Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Beach Lawyer
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15939845.Avery_Duff * http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2017/may/07/baylor-alum-avery-duff-releases-first-novel/426682/ * https://therealbookspy.com/2017/05/14/a-book-spy-review-beach-lawyer-by-avery-duff/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2011009527 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2011009527 |
| HEADING: | Duff, Avery |
| 000 | 00317nz a2200121n 450 |
| 001 | 8531257 |
| 005 | 20110120062832.0 |
| 008 | 110119n| acannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2011009527 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca08743482 |
| 040 | __ |a IlMchBWI |b eng |c IlMchBWI |
| 100 | 1_ |a Duff, Avery |
| 670 | __ |a Takers [VR], c2011 |b (Avery Duff; writer) |
PERSONAL
Born in Chattanooga, TN; son of Frank and Elizabeth Avery Duff.
EDUCATION:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A.; Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Screenwriter, “Takers,” 2010. Worked previously as a lawyer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Avery Duff is a novelist and screenwriter. Duff was was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he graduated summa cum laude from Baylor School in 1971. He then went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his bachelor’s degree Phi Beta Kappa. Following college graduation he attended Georgetown University Law Center, from which he received his juris doctor.
After graduating from Georgetown, Duff worked for a Chattanooga law firm for five years. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting. In 2010 his screenplay was turned into the Hollywood heist film, “Takers,” starring Matt Dillon, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, and Hayden Christensen. Duff lives Los Angeles and spends his time writing.
Beach Lawyer tells the story of a young lawyer burned by his employers and out to seek revenge, through legal means. Howard Leighton in Portland Book Review wrote, “this story sends the reader on a fast moving, interesting, exciting ride and draws one into the story trying to resolve the issues the main character faces.”
The book opens with an introduction to protagonist Robert Worth, a Southern California attorney. Robert is ambitious, athletic, hard-working, good-looking, and a morally obliging citizen. Since graduating law school, he has worked in the corporate division of Santa Monica legal firm Fanelli & Pierce. For the past five years he has worked tirelessly as an associate for the firm with the goal of becoming a partner.
Days before this dream may become a reality, Robert receives a life-changing phone call in the middle of the night. Alison Maxwell, one of Robert’s boss’s clients, calls him to report sexual misconduct, among other things. Robert’s boss and the man accused, Jack Pierce, is notoriously power-hungry and insulting. He has consistently been rude and dismissive toward Alison, going so far as to undermine her to her face. Additionally, he has pushed her to agreeing to a deal she was not comfortable with accepting. Now, Robert learns, he also used sex as blackmail, telling Alison that he would finally try her case if she would have sex with him. When she refused, he sexually assaulted her.
When this news of sexual assault comes to Robert’s attention, he feels torn. In the world of Fanelli & Pierce, complete loyalty is required. With the offer of partnership so close, Robert struggles over whether or not he should confront Jack. Ultimately he decides that a sexual assault allegation is too big of a deal to ignore, and he decides to talk to his boss.
When Robert approaches Jack, his boss fires him on the spot. Jack is shocked. He has dedicated five years of his life to the company, but he refuses to be disheartened by this setback. He begins seeking out positions with other firms, but finds that his reputation has been tarnished by what occurred between him and Pierce. His shock begins to transform into anger, and he commits himself to seeking revenge on Fanelli & Pierce. Instead of having an outburst, Robert decides to use his legal skills to get back at the company. He turns his attention to Alison, deciding that he will use his newfound free time to investigate her allegations against the company.
Robert contacts Alison, and begins his investigation. As he learns more about Jack Pierce, he discovers more than he had expected, and the story becomes more complicated than one simple allegation. A contributor to A Book Spy website wrote that Beach Lawyer “is painfully slow. It starts good but then slows to a crawl, and it never really gets back to its feet,” adding, “there are an alarming number of plot holes and little character development.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, March 13, 2017, review of Beach Lawyer.
ONLINE
ABA Journal, http://www.abajournal.com (July 24, 2017), Brenan Sharp, review of Beach Lawyer.
A Book Spy, https://therealbookspy.com (May 14, 2017), review of Beach Lawyer.
Night Owl Reviews, https://suspense.nightowlreviews.com (May 1, 2017), review of Beach Lawyer.
Open Book Society, http://openbooksociety.com (May 18, 2017), review of Beach Lawyer.
Portland Book Review, http://portlandbookreview.com (July 20, 2017), Howard Leighton, review of Beach Lawyer.
Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com (May 7, 2017), Susan Pierce, review of Beach Lawyer.*
Avery Duff graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he earned his juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. Returning home, he become a partner within five years with a Chattanooga law firm. He later moved to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter
Avery Duff was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he attended Baylor School and graduated summa cum laude. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he earned a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. He then joined a prestigious Tennessee law firm, becoming a partner in five years, before moving to Los Angeles. His screenwriting credits include the 2010 heist drama Takers, starring Matt Dillon, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, and Hayden Christensen. Duff lives at the beach in Los Angeles and spends his time writing fiction. Beach Lawyer is his first published novel.
Beach Lawyer
Publishers Weekly.
264.11 (Mar. 13, 2017): p60. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Beach Lawyer
Avery Duff. Thomas & Mercer, $15.95 trade paper (380p) ISBN 978-1-5039-4392-6
The intriguing prologue of screenwriter Duff's otherwise disappointing first novel finds Southern California attorney Robert Worth behind bars. Flash back to eight weeks earlier. Robert, a hardworking associate for the law firm of Fanelli & Pierce, hopes soon to make partner after years in the trenches working on dull assignments such as purchase of assets agreements. Then he comes into conflict with one of his bosses, Jack Pierce, an unbelievable jerk. Jack not only tries to bully a client, Alison Maxwell, into settling for pennies on the dollar in her late brother's wrongful death claim but also refuses to validate the ticket for the garage where she parked her car. Robert gets more deeply involved with Alison after she tells him Jack sexually assaulted her. When Robert confronts his boss about this alleged assault, Jack fires him. The improbable plot includes some familiar twists as Robert takes up Alison's cause as his own. Agent: Beth Davey, Davey Literary & Media Management. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Beach Lawyer." Publishers Weekly, 13 Mar. 2017, p. 60. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps
/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA485971624&it=r& asid=07f433c08493b3bde18723e0009d615f. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.
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Baylor alum Avery Duff launches 'Beach Lawyer' series of novels
May 7th, 2017 by Susan Pierce in Life Entertainment Read Time: 3 mins.
Avery Duff's new legal thriller, "Beach Lawyer" is...
Photo by Contributed Photo /Times Free Press.
About the author
Avery Duff is the son of the late Frank and Elizabeth Avery Duff of Chattanooga, to whom he dedicated this book.
His father and uncle, Thomas O. Duff Jr., founded Duff Brothers drug company in 1947, which became one of the South’s largest drug wholesalers. The brothers later sold it to Alco Standard Corp. in 1978. Duff says he grew up in Riverview and that he and his young pals were dubbed “the River rats.”
The author graduated from Baylor School in 1971. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he earned his juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. Returning home, Duff joined the firm of (then) Witt Gaither & Whitaker, becoming a partner in five years.
He moved to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter, and his credits include the 2010 drama “Takers,” which starred Matt Dillon and Idris Elba.
“Beach Lawyer” introduces his character Robert Worth, protagonist for a planned “Beach Lawyer” series of legal novels.
Avery Duff's new legal thriller, "Beach Lawyer" is...
Photo by Contributed Photo /Times Free Press.
Robert Worth seems to have everything going for him: good-looking, hard-working, athletic, ambitious but not to the point he's lost his principles to greed. He's just days away from making partner at his law firm within his goal of five years. Life is good.
Then he gets a late-night phone call from a client whom senior partner Jack Pierce is trying to rid the firm of — and she claims Pierce has sexually assaulted her. Events lead Worth to break a cardinal rule of the firm: Don't make an enemy of Jack Pierce.
That's the catalyst for the plot of Avery Duff's new legal thriller, "Beach Lawyer" (Thomas & Mercer, $9.86 paperback, 382 pages). It's a multilayered tale of backstabbing, greed and manipulation that continually surprises readers with where Duff's mind takes them.
Duff, a former Chattanoogan, pens an eclectic supporting cast of characters that include drug addicts, tatted-up beach volleyball players, cops and cons and a pair of bisexual female friends who are as street-smart as they are business-savvy.
"The thing about Robert is, he's not a perfect guy, not a Dudley Do-Right, but he's in a world where being a square shooter doesn't really work out well for him," says Duff of his protagonist during a recent phone interview.
Even so, his character is a success, he believes, because he is relatable.
"He's a guy trying to do a job and get ahead, and that's most people.
