Does history always repeat itself? Not if real estate mogul Quincy Witherman has anything to say about it. His long, satisfying career has taken Quincy throughout the country developing stunning and highly desirable skyscrapers in city after city. Borrowing huge sums of money and using it to develop real estate seems to be in his blood. For 200 years, the Witherman family has been performing this delicate choreography; borrow and build, build and borrow. But every now and then, even the most diligent and responsible debtor makes a mistake. A past error in judgement leaves Quincy a sullied legacy he’d rather not inherit, so he determines that his fate will be different. Will one tenacious banker single-handedly topple the hard-earned Witherman way of life?
Fresh Start is an original suspense novel that brings readers up close and personal with bankruptcy law and the world of high-stakes real estate development. Quincy is an interesting and determined character with a valuable secret, but his personality fades into the background compared to some of the flashy secondary characters. On his law team is Josephina Jillian Jones, or simply 3J, who is a self-assured and intelligently written character, a figure who is easy to enjoy reading. Contrasted with 3J is a ruthless banker who not only makes quite a first impression, but who is an undiluted image of cutthroat ambition. The courtroom scenes are thorough, almost to the point of tedium, but the plot twists keep the pages turning. If you’re looking for a legal drama reminiscent of John Grisham, but with a more relaxed pace, Mark Shaiken’s Fresh Start should be next on your reading list.
