Apr
Years of creative accounting have landed Harvey Berkowitz in court, charged
with criminal tax fraud. The government has a mountain of incriminating evidence
and what appears to be an airtight case. But Harvey has Brendan O’Brian, an
unconventional defense attorney with a reputation for winning seemingly
unwinnable cases.
O’Brian turns the tables on the government, putting the Tax Code and predatory
IRS practices on trial with strategies that create a circus-like atmosphere in
the normally staid federal court.
Chaos reigns outside the courtroom as well. O’Brian is mugged twice in less
than a week, shadowed by a man who is officially dead, and harassed by local
cops. But his biggest distraction is news that his wife has hired someone to
kill him.
Surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, including an insightful,
senile law partner and a colorful client nicknamed Eddie the Skunk, Brendan
must determine which events outside the courtroom are connected to the
Berkowitz trial, an unrelated case involving a ruthless politician, or his
wife’s contract on his life.
of weeks ago J.W. Kerwin approached me with the question if I wanted to read
his book and write him an honest review. Reading the description of the book I
was intrigued. This book is about the IRS. Here in the Netherlands we have
something very similar to the IRS (the Internal Revenue Service) but here it’s
called the ‘Belastingsdienst’. Although this book isn’t something I would have
normally chosen to read I liked the description enough to start reading it.
Death in the Fast Lane’ we follow Brendan O’Brien, a thirty seven year old
lawyer. Although Brendan is still the youngest in his firm, he has a reputation
for winning ‘seemingly unwinnable cases’. Some people even say he is ‘the best
damn lawyer in New Jersey’. Not only is Brendan good in what he does, his
clients always seem to like him.
is married to Aimee, an art lover, who Brendan met at a New England college. But
his marriage isn’t what it used to be. Brendan can’t even remember the last
time Aimee and he had dinner together. And Aimee shows more interest in their
gardener than in him.
newest client is Harvey Berkowitz. Harvey is the owner of an auto salvage yard,
half a dozen small businesses and more real estate than he can keep track of.
Now Harvey is accused of ‘Tax Fraud’ and Brendan is supposed to keep him out of
jail. An if anyone can keep Harvey out of jail is it Brendan O’Brien. But
meanwhile Brendan is having trouble with police man who keep bordering him, two
strange men who keeps following him and a gardener who tries to get rid of his
beloved cat.
say this book was a big surprise for me. In the first few chapters I had a hard
time keeping track of all the different names and getting to learn how the IRS
works in the US. It took me a while to really start liking this book. But after
the first few chapters I kind of grew into the story and started to like it
more and more. Although there are some things different, the IRS really sounded
like our ‘Belastingsdienst’. So that made it easier for me to get into the
story and to understand what the IRS is doing.
liked most about this book is the character ‘Brendan O’Brien’. This guy really
made me laugh a couple of times. Although Brendan knows that his client Harvey
did something that’s against the law, he made sure that most people felt like
the IRS did something inappropriate. And I really found that funny. I really
get what Brendan is talking about. I mean, don’t we all feel sometimes like our
money is used for different things than it is supposed to??
stuff what happened in the courtroom with Brendan made me really like this
story. Still it’s not the kind of book I would normally read but it was still a
very enjoyable read for me. And this book is definitely a must read for anybody
who likes to read a different point of view about the IRS. And J.W. Kerwin’s
writing was very very enjoyable and addicting.
About the Author:
Kerwin practiced law in New Jersey in the 1980s. He now lives in a secure,
undisclosed location with his wife and cat where he spends his time preparing
for the retaliatory audit that will surely come when someone at the IRS reads
this book.
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Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always! Facebook | Instagram
