What stands out in [Kennedy for the Defense] is its dialog. Higgins' previous works have been commended for their dialog, and in the present case, one must concur. Interestingly, the very quality of the dialog detracts somewhat from its verisimilitude. Most people cannot maintain the level of inventive florid profanity or wry piercing humor that pours forth from most of the characters. The profusion of profanity in fact, from virtually every character, will, in accord with one's own background and experiences, strike one as either very real or very forced. Regardless of this point, however, what the dialog succeeds in accomplishing is a brilliant illumination of the workings of real-world criminal law. Thus while generally being entertained, the reader may indeed learn a thing or two about how the jurisprudence system actually functions.

Tom McNevin, "'Kennedy for the Defense'," in Best Sellers (copyright © 1980 Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation...