Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants Reviewed

Have you ever heard of a Dead Peasant Insurance Policy? I had-but then I have been a bookkeeper for many years. Just in case here is a definition that I copied from The Free Dictionary

A corporate-owned life insurance policy that a company may take out on its employees—often without their knowledge—designating the company as beneficiary. If the employee dies young, the company gets tax-free death benefits. If the employee lives long, it has a long-running tax break (as well as the death benefit)

Jack Bryant, a brilliant lawyer, just won a major case and has decided to retire early. His son will be playing college football and Jack has decided it is time to be more involved in his son's life. He packs up and leaves his lucrative practice and heads to Fort Worth Texas. He has lots of money so astonishes the realtor by taking an expensive, very large house. This is in the middle of the housing crisis, she really needed this sale. He knows he likes her but it takes almost the entire book for them to actually get together.

Eventually, after having the house decorated (by the realtor) Jack gets bored. He decides to do pro bono work for the people in the area who can not afford a good lawyer. He sets up shop on a piece of property he bought in a bad part of town in his RV. At first nobody comes--then one day an older African American woman comes knocking at the door. I seems she had received a check from the post office for 400,000 dollars but it was made out to her deceased husbands ex-employer.

Things really start heating up and more accidental deaths keep happening. I can almost guarantee that you won't be able to put this book down--but if I say anymore I'll give it all away!

About the Book (from Amazon)

“Just terrific… As real as a heart attack, and every bit as suspenseful.”

--John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of A Plague of Secrets, on The Trial

Veteran trial lawyer Larry D. Thompson has decades of courtroom experience in his home state of Texas on controversial and important trials. Now, in Dead Peasants, Thompson has delivered a fast-moving and suspenseful legal thriller featuring a retired lawyer whose life gets turned upside down when a stranger asks for help.

Jack Bryant, exhausted after a high-profile career as a lawyer, takes an early retirement in Fort Worth, Texas, where he plans to kick back, relax, and watch his son play football at TCU. But then an elderly widow shows up with a check for life insurance benefits and that is suspiciously made payable to her dead husband’s employer, Jack can’t turn down her pleas for help and files a civil suit to collect the benefits rightfully due the widow. A chain of events that can’t be stopped thrusts Jack into a vortex of killings, and he and his new love interest find themselves targets of a murderer.

Gripping, engaging, and written with the authority that only a seasoned lawyer could possess, Dead Peasants is a legal thriller that will stun and surprise you.


Purchase the Book here


Reposted from Miki's Hope

Book Review: “Dead Peasants” by Larry D. Thompson

Larry D. Thompson in his new book, “Dead Peasants” published by Thomas Dunne Books brings us into the life of Jack Bryant.

Synopsis:

Lawyer Jack Bryant retires early to Fort Worth to kick back, relax and watch his son play football at TCU. Bored with retirement he opens a pro bono office in his RV. When Jack finds an elderly widow at his doorstep, clutching a check for life insurance proceeds on her husband but payable to his former employer, Jack files a civil suit to collect the benefits rightfully due the widow. A seemingly accidental death of his client’s husband thrusts Jack into a vortex of serial killings. He and his new love interest find themselves targets in the same murder for hire scheme. To stop the killings Jack must unravel what in their past makes certain people worth more dead than alive.

Somehow the term, dead peasants and legal thriller do not seem to go hand in hand.  Dead Peasants seems to lend itself to a tale of knights and kings and feudal society don’t you agree?  It seems that dead peasants is a legal insurance term for when an employer takes out an insurance policy on his employees and continues to pay the premiums even after the employee’s dismissal or retirement. The employer hopes to collect the benefits upon that person’s death. This practice has been deemed illegal in most states.  Jack Bryant is brought into the case when he finds that the former employer of June Davis’ deceased husband had a very large life-insurance policy, a dead peasant policy, on her husband, which made the employer the beneficiary.  Now as Jack goes to court to collect the benefits rightfully due June he also has to battle to stay alive as he has walked into a murder mine field.  This is one exciting book.  An action, adventure, mystery, courtroom thriller as Jack’s life is in deadly danger.  I do not recommend you drink coffee while reading this book as there is more than enough excitement to keep you going.  Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy this book as you will want to finish it before going to bed.  “Dead Peasants” is an exciting adventure from start to finish.

