I really thought I was going to enjoy this one- I thought that it would be centered more around the murdered adoptive girl and the family (or even the court/trial) but just a small part of that was sandwiched between random thoughts and jumbled political ideals. I probably had to go back 23989423 times to re-read parts because I had no idea what their point was to the story, and I still cannot tell you why. It was as if the author added parts that maybe they would come back to and dive into, but then just left them hanging. They did not enhance the story at all, in fact, to me they made it unbearable.

I will be hesitant to read more from this author in the future, unfortunately.

The Final Case is a short book about a writer who has to help his father get to and from work for a little while. The narrator's father is a defense lawyer, and he has taken on the case of a woman accused of abusing her adopted daughter so badly that she died. The narrator is struggling with his own writer's block, and the story meanders from courthouse drama to obscure conversations in a tea shop owned by his sister. The facts of the case and the relationship between father and son are the most interesting parts of the book. However, from there I must admit that it's not my cup of tea to follow multiple side characters in their stream-of-consciousness dialogue.

The Final Case is trying to be a lot of things, and one of those things is "insightful." It lives in a universe where everyone is saying profound things and quoting Shakespeare and Gatsby. Even the tea shop employees have philosophical debates. While I enjoyed the idea of the father and son working through a case together, overall the book did not work for me. I remember loving Snow Falling on Cedars, but this one did not live up to Guterson's old classic for me.

I was hoping for what I believe everyone is hoping for from The Final Case, which is a story of the caliber of Snow Falling on Cedars. I do not believe that is what The Final Case is. It is a semi-factual account of the author's last case he took on in a court of law. I wish it had been fictionalized more. It reads more like a transcript than a novel. There is no passion in the voice. At least not until the end, and by then, it's too late.

Beautiful prose, as we've come to expect from David Guterson, but...I'm not sure how I feel. It feels a little unfinished, or like it was the idea for many books at once and he couldn't decide where to go? The strength is definitely in the middle, and I did finish, but I didn't love it.

I hate that I didn't love this. When I first cracked it, I was a bit worried. There aren't really chapters - the first 'chapter' is 100 pages and called Pretrial. Even though I loved the connection of the dad and son, the rest was a bit drawn out and I didn't connect to it. And I wanted to - it was a trial charged with the death of a adoptive child, religion and racism. I've started and stopped this a few times and I finally decided to just finish it. I wish I'd loved.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I did not finish this book. I loved Snow Falling on Cedars. However, this book was super slow to start. I could not get into it and I tried many times. I think the rising action was too long and the characters were not compelling.

From the author of Snow Falling on Cedars (PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Winners, 1995) comes a disturbing legal drama. In this fictionalized account, a thirteen-year-old Ethiopian girl adopted by a conservative, white fundamentalist Christian couple is found dead of hypothermia a few feet from the back door of her home in Seattle. Her adoptive parents are put on trial for murder. An octogenarian criminal attorney defends the mother, Betsy Harvey. His son narrates the story as he drives his father to and from court.

In 2013, a jury found Carri and Larry Williams guilty on almost all the charges brought against them: manslaughter of Hana, and for Carri, homicide by abuse. They were also convicted of first-degree assault of a child for abusing her younger brother, Immanuel, both of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. Larry was sentenced to almost 28 years and Carri to just under 37.

Many readers wrote glowing reviews of The Final Case, but mine will not be one of those. I applaud the concept of the book; it is a horrifying, thought-provoking story of an innocent child being disciplined to death by overzealous, cruel parents. David Guterson is a talented storyteller and painted vivid word pictures, but this was a very frustrating read. Much of the book had no bearing on its premise. Why did it matter how the narrator met his wife, etc.? He went down very long, albeit funny, trails of nothing to do with anything. It reminded me of Cliff Clavin on Cheers who liked to hear himself talk.

I just didn’t like the writing. There would be a modicum of plot followed by pages of word explosions. I nearly shut the book because of the overdose of adjectives and the ridiculously long sentences, one of which was 243 words long! Not for me. 2 stars.

** Thanks toNetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

Guterson's newest novel centers on a father-son relationship as a writer (who has professed he will not write another book) provides transportation for his aging father who despite not being able to drive is still a practicing attorney. The first half of the book centers on what the son witnesses as the father provides defense for a woman accused of killing her adopted daughter by abuse and in telling that part of the story, I think Guterson's writing shines. But then there is an abrupt change (will not reveal a spoiler) and I felt completely lost as a reader. In the final pages of the book, the writer son goes through his father's papers and briefcase, and here I was able to feel the novel back on track. I received a copy from Netgalley and all opinions are mine. What Guterson's purpose in writing this novel was, I am not sure, but I would say he succeeded in portraying the elder lawyer as a man of integrity despite his lifelong career of defending people he felt were guilty.

