The Defense Lawyer

The Barry Slotnick Story

By: James Patterson, Benjamin Wallace

Narrated by: Stuart Slotnick

From a master of true crime comes the story of the criminal lawyer who represented everybody from Manuel Noriega to John Gotti to Bernie Goetz—and won every single case.

Known for his sharp mind, sharp suits, and bold courtroom strategies, Bronx-native Barry Slotnick is known as the best criminal lawyer in the US.

He calls himself “Liberty’s Last Champion.”

Slotnick mediates Bette Midler’s bathhouse contract and represents John Gotti, “The Dapper Don.” He defends “Subway Shooter” Bernie Goetz and negotiates future First Lady Melania Trump’s pre-nup.

His unparalleled legal brilliance defines a profession, a city—and an era.

Great book

I really enjoyed this book. I had never heard of Slotnick so hearing some of his best cases only didn’t bother me. I did feel like the reading was very monotone but his accent was perfect for the story. I definitely recommend this book!

Narration

The story line was amazing as usual with James Patterson. However, the narration was awful. Sounded like he reading a grocery list with no emotion or anticipation. And his enunciation of certain words hurt my ears.

James Patterson is an amazing writer, but this narrator did him no justice.

Unimpressed.

The narrator was dull, hard to follow. I wished I would have known this was a biography. I could have looked it up, and not been subjected to nine hours that I'm not getting back. He sure got a lot of guilty people off and lived a life of wealth.

Good account of extraordinary defense attorney

Recommended for fans of courtroom books. Patterson offers many colorful anecdotes about Slotnick, and focuses on a couple of his most celebrated victories. I wish he had told each story sequentially, rather than cutting back and forth between them, which makes them harder to follow.

thumbs down 👎 for narrator

love Patterson and this story is ok but the narrative monotone drove me nutz. I had such a hard time staying motivated to continue