The Philadelphia Lawyer Reviews Legal Thriller: Acts of Omission

Acts of Omission, Book Review

“This is a book about a trial lawyer written by a trial lawyer. Bostwick has written a book so realistic that, until the jury renders its verdict, you do not know whether you are headed to a happy ending or a crushing defeat.” – Dennis Suplee

Nationally recognized attorney Dennis Suplee of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP, wrote a review of Acts of Omission through a legal lens for The Philadelphia Lawyer, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s quarterly magazine. The magazine provides information on the practice areas of the law, lifestyles, technology, fiction, book reviews and other topics of interest to Philadelphia lawyers.

To protect the reader from learning too much and spoiling the story, Suplee shared information in the review that the reader would learn in the first 15 pages of the book. According to Suplee, “The book is so realistic that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that it is a work of fiction.” He explains that unlike other books in the “legal thriller” genre, Acts of Omission is not about a criminal defense lawyer handling a criminal case. He explains, “Instead, this book is about a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer handling a catastrophic injury case in which liability is very dicey.”

While Acts of Omission is fiction, the novel was inspired by a true case that the author James Bostwick tried in San Francisco in the 1980’s when he went up against one of the most famous attorneys in the country to seek justice for a devastatingly injured young man. Bostwick included elements of real litigation, characters and occurrences, depicting the difficult choices, high risk, ethical dilemmas, anguish and euphoria of everyday life for civil trial lawyers.

James Bostwick has been practicing law for over 40 years, representing catastrophically injured people across the nation. He is one of the names behind the nation’s leading law firm, Bostwick & Peterson. “Speaking of the author. James Bostwick is a blue-chip plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer from San Francisco. He has won verdicts totaling over $500 million dollars and at one point, won the largest medical malpractice jury verdict in U.S. history. He knows whereof he speaks.”

Suplee summed up the review by saying:

“The book’s excellence is reflected by its nomination for the 2020 Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction and by the fact that it is under contract to become a movie. With the hope that I have not given away too much, I commend this one to you.”

The complete book review can be found here.

Acts of Omission is now available in paperback! Order your copy online today from a local bookstore on Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble or here on Amazon.com.

Acts of Omission Review in ABOTA National Publication

Acts of Omission, Articles, Book Review

Acts of Omission, written by James Bostwick, was given a wonderful review in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) quarterly publication, ‘Voir Dire’, by John A. McGuinn, National Board Member from the San Francisco Chapter of ABOTA.

John writes:

“I recently read a novel that finally paints an authentic picture of the life of a civil trial lawyer. Acts of Omission grabbed on and held me from start to finish. It is a story that realistically depicts the difficult choices, high rise, ethical dilemmas, anguish and euphoria of everyday life for attorneys who represent victims of negligence.”

James Bostwick has been a member of ABOTA, an invitation-only organization, since 2003. ABOTA is a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges who have high personal character, an honorable reputation, and must have tried a minimum of 10 civil jury trials to conclusion. ABOTA dedicates itself to the preservation and promotion of the Seventh Amendment that guarantees the right to civil jury trials. More than 7,600 lawyers and judges are involved in ABOTA chapters in all 50 states.

To read the full review of Acts of Omission, go to ABOTA Bookshelf.