A defense attorney, Dobbs, was representing a client charged with a gang related shooting that killed a man and his younger sister. He is told there is a witness in lockup that claims he was there and saw the shooting and that his client wasn't the shooter. He interviews the 18 year old who is scared to death and realizes he is lying when he got key facts of the case wrong. He told him he couldn't put him on the witness stand because he'd purger himself. He feels bad for the kid though because he can tell he's being threatened by the gang and he is obviously just desperate to get away from them. Later when he is in court for a bail hearing for another client he sees the same kid sitting next to his client. When he is in chambers with the judge and other lawyer he asks for the judge to let that boy out on his own recognizance to help him out. That didn't go well because the kid had other outstanding warrants so he dropped it. After that he is learns he is being charged with suborning perjury because the kid claims he said he would put him on the stand to lie for his client.
I had a really hard time believing that would really happen. If that was all it took I think there would be no lawyers left to defend anyone. I could see it maybe if the lawyer actually had him listed as a witness for the trial but that didn't happen. It was just the word of a kid who was obviously scared to death.
A young lawyer, daughter of a retired judge, agrees to represent him and he drives over to meet her at her father's Christmas tree farm. While he's there an old army buddy of her fathers is arrested for attacking a young boy. He agrees to defend him against a dirty cop that planted evidence and he knows has done so before. Things get pretty intense as he tries to learn more about what happened and it seems like the evidence is pointing to the judge instead
I had a really hard time believing that would really happen. If that was all it took I think there would be no lawyers left to defend anyone. I could see it maybe if the lawyer actually had him listed as a witness for the trial but that didn't happen. It was just the word of a kid who was obviously scared to death.
A young lawyer, daughter of a retired judge, agrees to represent him and he drives over to meet her at her father's Christmas tree farm. While he's there an old army buddy of her fathers is arrested for attacking a young boy. He agrees to defend him against a dirty cop that planted evidence and he knows has done so before. Things get pretty intense as he tries to learn more about what happened and it seems like the evidence is pointing to the judge instead
When you start this book, be prepared to keep on reading. It is a book you will not be able to put down. More courtroom drama than a mystery, it will keep you turning the pages tiil the wee hours. I'm not going to review the synopsis, you can read the back cover for that. There are a lot of surprises and twists and turns. You may think you have the characters figured out but not so fast. Good guy? Bad guy? Good cop or bad cop? The surprise ending will blow you away. Excellent book. Eberhardt has written 2 other books. Both were excellent reads. Since all of his books are stand alones you do not have to read them before reading this one. He has a very good "style" and all the books move along at a very fast pace.
Male & female lawyer help each other with two cases, one in SF, the other in Ukiah. The two cases get mixed together in a jailhouse murder that may keep male lawyer in deep trouble.
