Undue Influence Author:Shelby Yastrow Chicago attorney Philip Ogden is sitting on the biggest case in the history of his small practice -- and the most unusual. Eighty-three-year-old Benjamin Stillman, a modestly paid accountant at the same firm for over forty years, has died, leaving a will that bequeaths an eight-million-dollar estate to a local synagogue. Why a devout Roman Catho... more »lic would make such a startling bequest is a puzzle. Where the money came from is a full-blown mystery.
To all appearances, Stillman lived an unremarkable life. But the contents of his safe deposit box tell a different story. As more and more claims to the controversial fortune surface, so do shocking accusations and secrets about the dead man's past. Caught in the eye of the legal storm, Philip Ogden sets out to find the truth -- and prepares to face his toughest day in court.« less
I really enjoyed this book. My personal opinion is that it belongs more to the MYSTERY genre that what has been assigned. Yes, sociology plays a role -- as we learn about the ways/means people adapt to $8 dollars.
In the book- Mr. Stillman leaves his money to a synagogue.....but why? You'll also meet a few shady characters (and their lawyers) as they try to contest the will. The books leads you thru the trials (literally and figuratively) of the lawyers as they try to both protect/contest the will.....finally ending in finding the reason why it was left to a synagogue.