Series: Ben Kincaid | Publication Date: November 28, 1998
Disillusioned with both the legal system and his private life, criminal attorney Ben Kincaid abandons his practice for a less stressful pastime: playing with a combo at Uncle Earl's Jazz Emporium. The musician's life is bliss--until a corpse crashes through the ceiling with a grisly smile carved on its face.
The body is that of "Cajun Lily" Campbell, legendary singer and onetime girlfriend of club owner Earl Bonner. The cops are convinced that Bonner killed her--and Kincaid knows he didn't. Though he swore he was through with law forever, Kincaid descends into an underworld of gangs, drugs, Internet sex "clubs," and long-standing vendettas. And at the bottom, a killer waits, targeting Kincaid as the next to die with a smile on his face.
Are you a fan of Richard North Patterson?? Scott Turow??? Philip Friedman?? All masters of the courtroom thriller. Well, I admire all those writers -- but I am also a huge fan of William Bernhardt's. EXTREME JUSTICE is my favorite of his books. I highly recommend him to friends who love a clever whodunit and great courtroom action.
Kim Hovey, VP and Director of Publicity
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
Disillusioned with both the legal system and his private life, criminal attorney Ben Kincaid abandons his practice for a less stressful pastime: playing with a combo at Uncle Earl's Jazz Emporium. The musician's life is bliss--until a corpse crashes through the ceiling with a grisly smile carved on its face.
The body is that of "Cajun Lily" Campbell, legendary singer and onetime girlfriend of club owner Earl Bonner. The cops are convinced that Bonner killed her--and Kincaid knows he didn't. Though he swore he was through with law forever, Kincaid descends into an underworld of gangs, drugs, Internet sex "clubs," and long-standing vendettas. And at the bottom, a killer waits, targeting Kincaid as the next to die with a smile on his face.
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. ------- 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.
This book is face paced, but not too fast that you are lost in the middle of everything. The characters are "real" because they seem more human than a lot of other books.
The best part of the book, I thought, was the closure that was brought to the book. Many books just drop off with "this is the end.." and that's it. The ending of this book really feels like an ending.
I LOVED this book!
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This was the worst installment of Ben Kincaid I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed the other Ben Books, but this one was more like Bernhadt's diary of his own mid-life crisis. What are we to think? He jumps from one thing to another, can't make up his mind, the ensemble cast isn't allowed to help, and it falls flat on its face. I had the murderer pegged and why the second time he made an appearance in the "club". I am very disappointed in this book.
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This review is from: Extreme Justice (Ben Kincaid Series, No. 7) (Mass Market Paperback)
The previous books in the series were very good or excellent, but in this installment Bernhardt delivers an average book. It is still easy to read and entertaining, but there are some things missing. The most clear one is that there is no courtroom events in this "legal thriller". The other thing I didn't like was that the descriptions of the violence are too gory in some parts.
After deciding to leave his legal practice in the last book, Ben Kincaid starts playing the piano in a jazz group and is forced to go back to practice when a body drops on top of him during a performance. The the main suspect is Earl, who owns the place and has established a friendship with Ben, since the murdered victim is a former lover.
For those of you that follow the series there are a couple of interesting side stories going on with Jones, Christina and Mrs. Marmelstein.
Of course I will continue reading this series; at least the next book to see if the quality picks up again.
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