Customer Reviews

The Defense

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I found it by chance at the back of a dusty shelf in my village library. Hadnt been read for a long time.

It was surprisingly well written: a clear, uncomplicated and crisp style. It told the story in an economical way which but a little wooden. One reviewer compared it unfavourably to a John Grisham, but it was BETTER than that! This had a lot of interesting twists and turns which were too far fetched, but hey...it's only a story.

I did enjoy the cod philosophy and it set me thinking about the issues.

The characters were well rounded and beleivable.

The ending came too suddenly and because of this it lost its effect.

Overall...I would recomend the book.

It was about time! Writer Habemus...It has ALL: Professionalism as a writer;a great but humble exhibition of culture mixed well into the story;strong characters; the exact speed; Originality and a talentous, unexpected but logical end; not one single flaw in development, Good timing...NOt heavy or dull in the Court of Justice scenes; sensitive characters...Beautifully done. You can read it as you wish:As a thriller, a Legal, a suspense...You decide: But be careful with your timing, because you will not be able to put this book down until you read the last page. Send your wife and kids on a weekend trip. Unhook your phones Have something to eat You will not leave your place until the end of THE DEFENSE... I should know. I am a choosy Book Publisher Georgina Greco

This is the first book by D. W. Buffa, an Oregon defense attorney turned author. It reads so well for a first novel, that you just know that Buffa is going to be around for quite a while.

The best part of this book is the main character Joe Antonelli. Like Buffa, he's a defense attorney. One thing that separates him from most other defense attorneys, however, is the fact that he's never lost a case and he's proud of passing this information on to anyone interested. I usually find this lack of humility in characters to be less than endearing but, for some reason, I think it adds to Antonelli's overall makeup. As is usual with most legal thrillers, there are enough twists and turns to give you a stiff neck. Somehow though, Buffa keep you guessing.

This case involves a less than desirable subject matter as Joe defends Johnny Morel, who is accused of raping his 12 year old stepdaughter. He has agreed to represent Morel at the request of his mentor, Judge Leopold Rifkin. The events surrounding this case will cause disastrous ramifications years down the road for all involved. The saying "what goes around, comes around" is definitely evidenced in the end of the book. Unfortunately, some innocent people will be hurt, an attorney will be left disenchanted and the reader will anxiously await the return of Joe Antonelli in Buffa's sequel, The Prosecution.

I do recommend reading these books in order just to get a better idea of what really makes Antonelli tick -- a character greatly admired by this reader.

Joseph Antonelli is a great defense lawyer. According to him he has not lost any case where the defendant was innocent and he has won every case where the defendant was guilty. Judge Leopold Rifkin feels that Antonelli needs a lesson in humility so he gives him a pro bono case.

Johnny Morel is accused of raping his twelve-year-old daughter, Michelle. The prosecution's case is weak and the chief prosecution witness is the girl's drug-addicted mother. Joseph wins the case but everything here is far from over. Several years later, Johnny is found murdered and his wife is the chief suspect. Antonelli does not defend her and she winds up serving a prison term. After she is released from serving her sentence she is found shot dead in the home of Judge Leopold Rifkin.

Buffa does a great job with character development and he keeps the story line moving. The Morels have a deep connection to the judge and unbeknownst to Antonelli, he also shares a connection with the victim. As Buffa's first novel it is a great start. One can see why he was nominated for his last paperback, THE JUDGMENT, an even better work.

"The Defense", Dudley W. Buffa, NY, Henry Holt & Co., 1997 ISBN 0-8050-5307-7, HC, 309 pg., 9 1/4" x 6 1/4".

This 1st Joseph Antonelli novel finds protagonist as an overly successful criminal defense attorney who agrees to request by Judge Leopold Rifkin to defend a probably guilty Johnny Morel, drug dealer & con man, charged with rape of his 12-year-old stepdaughter Michelle Walker. Acquitted, he is murdered & wife Denise Morel is charged with his murder, a case Antonelli declinded. She's convicted of murder but gets early release from prison for good behavior - but then she's found dead in the house of Judge Rifkin who's charged with her killing. Antonelli becomes his defense attorney.