 http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/

Nook Users Book Club Reviews Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Jack Bryant was born and raised in Ft Worth, Texas.  Some might say he grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.  Jack, soon to retire, is a successful plaintiff lawyer practicing in Beaumont, Texas.   He moved back to his home town to watch his son play college football and to show all of those people (from the right side of the tracks) how well this former poor boy did as an adult.  His son, JD Jr., is a walk-on at TCU and is balancing his training with spending time with his father.  Upon arriving home Jack meets Colby Stripling, a woman with a secret, as well as a real estate agent who sells him the oversized home that he pays for with cash, just because.

When Jack realizes that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be he decides to become a pro bono lawyer for the less fortunate.  His first case is for June Davis, the widow of a local man (Willie Jr.) Jack has become friends with. June finds out by accident that his former employer, Allison Motors, had a life insurance policy on her late husband that paid $400,000 when he died.  Jack attempts to get Allison Motors to relinquish the funds to June however, during the course of the trial it is determined that there is more going on than just one Dead Peasant policy.

This is a fun and fast paced novel without a lot of unnecessary filler.  The characters had very distinct personalities, even those that were not so prominent such as Willie Jr. You could see the confusion he suffered with the changing racial times and what he was brought up with.   The descriptions of the area are rich and accurate.  Being a Native of Fort Worth, I loved reading about Fort Worth, the local streets, buildings and areas that are so familiar to me.  On the other hand, I found some of the other details to be exaggerated. We understand that Jack is filthy rich and he likes things a certain way, but it felt like overkill or name dropping with the incessant use of name brands or school names.  It felt a little bit like product placement in the movies.  However, these negatives are not enough to distract from the story line.  The novel made us guess and then guess again as twist and turns led to the eventual killer.  This book is not too long (~210 pages) and would make for a great read weekend read. Excellent job!

    

About the Author:  Larry D. Thompson is a veteran trial lawyer and has drawn on decades of experience in the courtroom to produce riveting legal thrillers. Dead Peasants is is third After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Thompson founded the Houston trial firm where he still serves as managing partner. The proud father of three grown children, he lives and works in Texas but spends his summers in Colorado, where he crafts his novels and hikes the mountains surrounding Vail. His greatest inspiration came from Thomas Thompson, his brother, who wrote many best-selling true-crime books and novels.

Fiction Addict Reviews Story Merchant Client Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Dead Peasants by Larry D. Thompson
Posted by Josh Olds On November - 15 - 2012

Genre: Legal Thriller

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Publication Date: 10/2/2012

Reviewed by Paul Pessolano

While the title Dead Peasants might bring to mind an medieval take of a murderous Queen, this novel by Larry Thompson is actually a legal thriller that deals with the shady practice of employers taking out insurance policies on individuals who no longer work for their company. The hope is that the employer can then collect on the individual’s death without them ever knowing about it. When high-profile lawyer Jack Bryant begins investigating a series of unexplained deaths, it appears that certain employers have taken the unscrupulous legal shenanigans to deadly lengths.

Bryant, fresh off of a stellar case, has decided to retire, move to his hometown of Forth Worth, and live off the money he’s made. He purchases a mansion and falls in love with his Realtor, but, due to some secret from her past, ignores his advances. But retired life is boring, leading Bryant to open up a pro-bono business. And that is when things begin to go awry. When one case leads them to dead bodies, it appears as if they are due to an employer to collect on his “dead peasants.”

