Corbin Gage can stand up to anyone . . . . But his own divided house will bring him to his knees. Corbin, a longtime legal champion for the downtrodden, is slowly drinking himself into the grave. His love for ‘mountain water’ has cost him his marriage to the godliest woman he knows, ruined his relationship with his daughter, Roxy, and reduced the business at his small Georgia law firm to a level where he can barely keep the bill collectors at bay. But it isn’t until his son, Ray, threatens to limit Corbin’s time with his grandson that Corbin begins to acknowledge he might have a problem. Despite the mess that surrounds his personal life and against the advice of everyone he knows, Corbin takes on a high-stakes tort case on behalf of two boys who have contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma due to an alleged chemical exposure. The defendant, a fertilizer company, is the largest employer in the area. The lawsuit becomes a tornado that sucks Corbin, Ray, and Roxy into an increasingly deadly vortex. Equally intense pressure within the family threatens to destroy, once and for all, the thin threads that connect them. Corbin must find the strength to stand up to his personal demons. Justice for two dying boys depends on it . . . his family depends on it.
Robert Whitlow grew up in north Georgia. He graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a BA in history in 1976 and received his JD with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1979. A practicing attorney, he is a partner in a Charlotte, NC law firm. He and his wife Kathy have four children and three grandchildren.
Robert began writing in 1996. His novels are set in the South and include both legal suspense and interesting characterization. It is his desire to write stories that reveal some of the ways God interacts with people in realistic scenarios.
My Impressions:
My book club has read every one of Robert Whitlow’s books, except one. He is one of our all time favorite authors, but we have been a bit disappointed in his last few books. But with his latest book, A House Divided, we declare that he is back! Back with riveting stories full of strong, well-developed characters and plenty of themes to discuss. We give this novel a unanimous highly recommended read designation.
Corbin Gage is a small town lawyer whose practice has seen better days and for the most part, Corbin is to blame. Along with his career, his personal life has been impacted negatively by his drinking. Divorced from a faithful wife and with only strained relationships with his children, the only positive in his life is his grandson, Billy. But his alcoholism is about to sever that relationship as well. He has one more chance to make things right . . . will he take it?
Although A House Divided involves a court case, it serves mostly as the foundation for a larger story of choices and consequences. We enjoyed the scenes involving legal strategies both in and out of the courtroom, but it was Corbin and his family that kept us engaged with the story. Corbin is a likable character, even as he insists on ruining his life. Other characters are realistically written and some are more likable than others, though most grew on us. We also liked the look into the workings of AA, and we learned a lot about the 12-step program and how the organization works. A few in our group grew up with alcoholic fathers and the scenes depicting Corbin’s decline rang true. One member stated that it was obvious Whitlow had done his research. Whitlow reprises a theme from one of his earliest novels, The Trial. Prayers are not one-time things, but live on long after the person bringing the requests to God.
Longtime fans of Robert Whitlow will love A House Divided. And if you have never read one of his novels, we recommend this one whole-heartedly!
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
Great for book clubs.
To purchase this book, click HERE.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Beckie, this is another author that I’ve been wanting to try. Dale Cramer said I would enjoy Whitlow and I love courtroom drama, so I really should prioritize reading one of his books. A House Divided sounds really good.
Listen to Dale! Yes, you will love Whitlow. Besides this book, I’d recommend The Trial, The Sacrifice (older books). He has a 2 part series and a 3 part series we loved too. Those are the best of the best in my opinion. Hope I just added a bunch to your TBR pile! LOL!
Here from Saturday Review of Books. I read this last year and really enjoyed it!
Thanks for stopping by. So glad that Whitlow can still deliver great books.