DAVID SCHMAHMANN
PRAISE FOR NIBBLE & KUHN
The new novel about Law and Love from David Schmahmann has become one of the most highly recommended works of new fiction of the season.
"David Schmahmann tells a wonderful story, and he tells it brilliantly. I expect great success for Nibble & Kuhn, and won’t even be jealous if it arrives. Great book!"
—Robert B. Parker
"Lawyers offer an abundance of literary opportunities and John Grisham, a lawyer himself, is proof of that, but now comes David Schmahmann’s Nibble & Kuhn. Schmahmann is also a practicing lawyer and also an accomplished writer of fiction. For pure entertainment, this novel tells the story of an unraveling law firm, an unwinnable case, and an unworkable love. At the center is Derek Dover who is up for partner at Nibble & Kuhn at precisely the time the Boston law firm decides to “rebrand” itself for the Google era. The partners, pompous and arbitrary, hand him a high visibility case just weeks before trial and, Derek, who has fallen hard for Maria Parma, a new associate, must work with her and the handicap that she’s engaged to someone else. Therein are all the elements of disaster and the fun is watching everything unravel."
—Bookviews, Pick of the Month
"Reading Nibble & Kuhn is like watching a man drive toward a cliff, riveting drama that keeps you turning the pages and wondering how it could possibly end well, with a twist you couldn’t possibly predict. I could not put it down. The characters and settings are so real and familiar you feel as though you are a member of the law firm. David Schmahmann has captured the personalities and idiosyncracies of large corporate law firms brilliantly."
—Robert Dugoni,
New York Times Bestselling
Author of Wrongful Death
"In his latest, author and attorney Schmahmann creates a world of cutthroat partners and sordid love affairs in the law firm of Nibble & Kuhn. Our protagonist Derek Dover is a cold but admirable professional (TV fans will find more than an initial resemblance to beloved but beguiling Mad Men hero Don Draper) struggling to become a partner while wrestling with a seemingly impossible case, trying to prove that a leaky chemical plant has caused cancer in a group of young boys with virtually no evidence. With the help of a wacky scientist and a backwoods lawyer, Dover heads to court accompanied by the firm’s beautiful new lawyer, Maria. An illicit affair with Maria brings further complications to bear, but Dover keeps his cool and prevails. Despite a slow start, Schmahmann’s skilled character development guides this courtroom potboiler to a neat finish. (Dec.)"
—Publishers Weekly
"Mr. Schmahmann writes with polished perception and dark humor. His fictitious Boston law firm, Nibble & Kuhn, rings true to life in all its irony. Nibble & Kuhn is not a book you’ll snack on. It’s a tasty literary meal that improves with each turn of the page.."
—Bernard Judge,
Editor Emeritus, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
"Schmahmann (Empire Settings, 2001) takes a sardonic look at the law and justice in this smoothly told love story…."
—Booklist
"[R]eminiscent of early John Grisham, when his characters were still fresh, and his plots original...."
—Lou Miller, Kennebooks
Hub lawyers are reading between the lines of “Nibble & Kuhn,” a new novel by David Schmahmann, to see if they recognize any of the characters. This legal thriller/love story takes place at a Boston law firm that’s trying to rebrand itself in a tough economy. When a young attorney up for partnership is handed a controversial contamination case, he discovers his future (and his romance with a sexy colleague) may both hinge on winning a case that’s seemingly unwinnable. Schmahmann, a former Boston attorney, knows whereof he writes.
—Mat Schaffer. Boston Herald
"Nibble & Kuhn by David Schmahmann is a satirical look at corporate law firms replete with arrogant partners, overworked associates and trumped up lawsuits. No wonder there are so many nasty lawyer jokes around! It is a good page turner that evokes both laughter and anger."
—Reviewed by Enid Grabiner for RebeccasReads.com
"There is nothing predictable about Nibble & Kuhn. David Schmahmann writes an intelligent story that picks up speed as you read and by the end you really can't put it down… As the story unravels, and snowballs to its superb ending, Schmahmann lets the readers get an inside glimpse of the inner workings of a large corporate law firm. Nibble & Kuhn is written with such clarity and brilliance, that whether you work at a law firm or not, you will appreciate [its] subtleties..."
—Leah Klein, Goodreads.com
"Schmahmann’s skewering of law firm life is wickedly funny...."
—Bookconscious
"It is a shock to see what happens [at the end of Nibble & Kuhn]. How many times do you get to read a great novel that has a wonderful storyline and just the right amount of romance?"
—Reviewed by Julie Moderson for Bestsellersworld.com
"This is a unique and very good book... a definite must-read."
—Irene Watson for Readerviews
"[W]e're ... going to steal Schmahmann's good lines ... It's insulting to say these things about law firms and libelous to say them about judges. We just wanted to share, so that you could, er, join our outrage."
—Drug and Device Law Blog
"[L]augh out loud funny..."
—Joemmamas
"I liked Nibble & Kuhn. Not least for the name... [It's] part emotional drama, part comedy, and part satire. All told in a crisp, clean narrative by author David Schmahmann. You'll shake your head at some of the goings on at the moving-on-up law firm, wince at Derek's case, and laugh out loud at the re-branding of Nibble & Kuhn. All while rooting for Derek and Maria."
—Drey's Library
"An irony-tinged look inside a large law firm... Schmahmann lets us know his tongue is often firmly in cheek so that when he diverges from actual practice even those of us who notice can still chuckle at his look at litigation and law firm life."
—Tim Gebhart in Book Reviews
"[A] lighthearted look at a law firm gone mad. Despite the failings of the firm’s overall leadership and the despicable nature of the man at the very top, David Schmahmann finds enough humor in Derek Dover’s situation to make this one fun to read. His story is, of course, absurd. Or is it?"
—Sam Sattler for Book Chase
[A] very realistic ... satire of the law. [T]he trial ... is a comedy of errors ... made me laugh so hard.
—The Blue Stocking Guide