The Substitution Order

From Martin Clark—praised by Entertainment Weekly as “our finest legal-thriller writer”—comes a wickedly clever, tenderhearted and intricately plotted novel about a hard-luck lawyer’s refusal to concede defeat, even as fate, the court system and a gang of untouchable con artists conspire against him.

Kevin Moore, once a high-flying Virginia attorney, hits rock bottom after an inexplicably tumultuous summer leaves him not only disbarred but also separated from his wife. Nearly bankrupt and desperate for a job, he lands work in the middle of nowhere at SUBstitution, the world’s saddest sandwich shop. His closest confidants: a rambunctious rescue puppy and the twenty-year-old computer whiz manning the restaurant counter beside him. He’s determined to set his life right again, but the troubles won’t stop coming. And when a bizarre, mysterious stranger wanders into the shop armed with a threatening “invitation” to join a multimillion-dollar scam, Kevin will need every bit of his legal savvy just to stay out of prison.

A remarkable tour of the law’s tricks and hidden trapdoors, The Substitution Order is both wise and ingenious, a wildly entertaining novel that will keep you guessing—and rooting for its tenacious hero—until the very last page.