TIM GREANEY
Tommy McNeely, a former federal prosecutor frustrated by his failure to land Wall Street hedge fund sharks, has moved on to become a professor at St. Sebastian School of Law. As a newly appointed dean, he discovers that the domineering university president, a Catholic priest, is plotting to sell out the law school to pharmaceutical industry lobbyists looking to cloak their think tank in academic garb. He finds an unlikely ally in Maggie Holloran, a second-year law student facing her own trials in running her ailing father’s dive bar while also confronting charges of plagiarizing her paper on abortion law. Set during the days of the lawless Trump Administration as McNeely tries to find meaning in the “Rule of Law,” this satire tackles political, class, religious, and legal divides blending humor with thoughtful insights into the lives of contemporary law students and faculty.
The Reviews are in:
How St. Sebastian School of Law Exposes The Humor And Dark Side of Legal Education (read review here)
--John Michael, in The Medium
The author moves with amazing agility and insight between the corrupt world of higher education, the bars and strip joints where information passes hands, and the corridors of the rich and the powerful.
Greaney’s novel demands full attention from the reader; its portrayal of a small struggling campus is a cross-sectional study of the deep-seated issues in American society . . . Timely and unapologetically smart, with a set of memorable characters to boot
—KIRKUS REVIEW
A thought-provoking piece of a book's genre that blends aspects of legal drama, academics, and social commentary . . . a meticulously crafted work of other fiction that brings the academic and legal worlds to life .
A profound investigation of moral and ethical quandaries within the academic and legal domains.
—ONLINE BOOK CLUB REVIEW
Greaney’s wicked wit shines in this first-class satire, abounding with unforgettable characters, as entertaining as it insightful and shrewd.
—Elizabeth McKenzie
author of
The Portable Veblen and
The Dog of the North
Flat out hilarious. . . . What stands out is Greaney’s wry sense of humor, which surfaces repeatedly with his character’s observations about his fellow legal academics, among others. . . . A superbly entertaining read, especially for anyone with a legal or academic background.
—Elizabeth Hyde
author of Go Ask Fannie, In the Heart of the Canyon,
The Abortionist's Daughter, Crazy as Chocolate, Monoosook Valley
.
Can idealism coexist with the slippery Rules of Law in the era of Trump? Fast-paced and funny, this book makes its case brilliantly.
—GOODREADS REVIEW
THE LAWYER HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: THE BEST GIFTS FOR THE LAWYER IN YOUR LIFE
Above the Law (December, 2023)
Selected Comments from Amazon on-Line reviews:
- Greaney does for law schools what Breslin did for the Mafia.
- This book is written with intelligence, insight and wry humor.
- A wicked, searing social commentary . . . a must-read and entirely entertaining as a bonus!
- Greaney uses the vehicle of satire in the setting of a law school to challenge us to think about the influence of power and money, ethics and relationships all the while telling a good story. Please write another.
- St. Sebastian SoL is a reminder that the cost of doing business in academia is often fraught with corporate intrusions and ethical peril. It’s a witty page-turner that left me anxiously awaiting the next chapter in Greaney’s literary career.
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
Painting by Antonio del Pollaiuolo and Piero del Pollaiuolo
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is a large altarpiece by the brothers Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo, commissioned by the Florentine Pucci family and now in the National Gallery, London.