Characters The Hamptons Lawyer James Patterson & Mike Lupica

Jimmy Cunniff: The Loyal Partner in The Hamptons Lawyer

Overview

Jimmy Cunniff is the former NYPD detective turned private investigator and partner to criminal defense attorney Jane Smith in The Hamptons Lawyer. A man of fierce loyalty and street-smart instincts, Jimmy acts as Jane’s protector, confidant, and investigative muscle. His background as a cop who left the force under a cloud—and his ongoing war with corrupt former colleagues—shapes every decision he makes. Though he openly doubts their client Rob Jacobson’s innocence, Jimmy subordinates his own misgivings to support Jane, even as her terminal cancer diagnosis strains their partnership. By the novel’s end, Jimmy’s stubborn refusal to let go of the truth—and his willingness to cross ethical lines—proves essential to cracking the case.

Plot Role

Jimmy occupies a dual role: the partner who keeps Jane grounded and the investigator who follows leads the legal system cannot. He tracks down witnesses like Jeb Bernstein, intimidates suspects, and eventually serves a subpoena on mob boss Sonny Blum by hiding it under his Yankees cap. His hands-on work—searching Rob Jacobson’s town house, confronting Jacobson with teenage girls, and surveilling the Carson murder scene—gives the defense the leverage it needs. More than a sidekick, Jimmy is the emotional anchor who refuses to let Jane give up, even when her treatment fails. His arc culminates in the raid that captures the real killers, Eric Jacobson and Edmund McKenzie, where he fires the final shot for the victims.

Motivations and Traits Revealed Through Actions

Jimmy is driven by two intertwined forces: an almost paternal devotion to Jane and a stubborn pursuit of justice that does not always align with legal niceties. When Jane hides the severity of her cancer, Jimmy bypasses her privacy by confronting her doctor Sam Wylie directly (Chapter 19). He yells at Jane to stop lying, revealing how much her well-being means to him. His willingness to use a fake badge, plant a subpoena on his head, and threaten a mobster like Sonny Blum shows a man who believes the ends justify the means when innocent lives are at stake. Yet Jimmy also wrestles with his own moral compromises—he admits to feeling guilty about aiding a client he suspects is guilty (Chapter 46). His trademark sarcasm (“Take a ticket”) masks a deep sensitivity, especially toward the Carson family’s tragedy.

Chronological Arc

  • Opening Partnership (Chapters 1-2): Jimmy and Jane compete at the shooting range, their banter revealing years of shared danger. Jimmy questions whether Jane can handle another trial given her cancer.
  • Confronting Jacobson (Chapter 5): Jimmy uses a fake NYPD badge to enter Rob Jacobson’s town house, catches him with teenage girls, and physically intimidates him into returning to the Hamptons.
  • Cancer Confrontation (Chapters 18-19): After Jane returns from Switzerland, Jimmy force-drives her to admit her treatment is failing. He demands she find another lawyer; she refuses.
  • Harrington’s Release (Chapter 17): Jimmy watches Paul Harrington walk free because of a legal technicality. He shoves Harrington and earns a threat of arrest.
  • Investigating the Mob (Chapter 38): Jimmy meets Jeb Bernstein at Café Luxembourg, using an old informant’s tip to probe Sonny Blum’s organization.
  • Serving Blum (Chapter 97): At a safe house, Jimmy serves a subpoena on Sonny Blum by hiding it under his Yankees cap, telling the mobster “You’ve been served.”
  • Carson House Search (Chapter 113): Jimmy and Danny Esposito re-examine the murder scene, searching for something everyone else missed. Jimmy feels the sadness of the victims’ rooms.
  • Final Arrest (Chapter 115): Jimmy and Esposito arrest Eric Jacobson and Edmund McKenzie. When McKenzie draws a gun, Jimmy fires the decisive shots, ending the case.

Relationships

Jane Smith

The core of Jimmy’s life. He trusts her implicitly but refuses to let her lie to him about her health. He calls her “his partner” in every sense, and his love is expressed through actions: staying overnight after her house is shot up, forcing her to drink water, and declaring “I won’t allow you to die” (Chapter 75). Their partnership is tested when Jimmy wants to quit the case; Jane’s stubborn smile in response proves they are alike.

Rob Jacobson

Jimmy despises Jacobson from the start, calling him a “lowlife” and privately hoping he is convicted (Chapter 42). Yet he does his job because Jane believes in Jacobson’s innocence. The tension culminates in Jimmy physically grabbing Jacobson’s shorts (Chapter 5) and later tearing up at the idea of defending a serial killer (Chapter 23).

Sonny Blum

A wary, adversarial relationship. Blum offers Jimmy a job (Chapter 75); Jimmy refuses but hints at sharing information. Later he serves Blum a subpoena, earning a death threat. Jimmy sees Blum as a means to an end—someone who might know the truth about the Carsons, but not to be trusted.