Adopted by Betsy and Delvin Harvey, Abeba a young girl from Ethiopia dies one rainy evening. The Harvey’s, Christian fundamentalists are accused of her murder.
Royal an octogenarian lawyer from Seattle is asked to defend Betsy. Royal agrees to take the case. No longer allowed to drive, Royal enlists the help of his son a novelist and the story’s narrator. The son drives his father to court and observes the trial.
THE FINAL CASE provides a look into the justice system and a look into family life.
At times I found the story disturbing. At one point the story veered away from the trial and I wondered if it would go back.
Overall I liked THE FINAL CASE.
Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced digital edition of this book.

While fascinating in topic, it lost me in the execution. Preachy and what someone called "word salad" were the things which made me trail off quite often

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. The Final Case by David Guterson is the first for me from this author. I really enjoyed his writing style, as well as the storyline. Royal, who is in his 80s, is at the end of his law career, when he decides to take on a case involving the death of a little girl. Royal leans on his writer son as he wades through the complicated mess of this case, which accuses the girl's adoptive parents of her death. This story touches on race as well as organized religion. Royal's son is actually the narrator of this story, which I found to be an interesting choice. I do recommend this book.

At the heart of this novel is the cruel death from abuse of an adopted Ethiopian girl at the hands of her American Christian fundamentalist parents. The narrator’s father takes on the case for the defence. This core narrative is a gripping and moving one and draws the reader right into the circumstances of the child’s death and the subsequent court case. But it felt as though Guterson couldn’t just rest with this but had to add various irrelevant digressions and self-indulgent screeds, monologues that added nothing to the story. He explores many important issues, not least fundamentalist religion and child abuse but then pads it all out with unnecessary verbiage. There are just too many words here and that’s a real shame because it detracts from what is otherwise a really compelling narrative. I can’t help feeling a ruthless editor was needed. However, that said, I did in fact really enjoy the book even though it was disjointed on occasion. I just felt that Guterson wasn’t quite sure where he wanted to go with it. A good read, nevertheless.

Unsettling and thought-provoking plot. I wanted the story to go in a different direction because it felt so sad and true. The father and son relationship carried me through the rough, unjust spots.

I was intrigued by the description of this book and there was much to like, including the author's/narrator's well-crafted subtle admiration and love for his father, the explanation of the case and the (to anyone with human feeling) obvious conclusion, and the clear views provided.

In the second half of the book, though, there are a few tangents that in no way relate to the story. These felt as if the editor missed eliminating some cut-and-paste sections -- sidebar stories of no relevance.

Some moving writing and an interesting case; perhaps just in need of better editing.

A quiet and thought provoking novel about the legal profession and a father and son.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57800385

When I opened "The Final Case" I expected a legal thriller surrounding the abuse and death of an international adoptee. What I found was not that at all, but rather a study of race, religion, family, and aging. It was narrated from a distant point of view with the narrator being the son of the defense attorney for one of the parents being tried rather than the attorney, the child, or the parents. Because of this, it was more analytical and less emotional than I expected as well. I walked away from this book unsettled and unsure. It wasn't what I expected, but the writing was beautiful and I think I still gained something from reading this book.

David Guterson's The Final Case is an emotional story of a father and son. Royal, a long-time Seattle attorney, takes one more pro-bono case to represent a woman who is accused of homicide-by-abuse in the death of her adopted daughter. Royal's son, a writer who is in between books, drives his father to and from court and patiently waits while his elderly father prepares for the trial. The story brings together family, religion, right and wrong. A great book for book discussion groups.

A young adopted girl is found dead just feet from her parents home. It seems a clear cut case of abuse and neglect. The narrator's father, Royal, agrees to defend the adoptive mother. This book isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Is it a crime story, a commentary on the justice system, or a book about the relationship between a father and son? It was a bit unsatisfying.

What a fascinating book! So many themes are examined. It centers around a close father-son relationship, Provocative legal issues are brought up as well as facets of human nature.
The fictional story is such a compelling one and is based on a true event. The writing was beautiful. However, the ending seemed to meander.

I loved “The Final Case” by David Gutterson. His writing is beautiful with long meandering sentences that make you slow down to digest all that is packed in each line. The story also meanders but is reflective of the state of mind of the narrator, a writer who has given up on writing fiction and hasn’t figured out what is next.

Given he is not working, he is available to drive and assist his elderly father who at 83 is still a practicing attorney and has just taken on a difficult case, not because he believes in the innocence of his client but because he believes in the right of due process. His client is a religious, conspiracy believing, despicable white woman who along with her husband is accused of murder by abuse of her black adoptive daughter.
The story combines a tragic court room drama with the lovely, warm family connections the narrator has with his aging parents, his sister and his wife. The writer also is an avid reader, often spending long hours at his sister’s tea café, where he muses over favorite paragraphs, meets other writers seeking his advice, and interacts with strangers.

Some readers have found the book too unstructured for their liking. They did not like that the book did not proceed in one straight line. I found this intriguing and was swept along with whatever the narrator was experiencing and the incredible way he described his thoughts and feelings along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.