Chilling Effect (Lucinda Hayes Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Marianne Wesson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lucinda Hayes Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Boulder attorney Lucinda Hayes pulls the gruesome page from the fax machine, not suspecting it will draw her into the repugnant realm of pornographic film and pit her against the giants of the mainstream film industry. Her reluctant agreement to represent Peggy Grayling, mother of a slain child, requires her to reach out to her law partner Tory Meadows and private investigator Linc Tolkien, but troubles her long-distance love affair with New York lawyer Sam Holt. As the case unfolds Cinda must call upon all her legal talent and argue for a new understanding of the law of free speech; it also forces her to revisit her past and face its ghosts. Equal parts courtroom drama, intellectual journey, and character study, Chilling Effect is Marianne WessonÂ’s most provocative Lucinda Hayes mystery to date.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Law professor Wesson's disturbing third Lucinda Hayes mystery (after 2000's A Suggestion of Death) questions the limits of First Amendment protection. Leonard Fitzgerald, who murdered a young girl after continuously watching a child-porn snuff film, has been found criminally insane. The victim's mother wants to sue the film's producers, forcing them to take responsibility for creating a product that led to murder. After consulting with Tory Meadows, her partner, and Brianna Bainbridge, a feminist law professor at the University of Colorado (Boulder), liberal attorney Hayes agrees to take the case. Instead of challenging the ban on censorship, Hayes files a civil suit seeking "compensation for a loss." She must prove that viewing the movie caused the murder and that the producers should have foreseen it. The novel's intriguing first half follows Hayes and her staff into the subterranean world of the pornographic film industry. Wesson skillfully explains the legal arguments, though she could have condensed the verbatim interviews and reports. After a careful build-up to the trial, the fireworks explode with predictable results and the denouement gets short shrift. Readers who like their legal thrillers with a heavy polemical slant will be the most satisfied.
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Review

"Chilling Effect" is not only her most courageous book yet, it is also a wonderfully accomplished legal thriller." -- Stephen White, author of Blinded

"I love the Lucinda Hayes stories--each tougher to put down than the last." --Gene R. Nichol, Dean and Burton Craige Professor of Law, University of North Carolina

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870817876
• ISBN-13: 978-0870817878
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,817,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking legal thriller, November 10, 2004

By 

stephanie padilla (Taos, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chilling Effect (Lucinda Hayes Mysteries) (Hardcover)

[...]
In this intelligent and timely legal thriller Wesson pulls out all the stops to make a great case regarding the effects of unrestricted free speech. Boulder attorney Lucinda Hayes is hired to take on the case of Peggy Grayling, a woman whose daughter was raped and killed by a mentally disturbed man, and who also believes that a certain child pornographic snuff film was also directly responsible for the crime. So not only is Cinda taking on the distributor of the film but, incidentally, the whole entertainment industry as well, making what follows nothing short of spectacular. And as Cinda becomes more involved in the case, the disturbing aspects of it not only begin affect her work, but her personal relationships as well.
This thought-provoking novel is both highly entertaining and intensely suspenseful. Both sides of the coin are equally represented, but Cinda's position that the First Amendment should not automatically free one from responsibility of the effects of such an unrestricted law is put forth with such conviction, that it's difficult not to at least consider the argument.  With superbly drawn characters, a story with grit and purpose, and a final denouement worthy of intense consideration, this latest mystery from Wesson comes highly recommended.  But do be warned that some of the content is very disturbing, however, in Wesson's assured hand, never gratuitously so.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read, March 17, 2006

By 

Gay Nell G. German - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chilling Effect: A Lucinda Hayes Mystery (Lucinda Hayes Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is an interesting look at the power of film, and what affects it can have on a family. As an attorney the first amendment issues were interesting to think about. I enjoy the characters of the series, and the suspense of the books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, October 14, 2004

By 

VFollette "[e-mail]" (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chilling Effect (Lucinda Hayes Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating novel with a number of important elements.
I found it to be a excellent piece of fiction, with strong characters and an interesting story line. As a legal/mystery novel it stands on its own as a very good thriller. However, it has added interest in addressing issues related to the first amendment, the pornography industry, and a variety of psychological aspects. I appreciated that the author was able to discuss the subject matter in sufficient detail to convey the message, without gratuitous use of the sexual content. All in all I strongly recommend this book to people who like legal thrillers.