I don't know many trial lawyers who sleep through the night. Most of us endure nocturnal agonies: The question not asked; the witness not called; the report not understood. Things go bump in the dead of night.
I keep a pile of good books next to my bed. When the midnight chatter comes -- actually it starts at about 2 a.m. for me -- I pick one and read, finding solace in other worlds.
The other night I stumbled on a short gem that I am recommending. Checkpoint, by Nicholson Baker. The book is composed entirely in dialogue form and recounts a conversation one afternoon between two old friends. One has murder on his mind.
I won't say more about the plot, such as it is. The book is scarcely more than 100 pages. The sort of thing you can read before the sun rises and ponder during a judge's charge to the jury.
Baker is a good and reliable read. This is his tenth book. I haven't read them all, but I will. (And a hearty thank you to Vince Valvo of The Connecticut Law Tribune for turning me on to Baker.)