Danny Esposito

The state trooper becomes Jimmy’s closest ally in law enforcement. They share a dark sense of humor and mutual respect. Esposito’s discovery of Eric Jacobson in a yearbook provides the break Jimmy needs, and they work together in the final arrest.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  • Confronting Jacobson about the ankle monitor: Jimmy forces Jacobson back to the Hamptons, which keeps him in custody but deepens Jimmy’s contempt. The decision preserves the trial but strains his conscience.
  • Visiting Dr. Wylie without Jane’s permission: This violation of trust creates a rift, but it also forces Jane to be honest. Jimmy’s anger shows how deeply he cares.
  • Serving the subpoena on Sonny Blum: Jimmy risks his life—Blum’s men could have killed him—but ensures Blum must testify, shifting the trial’s focus. The move nearly gets Jane killed, as Blum sends a death threat (Chapter 48).
  • Not firing on Eric Jacobson during the arrest: Jimmy holds his fire when Jacobson surrenders, showing he still believes in due process. He instead targets the armed McKenzie, eliminating the immediate threat.
  • Firing the final shot at McKenzie: That bullet is for the Carson family, especially Morgan. It closes the case but leaves Jimmy carrying the weight of killing a man, even a guilty one.

Themes and Symbol Connections

  • Justice vs. Truth (theme page: /books/the-hamptons-lawyer/themes/justice-vs-truth/): Jimmy operates in the gray area between legal justice and factual truth. He plants a subpoena, uses a fake badge, and withholds evidence from the court—all to uncover the real killers. His arc asks whether the ends ever justify corrupt means.
  • Loyalty and Betrayal (theme page: /books/the-hamptons-lawyer/themes/loyalty-and-betrayal/): Jimmy’s loyalty to Jane is absolute, but his loyalty to the truth sometimes conflicts with his duties as a defense investigator. He betrays Jacobson’s confidence by searching for evidence of guilt.
  • Mortality and Cancer (theme page: /books/the-hamptons-lawyer/themes/mortality-and-cancer/): Jane’s cancer forces Jimmy to face his own fear of loss. He drives her to doctor’s appointments and refuses to let her give up. His line “I won’t allow you to die” is both stubborn love and a coping mechanism.
  • Corruption and Power (theme page: /books/the-hamptons-lawyer/themes/corruption-and-power/): Jimmy’s career was derailed by corrupt cops like Paul Harrington. His hatred of Harrington fuels his investigation and mirrors the larger systemic corruption in the novel.
  • Hope and Redemption (theme page: /books/the-hamptons-lawyer/themes/hope-and-redemption/): Jimmy hopes Jane will beat cancer, and he hopes to redeem his own past by solving the Carson murders. The final arrest gives him a measure of redemption, though the emotional cost remains.

Book-Specific Questions and Answers

Q1: Why does Jimmy continue working for Rob Jacobson even though he believes Jacobson is guilty? A1: Jimmy does it for Jane. He tells himself he is “aiding and abetting” his client (Chapter 46), but his real loyalty is to his partner. He hopes Jacobson will be convicted so Jane can have her first loss, but he cannot abandon her when she needs him.

Q2: How does Jimmy discover the truth about Eric Jacobson and Edmund McKenzie? A2: Jimmy re-examines the Carson house and finds a yearbook photo showing Eric Jacobson sitting behind Morgan Carson at a football game (Chapter 113). That clue, combined with Danny Esposito’s tracking device on McKenzie’s car, leads to the arrest.

Q3: What is Jimmy’s relationship with Sonny Blum, and why does Blum trust him enough to meet? A3: Blum sees Jimmy as a useful tool—a former cop who shares an interest in finding the real killer. Blum offers Jimmy a job (Chapter 74) and later allows him to serve a subpoena because he believes Jimmy is playing a double game. In truth, Jimmy is working to bring Blum’s associates to justice.

Q4: Does Jimmy ever succeed in getting Jane to quit the case? A4: No. Despite yelling at her, demanding she find another lawyer, and even threatening to walk away, Jane’s stubborn refusal—and her smile—makes him stay. He realizes she will never quit, so he throws his full support behind her.

Q5: What is the significance of Jimmy’s final line to Eric Jacobson after the shootout? A5: When Jacobson says “I want a lawyer,” Jimmy replies, “The best one’s taken. Pity.” He is referring to Jane Smith, implying that Jacobson does not deserve her representation. The line shows Jimmy’s contempt for Jacobson and his respect for Jane’s skills.

For deeper analysis, see the overall book guide, the ending explained, or the themes page on justice vs. truth. For more character details, explore the question-and-answer section.