Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver

by Carol4 Comments
We know the facts in Anatomy of a Murder from early in the book. The defendant's wife, Laura, was raped by the local innkeeper and the defendant, army lieutenant Frederic Manion, took a gun, went to the bar, and shot and killed the rapist. He reported that he had done so and was taken into custody. It becomes Biegler's duty to try to get him off. The defense? Irresistable impulse, a type of temporary insanity. The story was broken into two parts: the investigation and the trial. The investigation is not a whodunnit , obviously, it was looking at all the players in the story, finding out all the ins and outs, who knew what when, what the people involved were like. The trial was fascinating. The back and forth between the lawyers, the interjections from the judge, the witnesses' statements, and jury reactions all kept me involved in the story. Our defense attorney and the narrator of the story,...
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Anatomy of a Scandal by Sara Vaughan

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sara Vaughan

by Carol2 Comments
Anatomy of a Scandal is a very timely courtroom drama. Just a warning, there is going to be a minor spoiler here. I don't think I can help it. Handsome, charming James, a Junior Home Office Minister, is accused of rape by an ex-lover. Sophie is his wife who believes, at least at first,  that he could never have done such a heinous thing. Kate is the lawyer determined to prove him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt- and she doesn't have any doubt. The story flowed well. It's not a nail-biting thriller, but it's tense and emotion-filled. We see James and Sophie in their college days, along with their friends. We know what they were like then and who they became. We learn that some things change, and others don't. It's a story that sucks you in, but I'm not sure I really enjoyed it. First, there's never any doubt for the reader about James guilt, just whether the jury will believe...
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Spotlight on Fatal Reunion Ken Malovos

by CarolNo Comments
Book Excerpt: The phone rang at the suburban home of attorney Mike Zorich around one- thirty on a Sunday afternoon in October. Mike put down the crossword puzzle and hit the mute button on his remote. He could still watch the San Francisco 49er football game as the players ran around silently on the screen. He wondered who would be calling him at this hour. “Mr. Zorich, how are you? This is Detective Tom Kirkland, Sacramento P.D.” “Detective Kirkland, it’s been some time since we spoke.” “I understand you spent last night talking to the reunion party at the Sheraton.” “I did, but how would you know that?” “I have one of the alums here at the station and he told me all about it. In fact, he would like to talk to you. His name is Jason Robinson. We have him on an open homicide investigation. Okay?” “Yeah, sure. Put him on.” There was a pause and a couple of clicks on the other end of the line. “Mr....
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The Genesis of Roger Legion: Guest post by Vince Aiello, author of Legion’s Lawyers

by CarolNo Comments
Today I'm happy to welcome Vince Aiello, author of Legion's Lawyers, to my notebook today. He's discussing on of his main characters. The Genesis of Roger Legion By Vince Aiello When I first set out to create a character that would be the leader of a pre-eminent insurance defense law firm, I looked to my experience. There were great lawyers, there were fools, and there were incompetent lawyers that do a disservice to the profession. One thing that all the great lawyers possessed was that they were sociopaths. In the courtroom, they had flair and panache, but when they dealt with others, they were simply terrible people. They would yell and scream, make misogynistic jokes, and let you know that your life doesn’t matter. What matters is billing the client and winning; either in the courtroom or through settlement. What I wanted next was a man with a warrior mentality. Someone who had no problem with throwing a punch, no fear, and would be...
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