The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law [Hardcover]

Leslie Abramson (Author), Richard Flaste (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 1997

The lawyer who defended Erik and Lyle Menendez in their first trial describes some of her many other high-profile cases, including the Bob's Big Boy murders and the Chinatown case in which her investigation led to the truth about the crime. 150,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crafty counselor that she is, Abramson mentions in the first sentence of this outspoken, self-promoting memoir her greatest claim to fame: she was a defense attorney for one of the Menendez brothers. The shadow of that case stretches over Abramson's entire narrative, even over her childhood memories of growing up Jewish in 1950s Queens, N.Y.: "I can see now how children come to love their mothers automatically. It must take an almost unimaginable degree of pain to ever make a child not love a mother." The book opens with a case Abramson handled between the two Menendez trials. A bouncer emptied 15 rounds into three men, killing two; with Abramson's help, he walked. With this case, Abramson introduces the idea of preemptive self-defense, offering legal insights that are sharp and knowing. When she finally gets to the Menendez case, however, Abramson fails to address adequately several key questions: Why didn't the boys just leave? Why did Lyle finish off his mother with that second gruesome shotgun blast? Why was Abramson pulled from Lyle's defense for the second trial? A conversational style and colorful case histories provide some balance to Abramson's manipulative account of the trial-but not enough, particularly given the accompanying ax-grinding and score-settling. Menendez buffs will want to buy this, but most armchair lawyers will find more edifying fare in the books of Gerry Spence or, looking backward, of Louis Nizer. Photos. 150,000 first printing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In her trademark no-holds-barred style, defense attorney Abramson delivers a fascinating, blistering attack on her foes in and out of the courtroom, naming names and blasting the media. Her book covers her 27 years of practice and begins with her childhood in New York, the father who abandoned her, her training in the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office, and her success in high-profile criminal cases, most notably in the first trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez. Abramson provides a sympathetic insider's view of the defense of sordid crimes; her narrative is a pleasure to read but not for the squeamish. She also brushes aside charges of misconduct in the editing of a psychologist's notes in the Menendez case. For another view of one of her famous cases, involving a police office murdered in Chinatown, see Lawrence Taylor's The D.A. (LJ 7/15/96). For popular law collections.?Harry Charles, Attorney-at-Law, St. Louis, Mo.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (February 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068481403X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684814032
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,015,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enough with the ghostwriting, March 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law (Hardcover)

Perhaps I'm being anachronistic, but I don't think an autobiography should be written by anyone other than the subject him or herself. If the person doesn't feel up to the job, he should have an authorized biography published with a vignette explaining his involvement in the project. Whatever her reasons, Ms. Abramson's decision to employ Richard Flaste was a big mistake. If she was too lazy to write this book herself, she should have at least taken the time to find a competent writer. Reading this book is like trying to drive across a treacherous bog in a Ferrari. You hope there's something good on the other side but the journey is so needlessly frustrating and unpleasant, you aren't sure if it's worth it. Let me save you some trouble. Even if you had a Range Rover, this journey wouldn't be worth it. My conclusion: for someone who is so assertive and logical in her public speaking, Ms. Abramson has published a very disappointing autobiography

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dull But Intelligent, July 28, 2000

By 

Chad Spivak (North Miami Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law (Hardcover)

I have always liked the way that Leslie Abramson handles herself as well as being a fairly big fan of her courtroom practices. So, I went into this book with some preconceived biases. Well, they were all proven wrong.

Abramson is an extremely intelligent woman, and an excellent attorney, but her writing, as well as that of Richard Flaste, is quite dry and rather boring. She has some nice stories to tell, but the manner in which she delivers them is undeniably dull.

The book clearly had no cogent flow to it whatsoever. The book was somewhat hard to get through, but I read on, hoping it lead to something better. But, it truly didn't.

I gave the book two stars simply because the information on the cases, and the behind the scenes stuff was pretty interesting. Unfortunately, that is all this book really has to offer you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, but Biased Look at the Justice System, January 25, 2001

By 

JB (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law (Hardcover)

This book gives a very interesting inside look into the world of criminal defense attorneys. The author gives her unique perspective on the law through stories of several cases she defended. While I found the book very interesting, especially her explanation of the Menendez case, I couldn't help thinking that she was giving only one side of the story and leaving out facts that didn't support her views of defendant's rights. Still, it was very enthralling and hard to put down.