Criminal Intent (Ben Kincaid) [Kindle Edition]

William Bernhardt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In the latest Ben Kincaid mystery, one parish priest may be going to heaven soon; he's facing the death penalty for murder.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Here's a series that found an audience early and has just kept rolling along, repeating its successful formula again and again. The eleventh Ben Kincaid novel (the first, Primary Justice, appeared in 1991) is pretty much like its predecessors: a solid, by-the-numbers legal drama, suspenseful enough but saddled with frequently awkward dialogue and off-the-rack characters. There's nothing particularly wrong with the Kincaid mysteries, but there's nothing particular right about them, either. They deliver the basic legal-thriller package, but without any of the style or intensity that readers have come to expect from, say, Philip Margolin or John Lescroart. This time around, Ben is defending an Episcopalian priest on a charge of homicide; the prosecution's theory is that this man of the cloth murdered an associate because she was among a group of parishioners who wanted him replaced because he permitted gay and lesbian groups to hold meetings at the church. There are witnesses, suspects, false leads, and various legal-thriller shenanigans, but it all has the feel of been-there-done-that. Still, Bernhardt clearly has found his readers, and they are a loyal bunch. Readers'-advisory librarians might like to try an experiment: for those who request this distinctly middling Ben Kincaid novel, recommend in addition Jane Haddam's thematically similar but far superior 2001 thriller, True Believers, which concerns a Catholic priest accused of murder and a parish that ministers to the gay community. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 572 KB
• Print Length: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FC1HHS
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,049 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

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.
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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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sordid tale of a priest accused of murder., September 14, 2002

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Criminal Intent (Hardcover)

"Criminal Intent" is the latest entry in William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid series. Ben is a criminal defense attorney in Oklahoma who is shy in social situations, but he is a barracuda in the courtroom. Assisted by his partner, Christina, a flamboyant lawyer who started out as his legal assistant, Ben defends anyone he believes in, even if the defendant cannot afford to pay his legal fees. As a result, Ben's firm is often in the red, and the patience of his loyal and underpaid staff is sometimes strained to the breaking point.

This time, Ben is defending an Episcopal priest named Father Daniel Beale, who is on trial for murdering one of his female parishioners. Father Beale is also suspected of murdering two other women in his congregation. Ben has known Father Beale since childhood, and the lawyer is convinced that Father Beale is incapable of murder.

Unfortunately for the priest, he has a reputation as a hothead, and he was heard threatening the victim before she was killed. It seems that the priest has always been a political radical. His views on abortion and homosexuals are much too progressive for his conservative parishioners, and the homicide victims all wanted Father Beale ousted from his post. Ben is determined to save Father Beale, and he hopes to uncover the identity of the real murderer.

As always, Ben Kincaid is a sympathetic character, and a champion of the underdog. However, this novel is one of the weakest books in the Kincaid series. Bernhardt loses his focus with the myriad characters and the convoluted plot lines that he unsuccessfully attempts to juggle. Although one of the trademarks of this series is the light bantering among the members of Kincaid's firm, the jokes this time around are somewhat forced.

Worst of all, as the book progresses, the narrative becomes more and more unbelievable, and the ending is extremely weak and illogical. Bernhardt throws in a host of messages about the fallibility of man, the need for tolerance and forgiveness, and the inequities in the criminal justice system. However, the story never coalesces into a coherent narrative, and as a mystery, "Criminal Intent" falls flat. I recommend this book only for diehard Ben Kincaid fans, but I fear that even they may be disappointed after finishing this unimpressive novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Kincaid & Friends Just Keep Getting Better, September 2, 2003

By 

watzizname "watzizname" (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Criminal Intent (Mass Market Paperback)

First, and most important, this is a cracking good story, with surprises right up to the end. Even if you have never read anything about Ben Kincaid before, you can start with this one and enjoy it tremendously, but it is all the more fun if Ben, Christina, Jones, Loving, and the others are old friends.

William Bernhardt created several likable and interesting series characters in addition to Ben Kincaid, and as the series has progressed, some have ben dropped and some have been added. In "Criminal Intent," Paula, one of the more recently added characters, marries Jones, but, as you might expect, their wedding is marred by murder. One of the mysteries is the lack of any fingerprints on the presumed murder weapon other than those of Father Beale, who is charged with the murder. Ben is unshakably (and correctly) certain that Father Beale did not murder anyone, but the D.A. is absolutely determined to convict him.

Ben comes up with an ingenious explanation for the lack of fingerprints, but misses an obvious possibility that I was expecting, because Bernhardt himself didn't think of it until I mentioned it in an e-mail to him. (I found the address of Bernhardt's web site on page 390 of the paperback edition.)

The observations Father Beale tells Ben about on pp. 384-5 may (one hopes) lead to developments in the next novel, "Death Row," that we fans of Ben and Christina have been hoping for for some time.

A very welcome development in the most recent Ben Kincaid novels, especially including this one, is an involvement with social issues. Bernhardt doesn't preach; he just presents a situation involving controversial ethical choices, and lets that situation speak for itself. Your conclusion, or mine, may or may not agree with Bernhardt's, but we are almost compelled to reconsider our thoughts and conclusions, and possibly to modify some of them. I suspect that some of the reviewers who didn't like this book were discomforted by the need to think critically about the situation presented.

But if, like me, you find food for thought an invigorating bonus, you will now find it in the more recent mysteries of William Bernhardt, as well as those of Miriam Grace Monfredo, and some of those of Tony Hillerman and Judith Jance, all of which I highly recommend.

Thank you, William Bernhardt. I am looking forward to many more of your novels.

[e-mail]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Legal Thriller From the Best Legal Thriller Writer, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Criminal Intent (Hardcover)

I can't understand why more people don't know about and read William Bernhardt. He is the best of the legal thriller writers and I think this is his best book yet. I know Bernhardt has a very loyal cadre of fans, but it seems as if so much is said about Grisham and Margolin and others. Bernhardt is a much more interesting, more exciting writer. I love his lead character, Ben Kincaid--a more human lawyer than some of the tough-guy stereotypes of other authors. His books always have a sprinkling of humor, which I appreciate, and are always filled with twists and turns--one big surprise after another. His last two books--Silent Justice and Murder One--have been more mature and shown more writing style, and this new one--Criminal Intest--is his best yet. What's more--this book is very timely, given that it involves a priest accused of a horrible crime. If you haven't read William Bernhardt before, do yourself a treat and check out Criminal Intent and find out what you've been missing.