Barring Complications by Blythe Rippon

Barring Complications
by Blythe Rippon
Pages: 396
Date: October 1 2014
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.25
Read: September 28 to October 1 2016

In 2010, a specific case came before a California district court – a case focused on California’s Proposition 8. In attendance was a specific individual without legal training, though with a graduate degree. Four years later, a book appeared titled ‘Barring Complications.’ That book was about a fight before the U.S. Supreme Court that argued the constitutionality of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act).

On that Supreme Court was a specific justice, the ‘newest’ justice on the bench. Rumors float about her, but she’s never confirmed these rumors – that she’s a lesbian. This would be Justice Victoria Willoughby. Something like 20 years before the start of this book, this same woman attended a specific law school – at which school she developed a relationship with one Genevieve Fornier.

Then and now, Genevieve was an out and proud lesbian. At the time, Victoria wasn’t. And, as already noted, Victoria’s orientation isn’t exactly known now either. Still, they had a connection and both wished to be in a relationship.

Then Genevieve sent in a particular letter to the editor about a specific incident – including words indicating something along the lines of ‘as a lesbian myself I . . .’. Genevieve was quite happy with herself. And saw a bright future. Victoria did not see things the same way. She angrily severed all communications immediately.

Twenty or so years passed. Genevieve is a high flying successful lawyer, and new head of HER (I forget now the specific name behind the letters, though in effect it’s a group fighting for women’s rights, and, potentially (I forget now), specifically lesbian rights). This part, the HER part, matters. Because three organizations, all of which are linked to LGBT, backed a case against DOMA. Their clients were people legally married in a state wherein same sex marriage was legal.

That matter, or the case, is now on the Supreme Court docket. The justices agree to hear the case. Arguments appear immediately, in the media, about whether or not Victoria should recuse herself – for lesbian reasons. Unknown to those calling for this rucusal would be the part wherein one of the lawyers arguing in the Supreme Court would be an ex-girlfriend – one Genevieve Fornier.

Great love was, apparently, felt between Genevieve and Victoria. Their lives were shaped by their decisions and their desires – Victoria’s desire to get on the Supreme Court (expressed while in law school), and Genevieve’s desire to be both openly lesbian and defend and/or argue for the rights of the LGBT community. Plus, when their relationship dissolved, because Victoria didn’t think a lesbian could make it onto the bench and her girlfriend, at the time, was way too open about herself, both (though more Genevieve) made career decisions to attempt to stick clear of the other.

Less than 1 year after this book appeared (roughly 7 or 8 months), arguments were heard before the US Supreme Court in the case of ‘Obergefell v. Hodges’. Argued April 28 2015. Decided June 26 2015. Meaning that this book had roughly 6 to 7 months to ‘live’ before becoming outdated. That statement is not to be taken as a spoiler – any fictional decision in the book would become ‘outdated’ by real events.

I mention that because I had that thought while reading the book. I liked the two main characters. It’d be interesting to see them in future works. Except . . . they are trapped in a universe that doesn’t match our own, while matching it too well to be seen as some kind of alternate realm. Any future work would be hampered by involving people whose history did not match reality.

It took me 3 or 4 days to get around to writing something in the review box, and I come up with this here. Well, it was a thought I had while reading the book. I read this book because it looked interesting and because 15 days before I started it, I’d read a book that involved an attempt to put a lesbian law school dean onto the Supreme Court (Carsen Taite’s ‘Courtship’). And here we had a lesbian Supreme Court justice hearing a case on the Supreme Court. Seemed fitting and linked somehow.

Hmm. A fire has broken out in my building so I’ll have to depart for now.

October 4 2016

Lay Down the Law by Carsen Taite

Lay Down the Law
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: April 20 2015
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Lone Star Law Series (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: May 26 2016

This is my fifth work I’ve read by Taite, and fourth book.

My favorite of the bunch still remains the first, the short story I’d read in that ‘Girls with Guns’ book. Which is strange, in its way, since that had actually been a short story that is both chronologically and by publication date, something that had occurred after the Luca Bennett trilogy.

