The Quite Game by Greg Iles

Curious about these Penn Cage novels by Mr. Iles I decided to read the first book in the series.   It’s a pretty entertaining novel about a brilliant morally strong lawyer who returns home with his young daughter in tow after his wife dies only to get sucked into an old murder mystery.  There’s the evil racist judge, the ex- lover (who happens to be the evil racist judge’s daughter), the love interest and other decently crafted pawns.   Sure Penn Cage is a little too perfect at times (I mean he really does have it all); he is the hero lawyer we all want to be, so it works.   The love story is a bit annoying, the old guy getting the sexy smart young woman male fantasy made me gag.  Can’t male writers have their male heroes fall in love with women their own age?  Because it’s written in first person, the emotional road trip through memories of old can be a bit over the top at times.  But it’s a good read and there’s enough going on that I’d read another one if I happen to come across it.   To sum it up; this was a second-rate Grisham novel with a main character that is so likeable you might need to suspend your belief a little too much to believe he could exist.  Grade: B+