Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age

By Cait N. Murphy

“A delightful romp through the theatrical courtrooms, seedy back alleys, and elegant parlors of Gilded Age New York.” —James McGrath Morris, author of Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power

“Only Dickens could have done more with this fabulously rich material. Terrific stuff.” —Eric Homberger, author of Mrs. Astor's New York

Cait Murphy, author of Crazy ’08, is back with Scoundrels in Law: a witty, irreverent book that details the life and outrageous times of the law partnership of Howe and Hummel—quite possibly the most colorful one that ever was—and in the process gives a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple at the end of the 19th Century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9780061999475

Cait N. Murphy

Cait Murphy is the author of Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History and has worked at Fortune, the Economist, and the Wall Street Journal Asia in Hong Kong. She lives in New York City.

Reviews for Scoundrels in Law

[jmcilree_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I stopped reading; it was tedious.I stopped mid-chapter on the theatre clients Howe & Hummel defended. It was endless series of vignettes on the mostly minor lawsuits of the theater crowd. There was a chapter on murderers. There was a chapter on thieves. Story after story of people and incidents I don’t care about.The writing is mediocre and her humor is sophomoric. I suppose she’s trying to wink at the reader but for me it was painful.

[jztemple · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A marvelous book, well written and very enjoyable. The scoundrels in question are Howe & Hummel, a pair of shady but somehow very likeable lawyers who practiced in late nineteenth century New York City. They were the Johnny Cochran of their day, acting in service to the rich and famous, the notorious, the crazy and many others. Murphy's narrative style makes the story easy to follow in spite of the many names and places mentioned. Some knowledge of American history isn't necessary, but having some familiarity with the names and events makes the book even more enjoyable. Very much recommended.