Reviews
The US Review of Books – Five Stars
reviewed by Joe Kilgore“What the hell did I do to deserve this? Was the Circus in town? Maybe I could run away and join it. They could surely use another clown.”
There’s a lot to be said for this legal thriller that puts as much emphasis on the thrills as it does the legalities. It’s well paced, intricately plotted, and liberally sprinkled with salty language and sordid behavior. Plus it promotes the virtues of loyalty and love, even though they often come at horrendous costs.
Kristen is an attorney in Dallas. She used to work for a firm that specialized in defending hospitals. Now she’s bringing a case against a hospital she once defended. A private investigator is rounding up plaintiffs and sending them to Kristen – provided she gives him a big kickback on the final judgement. For all sorts of reasons Kristen eventually agrees. Then the P.I. is murdered and Kristen is the prime suspect. She’s also being threatened, stalked, and framed–all while involved with an ex-lover and his emotionally vulnerable daughter.
Kristen’s story is constructed on the back of a novel that preceded this one. Many characters from that initial story are reprised here. It’s not necessary to be familiar with the first book to enjoy the second. The author does an admirable job of weaving in enough backstory to provide insights into various characters’ traits and motivations. Writing in the first person, Clark endows his heroine with an inner voice that sounds more like a hardboiled gumshoe than a contemporary thirty-something attorney. If you can get past that however, you’ll no doubt be engaged and entertained by all the legal wrangling, lovemaking, revelations, mayhem, and murder, that make up this frequently tantalizing tale of suspense.
By Michael Gibson
”Justice Is for the Deserving” is a first-rate piece of fiction. A sequel to Steve Clark’s first novel, “Justice Is for the Lonely,” this one also features Kristen Kerry, a young lawyer whose emotional instability is exceeded only by her brilliance. Clark—a medical malpractice lawyer himself—again applies his mastery of medical mistakes in this hard-boiled thriller of revenge, complete with murders and mayhem. I never ceased to be bowled over by how Clark can drop one noirish quip after another, such as, “And I’d be alone on death row eating horsemeat boiled in axle grease for the rest of my miserable life.”
If you have yet to read “Justice Is for the Lonely,” you need not hesitate to buy “Justice Is for the Deserving”—for Clark has carefully woven the critical facts of that first novel into this one. But if you have already had the pleasure of taking in “Justice Is for the Lonely,” you will find Clark’s prose even more powerful in this one. I especially like this book’s narrative, told throughout from the point of view of Kristen herself.
You won’t be able to put his one down. It is a genuine tour de force, one I expect to be shown soon at a theater near you. Are you listening Quentin Tarentino?
By rpvTOP 500 REVIEWER
Excellent well narrated piece of fiction. Is this a Grisham author in coming?
Suspenseful and interesting expose on medical malpractice area. Enjoyed!
Best Sellers
Justice Is for the Deserving
What would you endure for love?
Kristen Kerry is in love with Michael Stern, but doesn’t entirely trust him.
Justice Is For The Lonely
After successful heart surgery a former Dallas Cowboy mysteriously lapses into a permanent coma.
3rd Book
Coming Soon!
The U.S. Review of Books – Five Stars
by Steve Clark
Rorke Publishing
reviewed by Tracy Bowens 5 Stars 
“She wanted you on the case because you’re good-looking enough to hook Stern, and rookie enough to follow orders.” When a former star Dallas Cowboy football player falls into a coma after successful heart surgery, his family sues the hospital and his cardiologist for gross negligence. Kristen Kerry, a bright young attorney, works for the firm representing the hospital and its nurses. Her boss gives her the case, but she soon learns that she wasn’t chosen merely for her legal talents. Her team expects her to charm information out of Tony Caswell, the associate attorney who works for the firm representing the doctor. When that effort fails, she has to get the lead attorney, Michael Stern, to agree to join forces with her team and then double-cross him during the trial. Kristen’s moral fiber, search for justice, and traumatic past prevent her from following both her boss’ and her client’s orders throughout the case.
After the jury delivers their verdict, Kristen faces even more challenges. Tony Caswell, who Kristen spurned romantically and Michael spurned professionally, vows revenge and tries to frame both of them for the murder of Michael’s wife. Kristen uses unconventional techniques to uncover the truth. As layers of the plot unfold, she also has to come to terms with the fact that she loves Michael and learn how to let him into her life.
Justice Is For The Lonely offers the courtroom drama, suspense, mystery, and romance reminiscent of a fusion of John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, and Nora Roberts. The novel succeeds in giving readers a look into the dark world of the medical and legal fields made even more believable by the author’s own background. At the same time, it gives readers a positive look into human nature, as they witness an arrogant, career-oriented man and a lonely woman haunted by her traumatic past open their hearts and learn to trust and love.
Gripping story about a gifted yet troubled female attorney.
By: Nicole Sorkin/Pacific Book Review
Rating: 5 Star Review
Gripping story about a gifted yet troubled female attorney: a paradoxically practical idealist pursuing justice in a world where trust is hard to gauge. This is an intriguing, complex drama with interesting, well-drawn characters set against the background of a sensationalized trial. The novel is intricately woven via several plot lines but is written so well that the plots weave seamlessly together. The characters are multidimensional, round, and therefore, realistic.
The heroine, Kristen Kerry, is a lawyer with a vigilante’s attitude. She pursues truth to a fault, a righteous femme fatale, and an admirably human feminist figure. She drives and guides the plot. Clark sustains the suspense through Kristen’s constant chess match with finding who she might trust. The notions of trust, justice, and truth thread the portrayal of Kristen’s own character as well as the plot and the side critique of the justice system. So, the novel is not just an attention-grabbing plot; it is also a character study and an examination of legal processes.
