence is accumulated.

Mr. Priddy uses his knowledge and experience with personal injury suits to great effect - the story has the ring of credibility as written by someone who has actually been there.

I found the book to be a fast read. As the plot develops, there are foreshadowings of things to come which lead the reader on and on. I hated to put it down, and kept reading "just one more chapter". I was almost sorry to finish it.

Great book. I recommend it without reservation.

I enjoy reading the good ones . . . Rainmaker, White Oleander, All The Pretty Horses, Snow Falling On Cedars, Bridges of Madison County. I like John Grisham, Robin Cook, Stephen King, Jack Bickham, Danielle Steel. The thing I like about CRITICAL EVIDENCE is the choice of words Priddy uses. He not only paints a living picture for the reader, there is sound with it. You can hear their voices, feel their emotions, their excitement, their fear. You want the little guy, Jim McSpadden, to figure out the problem and win over the bigger, more powerful and influential attorneys. His client will either win a little or lose a lot. You share his pain, his hopes, his anticipation. You get to know each character as they are introduced and immediately like or dislike them. The thing that separates CRITICAL EVIDENCE from the others is, I read it in three sittings. I've never done that before. I missed supper and four hours sleep because I couldn't put it down. Saying I can't wait until his next book comes out is an understatement.