"In screenplays, you ask 'Why do I like this guy? Who is he? What's he trying to solve, what's his problem?' So I approached writing a novel the same way because I don't want to spend a lot of time with someone people won't like; particularly when you start out with a lawyer, because a lot of people don't like lawyers."
Duff says he made the decision to be a novelist five years ago. His first novel, "Rider," was about a pair of orphans from Chattanooga. They run away to visit their mother who is in a women's prison near Nashville because the younger brother has never met his mother and wants her to give him a name. But when they get there, the boys learn their mother died the night before.
"The older brother, who is sweet and smart but a liar, sees a Ryder truck going by and tells his brother she was going to name him Ryder, which the younger brother thinks is Rider. They end up on the wrong side of the law, but you like them. The book ends up being about anybody who deserves forgiveness if they can forgive themselves," Duff explains.
Although "Rider" gained Duff a manager, it wasn't until "Beach Lawyer" was written that he got an agent. Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing that focuses on mysteries and thrillers, published the novel and has been promoting it since its release May 1. The book may be purchased online through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Duff lives on the Pacific Coast in Los Angeles, and he draws from that beach lifestyle and his legal knowledge for "Beach Lawyer." He says he mapped out the intricate plot before he began writing and quit screenwriting to focus solely on his novel, which took a year and a half to complete.
"If you're doing it right, you dream about it. You think about it a lot. It creeps into your life."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
A Book Spy Review: ‘Beach Lawyer’ By Avery Duff
51ySKcRtBHL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
Robert Worth has worked tirelessly for the last five years with one goal in mind: to make partner at his law firm, Fanelli & Pierce. However, just days before his dream is scheduled to become a reality, Worth is made aware of an allegation that, if true, is deeply disturbing and will change the way he views his boss, and the firm, forever.
Alison Maxwell, one of Jack Pierce’s clients, hates her lawyer. Not only is Jack rude and not committed to her case, strong-arming her into taking a deal she didn’t feel comfortable with, but he goes out of his way to take jabs at her.
Things take a turn when Alison confides in Robert about his boss, claiming that Jack sexually assaulted her. Knowing Jack requires absolute loyalty, Robert struggles with what he should do, ultimately deciding that the claim is just too disturbing to sweep under the rug. But when he brings it up to his boss, Jack fires him on the spot.
After five grueling years, Robert isn’t about to let go that easily. Not after all he put into Fanelli & Pierce. But rather than seeking revenge, Robert decides to use his newfound abundance of free time to further investigate Alison’s claims. As he digs into Jack Pierce’s life, he turns up far more than he bargained for, and must decide what to do about it.
Avery Duff came up with a solid plot, but the execution fell short. For a legal thriller, which typically relies on fast-pacing and lots of suspense to keep readers turning the pages, Beach Lawyer is painfully slow. It starts good but then slows to a crawl, and it never really gets back to its feet. On top of that, there are an alarming number of plot holes and little character development.
While diehard fans of legal thrillers might find enough promise early on to stick with this one all the way through, many readers will struggle to keep going after the half-way point. Hopefully, Duff regroups and executes his next book better.
The ingredients–most of them, anyway–of a good story are there, but the final product falls short. Beach Lawyer flashes promise, then fails to deliver on it.
Book Details
Author: Avery Duff
Series: Beach Lawyer
Pages: 380 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1503943925
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: May 1, 2017 (Order Now!)
Beach Lawyer by Avery Duff
by Howard Leighton on July 20, 2017
Robert Logan Worth is a lawyer in the corporate division of a very significant law firm in the Los Angeles basin, Santa Monica. He has been working there for five years as an associate since finishing law school when he is called into a conference by one of the senior partners in the litigation division. After the senior partner aggressively dismisses a client, Mr. Worth is instructed to draft a settlement and release documents for the client to sign the next day. This begins a sea of change in Mr. Worth’s career and life over the next ten weeks.
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Formats: Paperback, eBook, Kindle, Audiobook, Audible
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | iBooks
He finds himself running afoul of the precept of separating emotions while performing the job, as well as staying in the good graces of the senior partner. Robert is himself quickly fired and without a job. As he attempts to land a job with other firms, he finds his reputation ruined because of that case. When he discovers these problems are related to the partner, Robert decides to pursue legal action against the senior partner. This is met with a complex of relationships, manipulations, legal and not so legal activities, which he tries to navigate in the effort to re-establish his life.