Kristen Kerry represents a trio of nurses and the hospital’s insurer in a case of malpractice. Kristen uses her ingenuity but is also willing to use her sexuality to solicit information. So, there is an interesting dipping into the salacious, but only a bit; this drama does not become a soap opera. On the contrary, it is a character study of its heroine and a critique of the actual workings of the justice system. Kristen carries a lot of baggage, including a troubling childhood. Her rise to success illustrates the self-reliance and individual determination we always hear about in the context of American dreams. But, she struggles with her past and her focused intellectualism is sometimes intruded upon by her recklessness (which does come in handy at times).
Clark pulls no punches. He gives a gritty look at the manipulative world of doctors, lawyers, parole boards, and ex-cons. Those who love any of the Law and Order series will be drawn in by this novel – and not just for the intriguing plot lines and the train wreck appeal of criminal motives. The novel is written in the third person but we essentially see things through Kristen’s eyes. She is a postmodern version of the traditional film noir detective. Constantly reworking her own psychology and troubled past, she critically examines the very justice system of which she is a part. It can be a lonely position, hence the title.
MOVE OVER RAYMOND CHANDLER
By Michael Gibson
Rating: 5 Star Review
Move over, Raymond Chandler. Noir just got a twentieth-first century facelift in Steve Clark’s Justice Is for the Lonely. Its heroine, Kristen Kerry, is equal parts Perry Mason, Bruce Lee, Diana Taurasi, Cleopatra, and Diogenes. A typical Kristen quip came when a smitten suitor confessed that he had not sleptin a long time with someone about whom he cared deeply. Kristen’s reply: “I thought you said you slept by yourself every night at home.”Certainly, if you’ve ever worked in a law firm or a hospital, you will marvel at Clark’s remarkable insights into what happens when medicine goes awry and the lawyers take over. But such expertise is not required to be pulled into this complex drama. For Clark has woven a riveting story that pulls no punches in attacking all sides—rapacious plaintiffs’ lawyers, unscrupulous defense counsel, intractable insurance companies, arrogant medical providers, chain-smoking cops, incompetent parole boards, and an Assistant District Attorney whom Clark described as looking like “he was drinking himself into the Johnnie Walker Hall of Shame.”
And yet, Justice Is for the Lonely is much more than an anatomy of a civil lawsuit. Clark also adds into the mix a frightening psycho-sexual predator whose IQ rivals Kristen’s but whose virulent antipathy for African-Americans includes musings with reprehensible references to African-Americans. Throughout, Clark holds the reader spellbound wondering whether the innocent will be convicted—or slaughtered—and the perpetrators will go free. You won’t be able to put this one down. For this is not just a great story. It is as well an in-depth examination of a series of fascinating, but remarkably believable, characters. While none are the least bit wooden or one-dimensional, Kristen is far and away the most fractured of all. And as Kristen works overtime to keep her childhood pain from surfacing, Clark slowly bleeds out one inner demon at a time—only to be replaced by another demon that is even worse. And once you’ve reached the end, I’m sure you’ll be like me—anxious for Clark to reveal the next installment of Kristen’s life in what the author’s bio notes says will bear the title, Justice Is For The Deserving. I can’t wait.
Fantastic page turning book
By Amazon Customer on November 13, 2015
Rating: 5 Star Review
Fantastic page turning book. Kristen Kerry is the character that women want to be and men want to be with. She’s independent, determined and intriguing yet relatable as she struggles with her past. She’s the heroine that is not too good to be true. Anyone who loves a legal drama and the dynamics of complicated relationships will thoroughly enjoy this book. A great read!
The New Medical Legal Thriller!
By K.S.H. on October 20, 2015
Rating: 5 Star Review
Steve Clark’s new series grabs you from page one and takes you into the legal entanglement of medical malpractice. I eagerly anticipate the next in the series!
Impressive Debut
By Carl Baker on September 11, 2015
Rating: 5 Star Review
Nice to come across a really impressive debut thriller. “Justice is for the Lonely” has all the suspense one enjoys in these kinds of books. The details about the malpractice case, is very realistic. The dialogue taut and engaging, the relationship between the characters well drawn. You can tell the author is extremely well educated in the law. The plot had me intrigued and really needing to keep reading to find out how things would turn out. Gripping, nail-biting stuff. I’m looking forward to more from this new novelist, Steve Clark.
Could Not Put Down
By Sharon
Rating: 4 Star Review 
Well you have to like lawyers and be willing to follow several plots. They all come together nicely. Waiting for the next in the series.
Smile or Groan
It’s hard to know at times whether to smile or groan at the stupidity of some of the characters and the bad luck of the others
By The Magus on August 17, 2015
Rating: 4 Star Review
This is an enjoyable farce, in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Think of a cross between Bill Fitzhugh and Carl Hiaasen, but set in Dallas. It’s hard to know at times whether to smile or groan at the stupidity of some of the characters and the bad luck of the others. All in all it was a fun read, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Four Stars
By Nick Palermo on August 15, 2015
Rating: 4 Star Review
A most enjoyable novel that holds your interest from the first page to the last.
First Book Out of the Park!
By Patlaw on August 8, 2015
Rating: 5 Star Review
I must confess that I have known the author for a long time – as a friend and wonderful lawyer – not as an author! His first work was artfully developed with wonderful characters and numerous twists and turns. The legal aspects of the story were accurate from a legal perspective. The pace never dragged and I found myself turning the pages in anticipation of what was going to happen next! A very enjoyable read with star characters that you would like to read more about. Excellent book, Mr. Clark!