Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Dead Hand

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

St Louis lawyer Rachel Gold deals with many a family drama, mostly of the dysfunctional variety. Divorce. Paternity. And death. Occasionally, all three combine into a "dead hand" trifecta, where the deceased seeks to control the living—and especially his descendants—from beyond the grave.

Rachel calls them "zombies." The legal term for such inheritance plans is "the dead hand," the English translation of the Old French term "mortmain." The term refers to the attempt by wealthy individuals to exert perpetual ownership over property (and future generations) through legal documents prepared before they die. But not even the most obsessed tycoon or his skilled attorneys can foresee every future contingency. To quote the old Yiddish maxim, "Man plans, and God laughs." And angry descendants sue.

It's so true. Rachel suddenly finds herself representing two women—one a young widow, one an older divorcee—in a pair of nasty zombie cases where the outcome of each hinges upon a clause in a contested estate plan.

Client Cyndi Mulligan is the trophy widow of the late Bert Mulligan, a billionaire entrepreneur whose last will and testament left his estate to Cyndi's unborn daughter. The challenge comes from Bert's angry first wife and her angrier only son. Their claim: Cyndi's daughter—born eleven months after Bert's death—cannot possibly be Bert's child.

In the other case, Rachel represents Marsha Knight, the first wife of the wealthy founder of a women's lingerie manufacturer. Marsha has been sued by his young widow, who seeks to invalidate Marsha's divorce settlement and, in the process, impoverish her through invocation of the ancient and nearly inscrutable Rule Against Perpetuities.

As the trial date approaches in each lawsuit, the threats to Rachel and her two clients begin to escalate. Zombies, as Rachel discovers, are hard to kill. And even worse, they can still kill—and where least expected.

The Dead Hand is written with the verve, humor, and legal smarts that are trademark Michael Kahn.

  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Accessibility

    The publisher provides the following statement about the accessibility of the EPUB file supplied to OverDrive. Experiences may vary across reading systems. After borrowing the book, you may download the EPUB files to read in another reading system.

    Ways Of Reading

    • No information about appearance modifiability is available.

    • Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.

    Conformance

    • No information is available.

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 4, 2016
      Kahn’s 10th mystery featuring St. Louis attorney Rachel Gold (after 2014’s Face Value) is more law-school textbook than legal thriller. The eponymous dead hand is an archaic term that refers to a person’s attempt while alive to control his or her assets beyond the grave into perpetuity. Rachel must grapple with two such cases at the same time. One client is Cyndi Mulligan, a widow being sued by her stepson, who had a falling out with his late father over the family business. The other is Marsha Knight, a dead millionaire’s first wife in danger of losing her divorce settlement through the machinations of the deceased’s young widow. Long expository legal passages are relieved by the lively supporting characters, who include Rachel’s supportive law partner, Jacki Brand; jolly lawyer friend Benny Goldberg; and Rachel’s matchmaking mother. Kahn’s signature diverting and snappy banter is a plus.

    • Booklist

      September 15, 2016
      Attorney Rachel Gold has her hands full with two new cases involving arcane rules of inheritance. In one, trophy widow Cyndi Mulligan wants to make sure that the estate of her late husband, Bert, will go to her daughter. The deceased's first wife is challenging the will because the child was born 11 months after Bert died. The second case deals with Marsha Knight, the ex-wife of a deceased lingerie manufacturer. The man's widow is suing to contest Marsha's divorce settlement using the difficult Rule against Perpetuities. This will leave Marsha destitute. Rachel, with some help from her brilliant friend Benny and associate Jacki, will do their research to find a way to win these zombie cases. While she continues to work, her mother is playing matchmaker and Rachel, a widow, may have a new romantic interest. Readers who enjoy legal procedurals will find the complex reasoning involved in these cases satisfying. Kahn, a lawyer with a good sense of humor, uses a light touch to make complicated points of law accessible and even enjoyable as mystery fare.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook
  • Open EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading