Jay Porter is back

Fifteen years after the events of Black Water Rising, Jay Porter is back to defend the powerless, and uncover the odd conspiracy or two, in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

[Spoilers for Black Water Rising]

It’s been 15 years since Jay won a huge (HUGE) settlement against Cole Oil, but he still hasn’t seen a dime. It did give a boost to his practice, which now focuses primarily on environmental law, but he’s about ready to close it down — as soon as his last case gets settled. But, like a cop trying to retire, he gets dragged into one more case — defending the nephew & campaign manager of a local politician against a murder charge.

The case Jay investigates in Pleasantville is every bit as interesting and twisty as the one in the first novel. He doesn’t live in quite that same level of danger — things have changed for him, as well as for Houston, in the last 15 years — but now he has his two kids to consider, as well. Still, I don’t think this novel quite captured me like the first. I think the difference was, the first novel included a lot of about Jay’s past, which interested me more than the present cases. Still, it was a good read — 3.5 stars easily — and I can’t wait to see what comes next.