Feature: Reckless Disregard by Robert Rotstein

Reckless Disregard
A Parker Stern Novel 2
Seventh Street Books, June 3, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

Former topnotch attorney Parker Stern, still crippled by courtroom stage fright, takes on a dicey case for an elusive video game designer known to the world only by the name of "Poniard." In Poniard's blockbuster online video game, Abduction!, a real-life movie mogul is charged with kidnapping and murdering a beautiful actress who disappeared in the 1980s. Predictably, the mogul--William "the Conqueror" Bishop--has responded with a libel lawsuit. Now it's up to Parker to defend the game designer in the suit.

In defending Poniard, Parker discovers that people aren't who they claim to be and that nothing is as it seems. At one point, his client resorts to blackmail, threatening to expose a dark secret about Parker. Then, many of the potential witnesses who could have helped the case die prematurely, and the survivors are too frightened to talk. Parker begins to feel as if he's merely a character in a video game, fighting malevolent Level Bosses who appear out of nowhere and threaten to destroy him.

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In RECKLESS DISREGARD Rotstein explores the lure of celebrity, the limits of the legal system, and the elusive assumptions that we make about the people and the reality around us. Asked why the law is such a popular topic with writers, Rotstein responds:

“The legal system provides ready-made elements just waiting for a writer to combine them into a story. Real-life lawsuits are already dramas. Because there are two sides, you automatically have conflict, essential for a good story. More than that, the justice system assumes that there’s a right side and a wrong side, raising questions of ethics and morality. And most lawsuits are fraught with ambiguity: What really happened when those two cars collided? Are those witnesses telling the truth? Are memories faulty? Why is that document missing from the file? Such ambiguity creates mystery. Finally, lawsuits often involve the powerful against the dispossessed, and what better story than the underdog against the bully?”

Rotstein has also worked on early video game cases and has extensive knowledge of video games in the realm of the law.

...

Rotstein is already working on the third Parker Stern novel, in which he takes on the defense of a longtime fugitive from justice for decade. In the process, Stern discovers long-hidden truths about his family's painful past. The novel is expected to be published in 2015.  From the Press Release

Corrupt Practices
A Parker Stern Novel 1
Seventh Street Books, June 4, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 330 pages

A Los Angeles church, considered by some to be a powerful cult, charges Rich Baxter with embezzling millions. Rich reaches out to former colleague and star trial attorney Parker Stern to come to his defense. Parker despises the cult, but he hasn’t entered a courtroom since developing severe stage fright after his mentor, Harmon Cherry, committed suicide. Rich claims that Cherry did not kill himself—he was murdered by someone connected to the church. At first, Parker doesn’t believe it . . . until disturbing events force him to question what’s really happening.

As the case takes an unexpected turn, Parker surprises himself and agrees to take on the church. But to represent his client and uncover the truth he must overcome his own long-buried secrets.

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About Robert

Photo by Glen La Ferman

Robert Rotstein is an entertainment attorney with over thirty years’ experience in the industry. Over the course of his career, Robert has handled lawsuits on behalf of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lionel Ritchie, John Sayles, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, James Cameron, and all the major motion picture studios, among others. He authored a law review article that explores the relationship between literary theory and copyright law, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California. Robert is currently a partner in a major Los Angeles law firm, where he co-chairs the firm’s intellectual property department. Within the past year, he has successfully defended writer-director James Cameron and his company in a number of lawsuits involving the blockbuster motion picture Avatar.

Website  ~  Twitter @rrotstein1  ~  Facebook

The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win a copy of Reckless Disregard by Robert Rotstein from the publisher. US ONLY

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