We are introduced to colorful prosecutors, defense attorneys & a spiteful DA and to Antonelli's live-in girl friends, firstly Lisa then sexy Alexandra, the bright, blonde paralegal assistant who'd dampen sales of Viagra.

This story has accounting of 4 trials: -- the 3 criminal trials are of Johnny Morel, Denise Morel & Judge Rifkin. We are provided a vivid profile of machinations & passions influencing outcomes of civil/criminal trial and of philosphy on the justice system & critical factors which may usher murder.

The novel is extraordinarily well-written. The reader is wont to read those subsequent novels #2 through #6. Reading Buffa's Antonelli is like eating potato chips, you can't stop with one.

Well written. Buffa appealed to my 'problem solving' side. I think we should be so lucky like the reader from Mt. View, CA, who had it all figured out! Pahleeze! He should read scientific research then! Cast of characters are very believable. Worth the time and energy to read. Looking forward to D.W.B.'s 'Proscecution'.

This just happens to be the best book I have read in some time. The three main caretures were so intriguing and the tipe of people I wish I knew. I found myself not wanting to but it down.I'll make sure to get get each of his books as soon as they come out.

I loved the complex story line twisting the three conected crimes. I found the fact that the Judge, prosecutor and defense attorney hung out chatting in the judge's chambers a little unbelievable. But to those unfamiliar with the ethical problems of off the record chats with Judge's, it probably would not matter. All in all a very good book that both my husband and I read non-stop and fought over to the last page.

Buffa's book has a lot going for it. I confess that I am philosophy major (interested in ethics, no less) working toward law school, so there was a lot in this book that interested me. Though I suspect a lot of readers will find the character of the protagonist's mentor a bit plodding and esoteric, I actually thought the references to Greek philosophy were interesting. While the novel is hardly Socratic philosophy itself, its awareness of the ethical issues surrounding the law and their eventual reprecussions to those who practice the law are well illustrated. I think the author is clearly a cut deeper than Grisham in the legal thriller department, though I think Turow's Sins of the Fathers is a richer book on the whole.

The real problem with The Defense is that the ending really is obvious to anyone who watches much television (or reads many mystery novels) and is looking for the ending with any effort. I sensed attempts by the author to try and take the weakness into account, and I found myself increasingly frustrated with the fact that I KNEW the ending would not surprise me. I don't want to suggest people shouldn't read it - I think Buffa has a good future ahead of him - but I do hope he works a bit more on plot construction.

What causes anyone to struggle against the self-conscious of right and wrong? Survival. There's no better medium to express the extremities of our fragile human emotions than the justice system and it's presumption of innocence over the accused until the prosecutor can prove otherwise.

But the heinous crimes committed in 'The Defense' seem almost superfluous in comparison to the actions of those representing justice itself. 'The Defense' is about something far greater than that of the exploration of thrilling crime writing, it manages to touch and express the concept of right/wrong and our soul/deception.

Antonelli follows his passion and becomes a lawyer and he becomes the epitome of defence to anyone accused of a crime. Antonelli believed in a system created to protect innocence and as such he celebrated the glory of rightousness and human morality.The years of perfection in Antonelli's career lead him to defend Johnny Morel, not a very nice man, accused of raping his 12 year old stepdaughter, Michelle. As the case begins, so does the deception and Antonelli finds himself in the precarious role of defending someone he finds difficult to believe didn't do it. Antonelli fights for Morel's freedom, but he also questions his passion to believe in himself, only to begin to believe in systems designed to protect the innocent.

Plausable crimes of lust, carnel knowledge, murder, deception, drugs, blackmail, abuse, violence, tyrany and extortion, then the last few pages twists itself into a very surprising finale.

As reviewed in SHOTS volume 1 Number 3 in Britain's No 1 crime fiction magazine