This is Avery Duff’s first novel. He’s a retired lawyer, which is clearly discernible in the multiple twists and turns in the novel. He lives in Los Angeles and uses much of its landscape in the activities of the characters. His storytelling is easy to read, it flows smoothly and rapidly being easy to understand – even the legal activities (from the perspective of a non-lawyer). This story sends the reader on a fast moving, interesting, exciting ride and draws one into the story trying to resolve the issues the main character faces. This book is hard to put down and can be read in one or two settings. This reviewer is looking forward to more adventures from Avery Duff.
Beach Lawyer
Beach Lawyer Series
“Beach Lawyer” written by Avery Duff, who is a new and unfamiliar author to me. I found the story difficult to connect with between the choppy plot and the characters. The beginning of the book was especially difficult to get into. The dialogue and plot of the story were not flowing together nicely to give me a good picture of what was going on in the story. It got a little easier as the story went on. The Spanish words in the dialogue made it even more difficult to follow.
The book contained a story of mystery, deception, moments of who and what to trust, on top of the complications like deep, dark secrets. Secrets that will be revealed when Robert, hard- working lawyer tries to do the ethical thing and protect someone. Unfortunately, it backfires on him and his own life starts to fall apart. He thinks revenge is the best course of action but it may not be. He will open “Pandora’s box” and discovers secrets that are far bigger than what he ever expected.
I think the author should have focused more on the mystery of the story than of office politics. I am giving the story 3 stars. I did not think the story read smoothly and some of the characters did not fit the story. Some of the story was not believable or maybe did not fit as smoothly as it should for an intriguing mystery, thriller story.
Book Blurb for Beach Lawyer
After five grueling years, Robert Worth is just days away from making partner at a powerful Santa Monica law firm. When a client confides in him that senior partner Jack Pierce sexually assaulted her, Robert breaks two of his mentor’s cardinal rules: Never let yourself get emotional about clients. And never make an enemy of Jack Pierce.
Robert crosses Pierce and is fired on the spot, losing not only his job but also his reputation. Advised to go quietly, Robert vows revenge against the ruthless man who betrayed him. But his investigation uncovers a twisted shadow world of sex, infidelity, and deception, where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. Only one thing is clear: Pierce will go the limit to keep his secrets.
This straight shooter will need to use every angle if he hopes to win. But could victory come at too high a price?
Night Owl Reviews May, 2017 3.00
BEACH LAWYER BY AVERY DUFF: BOOK REVIEW
by hmhibbit, May 18, 2017
Beach Lawyer
By Avery Duff
ISBN# 9781503943926
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
*Beware of possible spoilers*
Robert Worth has been working with a prestigious law firm for the past five years, and right when he’s about to make partner it all falls apart. Robert is called into a litigation meeting by Jack Pierce to draw up some paperwork. Robert is appalled by how Jack and fellow lawyer, Chase, are treating their client, but self-preservation keeps his mouth shut. However, days later Robert reaches his breaking point with Jack when he breaks one of the picture frames in his office and Jack fires him!
Robert tries to move on, but quickly realizes that Jack has black-balled him from working at any of the other law firms in the area and is at a loss for what to do. Well, until he talks to the client from that horrible meeting, Alison Maxwell. The one that had called him one night stating that Jack Pierce had offered to try her case after all as long as she’d have sex with him and then proceeded to sexually assault her! Robert puts all his time and effort into building a case against Jack. But when it all comes together, why is it that Jack is the one that acts like he’s the one holding all the cards?
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, I’ve seen some rather mixed reviews on the book. It seems it’s one that people tend to love or hate, with not a lot in between. My rating, however, does fall in the middle somewhere.
The book was interesting enough to keep me interested throughout, and I found Robert to be an engaging character. He was the mythical honest lawyer you never thought existed; a real stand-up kind of guy with morals and a conscience. Or is he?
There were plenty of twists and turns in this book to keep you guessing and I never completely solved the mystery. The ones I thought were innocent turned out not to be, and those I believed to be innocent were as guilty as sin! But I’m seriously surprised that Robert was taken by the whole banking scam that was the one thing that was pretty obvious to me!
I thought the ending was a little odd though, and I think the book went to places it really didn’t need to go. The whole twist with Robert’s family felt a bit out there and unnecessary.
Overall, this is a pretty interesting read for those that like a good lawyer read, it reminded me a lot of the Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly. I find this author, Avery Duff, is definitely worth reading again.
