Death Eligible: A Darcy Cole Novel [Hardcover]

Larry Axelrood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Death Eligible is the story of two death penalty cases. Both of them involve rape and murder, and though the defendants are as different from each other as night and day, the similarities of the two cases are uncanny. As Darcy Cole defends both men, the twists and turns their cases take as they proceed to the courtroom make for compelling and electrifying reading.

Darcy Cole¹s life has become a bit more complicated than it was in previous books, both by his caseload and by the fact that his love interest, Dr. Amy Wagner, is about to turn fifty. This milestone makes her want to celebrate with more than cake and ice cream, and she plans to travel to a developing country to help sick and starving people in need. Darcy is afraid for her safety, but also afraid for their relationship. Where does he fit in?

Meanwhile, a young attorney with an odd nickname joins Darcy¹s team and seems to fit right in. A crisis in one of the cases threatens to undermine his confidence, but Darcy comes to his rescue and teaches him an important lesson.

Just as in his previous two Darcy Cole novels - The Advocate and Plea Bargain - Larry Axelrood skillfully brings the complex threads of several plots together to form an exciting, riveting courtroom drama with generous doses of lightness and humor. Fans of Darcy Cole and new readers alike will not be able to put down Death Eligible until its thrilling conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

LARRY AXELROOD practices law in Chicago, Illinois, and is a former prosecutor in the state¹s attorney¹s office in Cook County. A member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, he is a graduate of Indiana State University and the Chicago Kent College of Law. A native Chicagoan, Axelrood and his family live in Evanston, Illinois.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581823924
• ISBN-13: 978-1581823929
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,270,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good legal mystery, April 3, 2006

By 

JoeV "Reader" (Arlington Hts, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death Eligible: A Darcy Cole Novel (Hardcover)

Mr. Axelrood is yet another attorney who writes extremely well and in my opinion doesn't get the readership he deserves. All three of his Darcy Cole books are very good - arguably this may be his best. Cole runs his own private, (small but lucrative), criminal defense firm in downtown Chicago and finds himself defending two rapists/murderers - both facing the death penalty - and individually from decidedly different "sides of the tracks". The author presents all the legal (and moral) issues involved in these crimes,(the justice system, the individuals involved, the recent political circumstances of trying such cases in Illinois), in a coherent, objective and human way. Not easy to do with this issue. The author has also written a very engaging mystery to boot. If there is a fault in this book, it's the rushed courtroom/trial resolution in the last 25-30 pages of the book. That said, the plot, characters, dialog, setting, balancing and writing are all excellent. If you are a fan of Buffa, Rosenfelt, Lescroart or Tapply you will enjoy this author's books.

4.0 out of 5 stars Developing Chicago series and writer, May 4, 2004

By 

Ronald Barth "batman" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Eligible: A Darcy Cole Novel (Hardcover)

All the moral and legal complexities pertinent to the death penalty are on display in this nicely crafted third novel in Mr. Axelrood's legal series featuring criminal defense attorney Darcy Cole. Axelrood has gotten stronger with each successive novel, and I look forward to future installments in the series. In my opinion, the criminal legal world is accurately represented as being largely disinterested in JUSTICE, the grand concept, and far more susceptible to political considerations than any of us would hope to be the case. Especially enjoyable to me are the prose snapshots of life in Chicago in the series, with many familiar locales popping up.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Axelrood Outdoes Himself!, May 20, 2004

By 

Tim Joyce - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Eligible: A Darcy Cole Novel (Hardcover)

This third installment in the Darcy Cole series is easily Axelrood's best yet. In a non-judgmental manner which lets the reader make up his or her own mind, the author lays out compelling circumstances in a compelling narrative that point up the weaknesses in a system that has capital punishment, and at the same time reveals in a realistic manner those special circumstances that cry out for the ultimate punishment.

Darcy Cole continues to be an intriguing literary character whose age and experience bespeak a persona too often lacking in cookie cutter characters going blithely through cookie cutter plots so common in today's legal fiction. Instead, Axelrood has given us a character (and similarly engaging supporting characters) in whose fate we genuinely care about, and at the same time has crafted a page-turning good yarn. It also has a distinct "Chicago" feel, without the obligatory cheap references to Michael Jordan or machine politics. Instead, that "feel" comes from one who has apparently lived what he is talking about.