Out of corporate life and on his own, lawyer Ben Kincaid sees the seamy side of the law every day. There's no glamour and little reward when it comes to defending the lowlifes who beat down his door. But when a friend is set up for murder, Ben has no choice but to enter the world of hardball litigation and face a judge who despises him in a trial he is guaranteed to lose.
BLIND JUSTICE is a riveting, emotion-packed thriller in which guilt and innocence remain obscure and justice is a matter of opinion.
Lawyer Ben Kincaid has been fired from Tulsa's toniest law firm and is out on his own on the wrong side of town. His clients pay him with live chickens, and a divorce client's ex-husband threatens him with a gun that shoots a flag saying "Boom." Into this lighthearted milieu falls Christina McCall, an old friend, ace legal assistant at Ben's former firm and prime suspect in the gruesome murder of Tony Lombardi, her ex-client and a suspected mob drug-runner. Everything is stacked against Ben and Christina in this courtroom mystery: the presiding judge is Ben's exceptionally unfriendly ex-boss, and the FBI agents in charge of the case are willing to use extra-legal means to obtain the evidence to convict Christina. Lawyer Bernhardt ( Primary Justice ) leavens this workmanlike drama with a variety of interesting characters--including Ben's pawnbroker neighbor who sends him dead gophers in the mail--but can't seem to get the mix of drama and humor quite right. We're convinced of Christina's innocence from the start, and that significantly reduces the tension. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
Out of corporate life and on his own, lawyer Ben Kincaid sees the seamy side of the law every day. There's no glamour and little reward when it comes to defending the lowlifes who beat down his door. But when a friend is set up for murder, Ben has no choice but to enter the world of hardball litigation and face a judge who despises him in a trial he is guaranteed to lose.
BLIND JUSTICE is a riveting, emotion-packed thriller in which guilt and innocence remain obscure and justice is a matter of opinion.
I love my job. Even on the worst day when I can't seem to put together a coherent sentence, I am grateful for having been given this magnificent opportunity to participate in the literary exchange of ideas. My mother says I was telling people I wanted to be a writer when I was seven. I know that seems incredible, but she's my mom, so we have to believe her. I never missed an opportunity to visit the library, which was blissfully near my home, and the librarians there took a great interest in this nerdy, shy, bespectacled kid who kept reappearing almost every day. They encouraged me to read widely and to read the best of everything, and that is exactly what I did and have continued to do all my life.
I sent off my first submission when I was eleven, to Highlights Magazine. This was a poem of which I was particularly proud concerning the Oklahoma Land Run. They turned me down. Yes, that was my first rejection letter. Over the next twenty years, I collected over 400 more of them. No, I'm not exaggerating. I still have them. Every last one. There was a reason, I realize now, why all those compositions were being rejected. They weren't very good. But they improved over time. I didn't know it, but during the entire torturous process of submission and rejection, I was learning how to write.
I finally had my first novel published (by Ballantine, a division of Random House) when I was thirty-one. To some, this may seem an early age to publish, but if you clock it from my first rejection, it took twenty years. That was a great year--my first son, Harry, was born in August, and my first book, Primary Justice, was born in December. The book surprised everyone and the follow-up did even better and before I even realized it I had accomplished my goal--I was a real honest-to-gosh writer. I've been writing ever since. I've written more than twenty novels, edited two anthologies, done two books for children, and published numerous stories, essays, puzzles, and poems. I have three children now, and this job allows me to be present when they come home from school and available when they need me during the day, which is a blessing I could not have anticipated back when I was a seven-year old gazing dreamily at author photos on dust jackets, wishing I could see myself there.
My goals for the future are to continue to learn, to grow, to find new ways of doing my work and doing it better. I think the current interest in thrillers provides a marvelous opportunity to spin bigger and more exciting stories. I've learned that I enjoy teaching, which has led to the William Bernhardt Writing Programs and The Fundamentals of Fiction DVDs, as well as many speaking and teaching engagements throughout the year. My interest in mentoring aspiring writers led me to start the Small-Group Seminars and Master Classes, which allow me to teach my favorite subject all across the nation. And in my personal life, my goal is I to be the best parent possible to Harry, Alice, and Ralph, and the best possible partner to my wife, Marcia. I'm very excited about the future--my personal life with these extraordinary people, and my professional life, creating new stories for you wonderful people who still understand the importance of storytelling and the written word. ------- William Bernhardt is the author of more than twenty novels, including Primary Justice, Murder One, Criminal Intent, Death Row, Capitol Murder, Capitol Threat, Capitol Conspiracy, and Nemesis. He is one of fewer than a dozen recipients of the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He is also one of the country's most popular writing instructors, teaching at various conferences throughout the year. A former trial attorney, Bernhardt has received several awards for his public service. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Marcia, and their children.
This is the second of the series of Justice books written by Mr. Bernhardt. One thing I am enjoying is reading about recurring characters. I feel that I am journeying through these ordeals with the characters, Ben Kincaid, and his legal assistant, Christina McCall. Unlike many other writers, Bernhardt adds a touch of humour to his stories, though they are very serious and well-written. His hero, Ben, is not the James Bond type. He's more of an intellectual who thinks on his feet, and doesn't care much about the macho scene. In Blind Justice, the hero is forced to defend his future legal assistant against a murder charge. The evidence is piled up against her, yet Ben doesn't despair. I liked it a lot, and am continuing reading the rest of the series.
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There is simply no credible plot in this already very thin story. There are occasional glimpses of humor and interesting content, but as a whole the books falls flat because it is just too lacking in plot and character development. It reminds me of the books for teenagers that I used to read as a youngster. The plots were often marked by facile manipulation, but I read them with fascination because every development was interesting. Grown-up readers should expect a lot more from a lawyer-thriller.
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What a great book. No, it is not scary, no it does not use a lot of ugly, ugly words, no it will not keep you up at night from being scared. It is a really good mystery that will hold your attention and make you want to skip pages to find out how it will end. Ben is a good attorney that has people on his mind and not money. Christina is a good character. I liked her and Jones and Loving. I really hope these four form a group, "family" if you please, that will be in book three. Ben is not afraid to fight the people in charge, he will tangle with any one and sometimes in very funny ways. Who else would let chickens stay in his office for a while? Can't wait to read the next one.
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First Sentence:
There was something wrong with Ben's office, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. Read the first pageKey Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Tony Lombardi, Quinn Reynolds, Clayton Langdell, South American, Ben Kincaid, Judge Hart, Margot Lombardi, Judge Derek, Agent Abshire, Alexander Moltke, Betty Boop, Creek Nation, Holden Hatfield, Intercontinental Imports, Officer Tompkins, Sherlock Holmes, Speedy Trial Act, Executive Committee, James Abshire, Magistrate Gould, Oneok Building, Perry Mason
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