Book Review: A beach read for lawyers entitled 'Beach Lawyer'
By Brenan Sharp
Posted July 24, 2017, 4:00 pm CDT
inShare9
Print.
Beach Lawyer Cover
Photo courtesy of Avery Duff.
You know after a breakup when your family tells you “the right one will come along?” You begrudgingly take their advice with the proverbial grain of salt because even though they’ve been out of the game for God knows how long, they’re still together and seem happy enough.
Then one day, a new person does come along. Love hits you like a ton of bricks, and you realize they were right the entire time. Likewise, I can thankfully tell you there are books still being written which you cannot put down.
Beach Lawyer, the tale of a California attorney’s fall from almost making partner to being a fired, reputation-ravaged man out for revenge, is just that kind of a read. If you’ve missed the likes of the classic mystery novelist John D. MacDonald and his colorful salvage consultant, Travis McGee, who lives on a boat known as the Busted Flush, then you might just find solace in reading Avery Duff’s Beach Lawyer about attorney Robert Worth.
I recently received an offer from the Kindle app on my iPhone: “Pick one of these four books to read for FREE! Courtesy of KindleFirst.” It seemed too good to be true, but I couldn’t argue with “FREE!” so I downloaded the app to select my prize. Of the four tomes, I had a natural inclination toward one in particular, but I saw another with ‘lawyer’ in the title and knew this should be it. I wasn’t disappointed.
Despite the sleeper title, Beach Lawyer begins with a staccato rhythm relentlessly rendered for several chapters and almost the entire book. It is un-put-downable, and that’s not a word. Later, I may also start a sentence with a preposition. Stay tuned.
And this is the measure by which many good works of fiction wind up with prestigious prizes. I had yet to witness it in the wild myself, but the first four chapters of Beach Lawyer read remarkably similar to winning novels I’ve seen. For the first three-quarters of the book, I was up late each night reading, debating on whether sleep was still my first priority. The only reason why I could more easily put it down before the ending is because the tension was so high, I needed the break.
If the devil is truly in the details, then he has a vacation home next door to the Beach Lawyer. A good attorney knows the specifics of the case. A better one knows which ones to ignore. What attorneys-turned-authors rarely realize is relaying too many facts really drags down an otherwise strong story. Not so with Beach Lawyer! The author, Avery Duff delivers the “deets” judiciously, from intricate character descriptions and case details to merely the use of one word (such as brand name as adjective) and lets the reader’s mind fill in the blanks.
For those of you who like a fairy-tale ending, you’ll find one midway through the book. Fortunately, for the rest of us, there are several more chapters still to go. In fact, Beach Lawyer takes some very unexpected twists and turns of an adult nature which might have the more innocuous of bookworms asking themselves: “What the heck am I reading?”
I have to admit I was one of them. Main character Robert Worth and his colleagues are initially so upstanding and likable that learning of any sinful indulgence feels like some sort of a betrayal. A few more readers on Amazon and KindleFirst were critical of the book if for only this reason, but perhaps it’s also because they didn’t like how they felt about themselves after continuing to read it as a sudden guilty pleasure.
It’s important to keep in mind that while this is Duff’s first novel, he’s a former law firm partner who is now a successful screenwriter. Once you understand this, you’ll better see why the book leads you where it does: to a place perfect for adaptation for film or television. It’s also a specifically themed and quasi-quixotic beach read, a genre which is perhaps more often salacious than your typical whodunit. In fact, because Beach Lawyer is so obviously targeting its audience as a beach read for lawyers or would-be lawyers, I spent time wondering if the title was more daft than clever. So stay the course when reading, for all is not as it seems.
Robert Worth is a veritable Boy Scout. Everything he does is above board and by the book … at least at first. In spite of being a goody-two-shoes, he’s not too much of one. Worth quickly becomes a likable character for his acute observations on life as well as his ability to befriend and appreciate almost everyone. Almost. With every brick author Duff places in Worth’s ivory tower, the reader comes ever closer to a wrecking ball dismantling nearly everything Worth strove so hard to achieve. But just like in Lincoln Logs or Jenga, picking up the pieces after Worth’s sudden destruction is half the fun.
Beach read aspects aside, the serial nature to the novel belies it as a great work of fiction except for one thing. There’s an assurance we are to get another. And if you’d like a modern day window into what it might be like as a young lawyer on track for junior partner at a prominent firm, the first half of Beach Lawyer is for you.