The Emperor of Ocean Park.

• Position: Book Review

By Stephen L. Carter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 2002. Pp. 657. $26.95.

In his first foray into the realm of fiction, Yale law professor Stephen Carter relates the story of Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor thrust into a dangerous underworld of intrigue and corruption by the mysterious death of his father, a former federal judge. Talcott receives a cryptic final letter from the judge, imparting to his son the responsibility of caring for his "arrangements." To divine the meaning of this message, Talcott must navigate a landscape peopled by a cast of enigmatic figures--federal agents, Washington lawyers, law professors--none of whom can be trusted fully. Carter weaves an intricate legal thriller that keeps the reader eagerly turning the page.

While Carter lays a masterly foundation over the first 500 pages, the climax is somewhat...