Code of the Forest

by Jon Buchan

Overview

When Wade McNabb, publisher of the Georgetown Pilot, exposes high-level political corruption surrounding a chemical plant on the South Carolina coast, a powerful senator, steeped in the ancient code of the state's insider politics, threatens to bring down McNabb and his newspaper. Wade turns for help to Kate Stewart, a young lawyer who has left a large law firm for a fresh start on her own in Georgetown. These two fiercely independent souls form a wary alliance for the legal battle that follows. It's a fight that shows them the power of connections - good and bad - to change their lives forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780991150274
Publisher:	Jon Buchan
Publication date:	08/19/2014
Pages:	372
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.83(d)

Editorial Reviews

Buchan draws from his background in law and journalism for his remarkable fiction debut, a novel of political corruption set in Washington, D.C. in the 1990s. South Carolina Senator Buck Ravenel has just been outed by Wade McNabb for having accepted a bribe in exchange for his lobbying power on behalf of a proposed chemical plant in his home state. The powerful Ravenel quickly retaliates, and sues McNabb in an effort to expose the reporter's source and cripple the small paper. McNabb teams up with young local trial attorney—and love interest—Kate Stewart, and the duo valiantly take a stand against the crooked Senator. McNabb and Stewart's battle against the "good-old-boy networks" of Capitol Hill makes for a thrilling story, and Buchan's decades-long involvement with his subject matter lends a refreshing authenticity to the tale and its major players. Fans of John Grisham will relish this new voice. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Georgetown, SC, is a sleepy town with many of the leftover traditions of the old South. When a mining corporation proposes a phosphate mine along the nearby Waccamaw River, politicians and environmentalists engage in serious dispute, and the politicians seem to hold the winning hand. Then Wade McNabb, owner of the Georgetown Pilot, publishes a related exposé involving a local senator, his son, and a massive land deal. Refusing to reveal his sources, Wade risks his newspaper and his personal freedom in court. VERDICT A former journalist and attorney specializing in First Amendment rights has written a fine first novel of political shenanigans and freedom of the press, in a locale still smarting from the civil rights strife of the 1960s. A compelling read for environmentalists or enthusiasts of courtroom drama, with a hint of romance to take off the edge. Readers who enjoyed James W. Hall's Hell's Bay will recognize a similar theme, with a very different execution.—Thomas L. Kilpatrick, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale Lib.

Library Journal