This is a great story for those who like a good lawyer based book that has both courtroom drama and old fashion gum-shoe investigation.  The book is well written and suitable for any audience.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Gabookguy Reviews Dead Peasants

“Dead Peasants” by Larry D. Thompson
published by Thomas Dunne Books.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

When I first saw the title of this book I thought it must be the story of a medieval King killing off his serfs.  The term “dead peasants” is actually a legal insurance term for when an employer takes out an insurance policy on his workers and continues to pay the premiums even after his dismissal or retirement.  The employer hopes to collect the benefits upon the person’s death.  This practice has been deemed illegal in most states.

Jack Bryant is a high profile lawyer who has just won a monumental decision that will allow him to retire.  He moves back to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.

He purchases a mansion and falls in love with his realtor but the relationship must remain plutonic as his realtor is hiding something from her past.

Jack finds life a little boring and opens up a “pro bono” business.  One of these cases has Jack, his son, and his realtor looking into several unexplained deaths in the surrounding area.  They all seem to have a common thread and several attempts are made on their lives.

This is a great story for those who like a good lawyer based book that has both courtroom drama and old fashion “gum shoe” investigation. The book is well written and suitable for any audience.

 PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Olivia an Jackson Thompson Are Dead Peasants Biggest Fans

An Advanced Review from Booklist for Story Merchant Client Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Advanced Review

Dead Peasants.

Thompson, Larry D. (Author)

Oct 2012. 304 p. St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, hardcover, $25.99. (9781250009494).

Jack Bryant is an übersuccessful lawyer who decides to retire after winning a huge wrongful-death case. Jack moves back home to Fort Worth where he can spend more time with his college-football-playing son. But he’s really too young to be retired, so he sets up an old RV in a bad part of town, offering free legal help to whoever needs it, and stumbles upon one of the biggest cases in his career. June Davis, widow, accidentally discovers that her husband’s former employer had a very large life-insurance policy, a “dead peasant” policy, on her husband, which made the employer the beneficiary. A string of seemingly unrelated accidental deaths are paying off handsomely for the financially strapped business.  There isn’t much to the mystery that most readers won’t figure out in a hurry, but legal-fiction fans will still appreciate the courtroom scenes. The pacing is fast, the characters well developed, and the lawyer is likable. Grisham aficionados should be delighted with Thompson.

— Stacy Alesi

Booklist Review Story Merchant Client Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Dead Peasants. Thompson, Larry D. (Author) Oct 2012. 304 p. St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, hardcover, $25.99. (9781250009494).

Jack Bryant is an übersuccessful lawyer who decides to retire after winning a huge wrongful-death case. Jack moves back home to Fort Worth where he can spend more time with his college-football-playing son. But he’s really too young to be retired, so he sets up an old RV in a bad part of town, offering free legal help to whoever needs it, and stumbles upon one of the biggest cases in his career. June Davis, widow, accidentally discovers that her husband’s former employer had a very large life-insurance policy, a “dead peasant” policy, on her husband, which made the employer the beneficiary. A string of seemingly unrelated accidental deaths are paying off handsomely for the financially strapped business. There isn’t much to the mystery that most readers won’t figure out in a hurry, but legal-fiction fans will still appreciate the courtroom scenes. The pacing is fast, the characters well developed, and the lawyer is likable. Grisham aficionados should be delighted with Thompson. — Stacy Alesi

The Houston Lawyer Reviews Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Book Review

Dead Peasants
Author:  Larry D. Thompson
Publisher:  Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN:  9781250009494
292 pages


Dead Peasants is part courtroom drama, part romance, and part thriller. Most of all, this is a well-written story that is hard to put down once you open the first page. Dead Peasants is the third novel by Houston attorney Larry D. Thompson, a partner at Lorance & Thompson, P.C., who draws on decades of his legal experience to construct this highly credible page-turner.

The thriller’s main character is Jackson “Jack” Douglas Bryant, an old-school plaintiff’s lawyer—one like so many plaintiff’s lawyers we have known or at least heard about. After a considerably large verdict, Jack decides to retire from his Beaumont practice and relocate to his childhood hometown of Fort Worth. However, it does not take long before Jack gets restless in retirement, and he begins taking on some pro bono cases out of an office he sets up in his luxury RV.

