My book club chose Relative Justice by Robert Whitlow for its September discussion. My husband is as big a fan of Whitlow as I am, so we chose to listen to the audiobook on a road trip to Mississippi. It was the perfect length for our car ride, but we both thought it was just okay. Those were the sentiments of my book club as well. The book centers around a patent infringement of a pharmaceutical developed by a a natural medicines/herbalist. The suit has the potential to cost the pharmaceutical company big bucks. Plus there are some very shady/scary characters involved behind the scenes. If you are looking for a Grisham-esque novel, you will be disappointed. Yes, there is some suspense and danger. Yes, there is a bit of legal wrangling. But the book centers mainly on the family dynamics of the main characters. Prayer is also a big part of the book, which was a plus for me, since it showed how God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish the impossible. God is definitely at work behind the scenes. But being the huge fan of legal suspense/drama that I am, I would have liked more of that. Specific to the audiobook: The book is a little slow in developing. Listening, rather than reading, was a bit tedious.

All in all, Relative Justice is not my favorite of Whitlow’s books. It did give me some things to think about, but I wish it had been a little more adrenaline-laden, if you know what I mean. 😉

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Title: Relative Justice
Author: Robert Whitlow
Pages: 448
Year: 2022
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This newest literary work from Robert Whitlow was interesting to see how the Cobb family ran their practice by prayer and then addressing the legal issue before them. Carter Cobb is the head of the family who has built his practice with honesty and humility, which he taught to his son, David. David Cobb is married with two children and works well alongside his father. When Carter experiences a major medical issue, David attempts to take care of the practice as well as find out what his father was working on before the illness.
Robbie is David’s younger brother. He doesn’t practice law, but his wife Katelyn does. Katelyn is a shining star in a Washington firm until an unforeseen occurrence has her looking at other employment options. Katelyn brings her vast knowledge to the Cobb practice on a trial basis and immediately sees the difference in how the practice of law is carried out. Her experience brings such help to the family practice and heightens her awareness of something missing in her life.
The novel stays focused on the family where readers get to see them live out their faith in good and hard times. Faith isn’t portrayed as something fluffy or easy, but one where at times the various members of the family can’t see how everything is going to flesh out. The climax of the story was building throughout the book, and while I enjoyed the story, I felt the ending was somewhat rushed. However, others may find it was fine for them the way it is written, that is the beauty of storytelling. I still plan on reading more of Whitlow’s books in the future as they are fun to read and some of them are just off the scale entertaining! I recommend reading the novel and then sharing it with others.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

Relative Justice moved at a much slower pace than most other Robert Whitlow legal fiction books that I have read, but it suited the story. While the first eighty-five percent of the story is slow and easy, the last fifteen percent will have you on pins and needles. Whitlow spent time developing his characters and their relationship with God, and most readers will be delighted with the result. There were a few details that did not seem quite realistic, but that did not detract from the story overly much. The theme of listening to and for the voice of God in both big and small things is well developed through attorney David Cobb's character as he interacts with others and as he handles a pharmaceutical patent infringement case along with his sister-in-law, attorney Katelyn Martin-Cobb.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Relative Justice from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. ( )

Having enjoyed several of Whitlow’s other books, I was excited to get to read this one, as well. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. I still enjoyed reading the story and getting to know the characters, but the overall story wasn’t as strong and didn’t feel as put-together as some of his other books. I loved that he worked home remedies into the story; that was fun to read about, and I’ve always been interested in what could happen with patent infringement cases. The family side of things was interesting, too, and I loved seeing how kindness and forgiveness played out in several characters’ stories. But as a whole, I was somewhat disappointed in this story. I’m looking forward to seeing how the next book is!

I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it. ( )

Relative Justice, by Robert Whitlow, is a contemporary Christian legal story that focusses on the Cobb families. David and his father have a law office in a small town in North Carolina. When a legal matter comes that they are not prepared to handle David; contacts his brother's wife, an attorney in Washington D.C.
This is a great story that has multiple situations going on at once. David is trying to help a family friend, his father becomes ill, and Katelyn is at a turning point in her career. I enjoyed the family dynamics, the care they have for each other and how they pull together in time of need. This is a heart warming family story that kept me reading to see what would happen. The is also mystery and suspense with Zeke's home remedies and what has happened with it.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my honest opinion. ( )