The Pelican Brief

More than a brief, the pelican brief is a succinct, fascinating story about a lawsuit in Louisiana. It consists of four pages of facts, three pages of histories of the parties, a page of trial summary, a mention of an appeal, and three pages showing an implausible trail to the removal of Rosenberg and Jensen. Brilliant Tulane law student Shaw, the author, seems to lose steam at the end, but is clear, free of double-talk and legal lingo, and compelling. Shaw concludes that recluse oil mogul Victor Mattiece stands to gain from their deaths and includes a photograph of the President shaking hands with him a decade earlier. Soon after completing the work, Shaw discards her own theory.

The pelican brief begins circulating, with Shaw's name, address, and phone number on the cover sheet. Her professor and lover, Thomas Callahan, gives it to an old...