June Davis, one of Jack’s pro bono clients, is a recent widow, who had lost her husband, Willie, of over 50 years. One day June stops by the RV with a check in hand for $400,000, made payable to Willie’s former employer, a car dealership. The post office had accidentally mangled the cover letter and delivered it to her because hers was the only name that they could make out. June and Jack think the large check is  quite odd, considering that Willie had retired 15 years earlier, and earned only $20,000 a year as a porter for the car dealership.

With the post office’s help, June unwittingly discovers what the insurance industry calls a “dead peasant policy.” In their heyday, from the 1980s to early 2000s, some employers would purchase life insurance policies on their low-paid rank-and-file employees without ever telling them. The employers would frequently keep paying the low premiums even after the employees retire or quit. When the covered person dies, the company would cash in on the insurance proceeds, with frequently no money from the payout going to the grieving family. When the public became aware of dead peasant policies, there was such an outcry that many companies stopped buying the policies and most states, like Texas, outlawed them.
   
Jack quickly puts his litigation skills to work and the stakes literally turn into life and death. His initial thought that the case involved only one policy proves wrong, as he uncovers that Willie’s prominent former employer had actually taken out policies on hundreds of other former employees. Further investigation reveals that several of these “peasants” turned up dead over a few short months with unexplained circumstances. When Jack starts turning over too many stones, he is threatened and finds himself amidst a plot that reaches far more than his own personal security and threatens his paramour’s life. 

Revealing much more of the plot line will compromise the suspenseful aspect of this story. Suffice it to say, this is a must-read for lovers of legal thrillers. And the fact that it is set in the familiar settings of Fort Worth and Texas law makes it all the more enjoyable.


Robert Painter is a trial lawyer with the Painter Law Firm PLLC, where he handles medical malpractice cases for plaintiffs. He is an associate editor of The Houston Lawyer.

An Afternoon and Evening With Author Larry D. Thompson - October 11th 1 and 6 pm - Houston Public Library

Larry Thompson Gets a Thrill Out of the Family Profession

By Melody McDonald Special to the Star-Telegram


 
The Fort Worth Library and Barnes and Noble University Village will mark the occasion by co-hosting a book launch party Thursday at the downtown library, where Larry will talk about the role Fort Worth, his law practice and his late brother have had on his career as a suspense writer.

"My brother wanted to be a writer since he was 8 years old," Larry said. "The highlight of his day would be to throw a noun up against a verb and say, 'That's a good phrase I just wrote.' I could never match my brother for his writing ability, but I think I'm a better storyteller. I guess there is something in our gene pool somewhere."

Larry's decision to finally peck out a novel came late in life -- long after he had founded the law firm of Lorance and Thompson and tried hundreds of lawsuits, long after his four children were grown, and long after his big brother died of liver cancer in 1982.

"I don't know if I could have been a good writer when I was 30 years old," Larry said. "Now that I'm in my 70s, I have a lot of experiences to draw on....

"I said, 'What do I know?' I know about lawyers and courtrooms and medicine and doctors. Let's put all that together and see what I can come up with."

What he came up with on his first trip out was 2008's So Help Me God, a legal thriller that put the debate over abortion at the center of a courtroom battle with larger-than-life lawyers.

In a nod to his brother, Larry Thompson took a character who was left in a coma in Tommy's last book, Celebrity, and made him the main character in his first book.

"I thought he was an interesting character," Larry said. "When I decided I was going to write a novel, I decided I was going to wake him up."

In the process, Larry also awoke his passion for fast-paced, suspenseful storytelling. So Help Me God was quickly followed by The Trial in 2011.

"Once I decided I would write a novel, I found I loved the creative process," Larry said. "I'm trying to turn out one book a year. Tommy was only 49 when he died and he still had a lot of good books to write. I figure I'm going to live until I'm 95 and write 20 more books."