This book here is not actually the fifth work I’d started by Taite, though. No that would have been ‘Above the Law’. Which I only realized after I’d read 12% that I didn’t have a clue what was going on - because I was reading the second book in a series. So I paused my reading of that second book.

Dale Nelson is in the first book, but is very much something of a side character. Important, but I’m not sure that I’d even put her up to even third most important in the book. No the two most important would be those with points of view. That would be Peyton Davis, and Lily Gantry.

Peyton Davis is an assistant USA attorney (AUSA). A US Attorney is president appointed (as in USA President), and is the chief federal law enforcement officer within their jurisdiction. An Assistant USA Attorney is not president appointed and could be among as many as 350 AUSAs who work for a particular US Attorney. Peyton grew up on a ranch in north Texas, and wandered off to college and law school before joining the government as a AUSA in Washington DC. The book opens with her return to her hometown as a local AUSA.

She’s back to head up a task force focused on a Mexican crime cartel. Even before she can get herself settled, and before she is even supposed to report to work for the first time, Peyton is called in to visit a crime scene. A trailer full of dead bodies. The mystery part of the story has begun.

Lily white - adjective meaning ‘pure or ideally white. Without fault or corruption; totally innocent or immaculate’. I’m not sure what Lily Gantry’s birth name had been, it might have even been Lily. But it hadn’t been Gantry, and, to put it crudely, Lily’s coloration is a topic of concern for her personally. In that her family are all quite pale in coloration. She? She’s quite a bit darker, brownish. Definitely not ‘lily white’. For she was adopted into the family. A off-spring of a woman from Mexico had been adopted into the oil rich Gantry family. She sees her parents as hers, they’ve treated her as such, and, other than the obviousness of her ‘difference look’, she’s their daughter, even if not by blood. Not that everyone in the extended family, or, for that matter, others in her class (specifically one Virginia Taylor - but then the Taylor’s are also in the oil business, and rivals with the Gantry oil company - they probably would not have been best friends anyway).

Lily has been out of the country until about six or so months before the start of this book. She’s highly educated with a degree in engineering, and with several patents in alternate fuel sources.

Peyton and Lily circle each other, and something of a budding romance begins . . . before it abruptly and rudely stops. Is interrupted. Some words that convey this idea. Interrupted by events. For, as noted, Peyton is a AUSA. Head of a task force. And her first taste of that case lead her to a crime scene involving a trailer filled with dead bodies. A trailer that is later found out to be owned by Gantry oil. In and of itself not a ‘interrupting’ type of event. I mean, they had reported the trailer stolen. No, it’s the part where this revelation that the trailer is Gantry owned, lead to Peyton learning that there’s a case currently being worked on in her office against the Gantry family. Kind of puts a different twist to a budding romance, hmm?

I’ve read books before where two circle each other, even if they shouldn’t, because of ‘cases being worked on’. But this one has an interesting twist on that theme - Peyton and Lily were circling each other before Peyton even learned of there being any case that may or may not involve the Gantry family.

So - that’s going on. A mystery involving a Mexican cartel, a Texas oil business, and a budding romance. Plus, not yet mentioned, a big old ‘family issue’ taking place within Peyton’s own family involving her family farm and her family. Her dad has health issues, and the oldest son has taken it upon himself to take charge. Despite the fact the mother is still there and technically is the owner of the place. And despite the fact that his ideas do not mesh with family heritage and desires. So, that’s in there as well. Family drama circling both of the main characters.

Oh, and one last bit - I’d mentioned that Lily was adopted, well that is a theme in the book as well - and more than just the part wherein Lily is browner than the rest of her family. No, there’s also this ‘family trust’ issue that comes up in the book, and certain potential ‘issues’ that crop up.
An enjoyable book. The Dale character is kind of thin, though has some meat - but as mentioned, she might star in the next book, but isn’t even third most important in this book. Peyton and Lily seem well formed.

A good solid four star book.

May 27 2016