It was Sandi’s second year in law school when her brother, Joe, died in the Middle East. Joe returned in a sealed coffin, and the military told his family that he had died in an auto crash. Sandi tried to move on and started working part-time at a law firm. When the firm received the case of a whistleblower who exposed a company producing bio-agents, Sandi’s boss asked her to do research. She discovered that Joe died under different circumstances than what the military told her family. Sandi also thought his death may have a link to the bio-agent story. Unfortunately, people close to the case started dropping dead, and Sandi’s life was on the line. Who killed Joe? Is Sandi courageous enough to fight for justice? Read Raw Deal by Lee Fishman for the details.

Raw Deal by Lee Fishman is a book that kept me on the edge of my seat. It will appeal to lovers of crime, suspense, mystery, and sleuth novels. This story intrigued me because it was a classic case of looking more and seeing less. We do not know what happens in large corporations and government parastatals. I thought about pandemics like COVID-19 and Ebola and the conspiracy theories behind them. Were the diseases natural or synthesized? I also connected with Sandi’s character. Her bravery and recklessness excited and scared me. Yet, she always took advantage of Ned. Dave was my least favorite character. He received things on a platter for so long that he became entitled. Ken Daly had a beautiful ending, but Tony, Greta, and Len deserved better. Thank you for a brilliant plot, storyline, and characters. Keep writing, Lee.

Raw Deal: A Coverup Turns Deadly by Lee Fishman is the story of the sudden and unexpected death of a young soldier, Joe, who had a promising life ahead of him. Upon finding out about his death, reported as an accident while on duty, his family is devastated. With Sandi as the only living child and her father working fewer hours, she wants to step up and cover her expenses and lift her family’s burden. She accepts a job from a family friend and criminal lawyer, Len Krause. After starting to work for Len and meeting her brother’s best friend, Tony, she learns that the government was not honest about the cause of her brother’s death. Before his death, Sandi was just a second-year law student scraping by, but now she wants nothing more than to avenge her brother’s death and plunges headfirst into a deadly mission.

Raw Deal by Lee Fishman is exciting, gripping, and suspenseful. I enjoyed the fast pace of the narrative and how well the author thought through every detail, ensuring these were all connected. The book starts with Joe's death and immediately I felt connected to this well-loved character. Lee did an incredible job of developing memorable characters. Evidence of this is the impression characters like Joe and his best friend Tony had. Even though they were featured only briefly, I still remembered them until the end. Though Sandi had no exceptional talents, she managed to maintain my interest because I could relate to her desire to find out the truth about her brother’s death. The book is well-written and entertaining.