The protagonist in Dead Peasants is Jack Bryant, a Beaumont attorney who, after winning an enormous wrongful-death civil suit, retires to Fort Worth. Bryant wants to be closer to his son J.D., an ex-marine who walks on at TCU and becomes a football star. When boredom sets in, Bryant sets up an RV on the city's north side to do pro bono work for the poor.

He winds up representing a widow who discovered that her husband's life insurance proceeds were made payable to the dead man's employer. Bryant sues to collect the benefits and suddenly finds himself in the middle of murder-for-hire serial killings.

Like all of his books, Thompson draws on his vast knowledge of the law and the courtroom to create colorful characters and spin a tale with twists at every turn of the page.

"It is great fun to invent characters and set them on a course and see where they go," Thompson said. "As my brother used to say, there is a little bit of me in every character I write."

In fact, readers may recognize a little bit of themselves in Thompson's characters. The lawyer-turned-author models them after people he knows -- including childhood friends from Fort Worth.

Joe Sherrod, the district attorney in Dead Peasants, is created with Joe Shannon, the current Tarrant County criminal district attorney, in mind.

Sons of Fort Worth schoolteachers, brothers Larry and Tommy Thompson were born with literary genes.

Reading books and penning prose seemed to be part of their DNA. Both aspired to be writers.

But when Tommy realized his dream first and became a nationally acclaimed journalist and author, Larry deliberately changed paths, went to law school and became a prominent civil trial lawyer in Houston.

"I was the kid brother who did not want to follow in his brother's footsteps," said Larry, who is seven years younger. "I wanted to strike out on my own. I took a different route."

But as fate would have it, their destination was the same.

On Tuesday -- 30 years after the death of his beloved brother, who was best known for the true-crime book Blood and Money -- Larry Thompson's third legal thriller, Dead Peasants, hits the bookshelves (St. Martin's, $25.99).

Shannon and Thompson attended Arlington Heights High School together and are longtime friends.

"I had Joe Shannon with his real name in the book and my editor said, 'He's a public figure and we'll have to go through too much red tape,'" Thompson said. "People love to see their name in print."

Indeed, Shannon got a kick out of it.

"I took the book with me on a family vacation," Shannon said in a review for the novel. "I just finished it. I could hardly put it down."

Fort Worth journalist Mike Cochran, author of Texas vs. Davis, also had enthusiastic words for Dead Peasants: "Set in Fort Worth and skipping murderously across Texas, Houston attorney Larry Thompson has whipped out another legal thriller that will propel readers on a riveting ride in, out and around Cowtown, where the author grew up."

Even though Thompson now calls Houston home, Fort Worth still has a strong hold on him.

"I love Fort Worth," Thompson said. "Fort Worth is a town with character, and I wanted that character to come through in my novel. I can't say enough how fun it is to write about Fort Worth."

In fact, Thompson had such a great time writing Dead Peasants that he predicts it will be the first book in a series about Bryant. After all, a lot can be done with a character that constructs an office next to a beer joint on the north side and does legal work for free.

"You just don't know who is going to knock on the door with a problem to solve," Thompson says.

Thompson, who is in the middle of writing his fourth book, Blood Decision, has no intention of winding down his literary or his legal career anytime soon. At 72, he splits his time between the courthouse and his computer.

His big brother, he says, would have been proud.

"Tommy would have been delighted. I guess, in a way, I'm carrying on the family tradition."


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Fran Lewis Reviews Story Merchant Client Larry D. Thompson's Dead Peasants

Look for Larry on Fran Lewis' Book Discussion on BlogTalk radio October 18th

... Dead Peasants is a legal/ murder thriller that will keep you on edge from start to finish until you come to the surprise and shocking conclusion. Once again Larry D. Thompson has penned a five star novel that far surpasses other legal/mystery thrillers. Jack Bryant is a solid character who with the help of our esteemed author will enlighten readers as to why you need to be careful when working for any company: Dead Peasant Polices: You don’t want one taken out on your life!