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Mark A. Shaiken
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Fresh Start (3J Legal Thriller) Kindle Edition

by Mark Shaiken (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 53 ratings
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A secret family legacy becomes a ticking time bomb ...

Skyscraper developer, Quincy Witherman, has continued his family's two-hundred-year practice of hiding assets in Switzerland. Now, needing protection from his creditors, he hires Kansas City bankruptcy lawyer Josephina Jillian Jones – 3J – but fails to disclose the Swiss assets to 3J, his bankers, the IRS, and the bankruptcy court ... all felonies.

3J knows in her gut that something is wrong. So does Witherman's banker, Stacy Milnes.

Will anyone catch him?

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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    3J Legal Thriller
  2. Print length
    408 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    July 26, 2021
  6. File size
    4784 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're looking for a legal drama reminiscent of John Grisham, . . . Mark Shaiken's Fresh Start should be next on your reading list." Indies Today "Shaiken's intricately engrossing debut installment in his legal thriller series, featuring the endearing bankruptcy lawyer Josephina Jillian Jones offers a clever, compelling plot coupled with financial intrigue....This is a rousing outing from a talented author." BookView Review "tightly written, tautly paced, and absolutely absorbing." Ricochet review by Seawriter.

About the Author

Mark lives with his wife Loren and their dog Emily in Denver, Colorado. He schooled at Haverford College and Washburn University, and practiced commercial bankruptcy law for almost forty years before moving on in 2019 to write, volunteer, travel, and play music. He is the author of the following books in his award-winning 3J Legal Thriller Series, all set in Kansas City, with a backdrop of Jazz, BBQ and history: "Unfair Discrimination," "Automatic Stay," and "Fresh Start." He is also the author of "And . . Just Like That - essays on a life before, during, and after the law" (a memoir of a not famous lawyer). He has just finished the next in the 3J series, "Cram Down," which he expects will be published Fall, 2023. Connect with Mark at

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B099SDJ9NL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mark Shaiken / 1609 Press LLC (July 26, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 26, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4784 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 53 ratings

About the author

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Mark A. Shaiken

Mark A. Shaiken

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Mark lives with his wife Loren and their dog Emily in Denver, Colorado. He schooled at Haverford College and Washburn University, and practiced commercial bankruptcy law for almost forty years before moving on in 2019 to write, volunteer, travel, and play music. He is the author of the following books in his award-winning 3J Legal Thriller Series, all set in Kansas City, with a backdrop of Jazz, BBQ and history: "Cram Down" (2023); "Unfair Discrimination" (2022); "Automatic Stay" (2022); and "Fresh Start" (2021). He is also the author of "And . . Just Like That - essays on a life before, during, and after the law" (a memoir of a not famous lawyer) (2020)..

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
53 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kcwanderer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for all, legal thriller you can’t put down.
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
Mark Shaiken excels at introducing you to a host of professionals, including one Quincy Witherman a Kansas City based Commercial Real Estate Developer who lands himself in hot water after his Bank seeks debt reduction on his loans for legit reasons. Quincy chooses the path of Bankruptcy protection - a time honored process - that will allow a Fresh Start for deserving debtors. But due to Quincy’s dark, Generational Legacy he’s been tethered to, the process quickly takes him down a spiraled, shrouded, destructive path. His life becomes intertwined with a particular selfish, driven Banker, “on his side” Attorneys, and ultimately has a Federal Bankruptcy Judge writing his genealogical history!
This legal thriller struck all the perfect chords for me! It will have you loving lawyers, understanding the complexity and fast-pace by business bankruptcy and for me …siding a bit with the underdog. Great read!!! Well written. Shaiken has you connecting with all his characters, while giving you a well defined look at the Bankruptcy process. I found myself planning to visit all the cleverly named Kansas City hot spots. I did not want it to end and am very hopeful for a next installment of all these fabulous characters.
One person found this helpful
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Miss Thistlebottom
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021
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I do not ordinarily read legal procedural novels, but I bought this book after a friend mentioned on social media that her brother-in-law had just published a novel. I was intrigued enough to buy the book. Even though this book is not my cup of tea, it was well written, with a plot that is not totally predicable. The protagonist, Quincy, is forced into bankruptcy to save his property management business. The problem is, he has failed to report substantial hidden assets to the IRS, on the bank loan applications, nor on the bankruptcy filings. Things do not go well for Quincy. Perspective shifts from Quincy to the lawyers, the bankers, the judge and other characters so each person’s perspective on the case becomes clear. It was not hard to follow the frequent shifts in perspective and it helped to move the legal process along. It also helped to make some of the characters more believable. However, it was sad to see that so many of them had very little personal life or interests beyond work. I did enjoy that the book was set in Kansas City, with some trips to St. Louis. Since I have lived in both cities, I enjoyed the references to locations and culture. That may be what kept me going through the book. The book was well written. The author did a good job of explaining the complexities of bankruptcy and legal processes. He even managed to make the cyber sleuthing plausible. I probably will not read the next book Mr. Shaiken has planned, but anyone who enjoys this type of novel will not be disappointed.
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Allen Huffstutter
5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew bankruptcy could provide the background for a good read!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
At the start of the first day of my first college level accounting class, the assistant prof bounded into the classroom and announced that he was going to make accounting fun. He didn't quit succeed in making accounting fun, but he did make it interesting.

Shanken's book "Fresh Start" weaves an intricate tale that makes bankruptcy, if not fun, interesting. Mark clearly knows his way around Kansas City, jazz, and bankruptcy court.

"Fresh Start" is a good read and I'm looking forward to his next "3J" offering.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story with memorable characters—movie material!
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
Mark sets up key characters In this non-fiction book which we will definitely meet again. The historical family storyline and present day story adds an a pleasant twist. His writing and descriptions of multiple cities are genuine. His discussions of the client’s legal issues are real (I was a bankruptcy paralegal!) but do not weigh down the story.
Finally, depending on your view of financial issues you can pick one of the key character and say who is the bad guy, but as for me I was routing for the debtor and his GF to get away with it! Can’t wait for the next round of legal issues for 3J to tackle. Congrats on a great story Mark.
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Mary Jensen
2.0 out of 5 stars Slow moving and tedious
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023
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Two anti-heroes battle it out in a clunkily written legal drama. From a bankruptcy perspective, the absence of US Trustee personnel was weird and warped the procedural aspect of the story. Under developed characters and too many popping in and out. I used this as my go to sleep book because I could read a few pages and easily put it down each night.
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Nicholas Zluticky
5.0 out of 5 stars An Enthralling Tale of the Cost of Using the Ends to Justify the Means
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021
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This thriller/mystery novel was a joy to read. The author's descriptions of the settings really made me feel like I was there in the story watching everything unfold. I enjoyed that in this novel, like in life, sometimes there are no perfect protagonists and everyone has their faults and foibles. The characters of 3J, Pascale, Quincy, Stacy, and even some of the more background players like the Judge and Dennis Sample were so well-crafted that I wanted to keep reading to know what happened to each of them. This is a real page-turner and I'm hoping we get to see more 3J stories in the future!
One person found this helpful
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M. Berges
4.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyed
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2022
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Looking forward to more from the author
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Sue 53
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting twists
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
We love this book. The author is able to provide enough information about the legal aspects of the world of finance to make it understandable without getting so bogged in detail as to lose the readers interest. There are some interesting plot twists and the characters are quite interesting, if not all of them are lovable.
We would highly recommend this book, a very enjoyable (and for us, educational in some aspects) read.
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