Written by a retired VA circuit Judge turned best selling author, he engages the reader easily. My actual rating is 3.5 stars instead of 4,due to the deluge of legal mumbo jumbo which for me, bogs the story down. But Kevin Moore, the central character is well developed and unlike most attorneys, someone of integrity. Better yet, the pacing is extremely well done as are the curve balls so the reader is kept on his toes. While similar legal genre authors can be engaging, Clark's stories are top notch and I plan to read a few more. ( )

I just finished The Substitution Order this weekend. While the genre is not one I read a lot, I really enjoy Martin Clark's writing style. I genuinely care about his characters. That's always been important to me in any narrative.

Kevin Moore has messed his life up in a big way. But being a decent man, he's doing all he can to put things back together. His efforts are thwarted by an unlikely and mysterious stranger who turns up and offers him a deal many people would not refuse. In spite of Kevin's foibles and past mistakes, he is a man who knows exactly where his moral compass points and fraud and perjury don't fall in that direction. The story tells how Kevin, a brilliant lawyer, deals with the twists and turns thrown his way because of his refusal take up the offer.

Like all Clark's books, this one is satisfying because it's a pleasure to read about clever people accomplishing amazing things. The characters are believable. Parts of the book, like the scene where two gentlemen who enter the restaurant in Civil War garb, made me laugh out loud. I like that I've never found his endings to be predictable. Another important element his books share is a sense of decency. It's not enough that the story is good and well-written. I always finish Martin Clark's books happy that good triumphs--especially when that good takes an unexpected form.

I highly recommend it!

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A pretty nifty tale. Nice turnaround for the protagonist in the end! ( )

The story took much too long to unfold and rather than building suspense, built tedium. ( )