geeky
When a down-on-his-luck investigative reporter, hiding from the Montreal mob in a witness protection program, stumbles on a video of the federal Minister of the Environment as the client in sadomasochistic therapy, he passes the information on to the leader of the Green Party before going back into hiding. Disclosure of her discovery in the presence of a hot microphone gets the Green Party named as Defendant in a defamation suit in enemy territory. Amidst all of this, Deverell injects his usual dose of comic relief as a charismatic and handsome new age Svengali invades Garibaldi island, peddling his form of Nirvana to the quirky islanders. All of this builds to a climax both in the litigation, into a national election campaign, and in local island drama as Deverell spins another tale of suspense, with helpings of adultery, political intrigue, mystery and cross-examination mixed in.
Whipped is not Deverell's best novel, and the first part of the book is a bit slow moving. It builds up to a crescendo as the reader wonders how Deverell will resolve all of the book's loose ends. For those unfamiliar with the Arthur Beauchamp novels, this is not the best book to start with. Despite this, the former criminal lawyer turned authir hasn't lost his ability to write compelling litigation drama, or to capture the reader's interest over the lives of the citizens of Garibaldi Island. If you've liked any of Deverell's earlier works (and that's probably anyone who has ever read read the tales of Arthur Beauchamp), you will also find this an entertaining and enjoyable read.