Fade the Heat [Mass Market Paperback]

Jay Brandon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

In a case that shocks San Antonio, newly elected DA Mark Blackwell's son is accused of raping a cleaning woman. As Blackwell searches for clues, he realizes that he is the real target for faceless enemies whose motives he cannot even begin to fathom. Optioned by Steven Spielberg's Amblin' Productions. HC: Pocket.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mark Blackwell has been district attorney of a Texas city for only a few months, but already a crisis threatens to ruin his career. His son has been framed for a vicious rape, and the prosecutor's office must decide how to proceed. The cynical district attorney must use his political connections and everything he knows about exploiting the system in order to exonerate his son--even if he is actually guilty. Brandon's fourth novel (after Predator's Waltz ) will inevitably be compared to Presumed Innocent ; in fact, the similarities are striking. But although attorney Brandon worked as a Texas prosecutor, he never quite manages to bring backstage political machinations alive, and his protagonist too often explains the legal system rather than living it. The book is bogged down by internal monologues and stiff dialogue; some of the subplots, like Blackwell's relationship with his brilliant assistant, lead nowhere. But in this genre, the plot's the thing, and here the corruption-tinged story makes up for the other faults. Surprising twists and heart-in-the-mouth trial scenes will satisfy lovers of crime and courtroom thrillers. Major ad/promo; movie rights to Amblin Entertainment.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

David Blackwell, son of the district attorney of San Antonio, Texas, stands before a jury of his peers accused of rape. He claims his accuser staged the rape; ripped off her own clothes, clawed her own flesh. It is an implausible story, one his own defense attorney doubts. While the ensuing courtroom drama is fascinating, it is secondary to Brandon's chilling exposure of all those sworn to uphold the impartiality of justice. Theirs is a corrupt facade: career advancement, politics, personal agendas, and vendettas leave David a victim of the miscarriage of justice. Brandon's skill in tearing away this second layer of the legal justice system is credible, as he is himself a practicing attorney. An unsettling view for readers of courtroom drama. Film rights have been optioned by Steven Spielberg. Recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/90.
- M . J . Hethcoat, San Francisco
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671702610
• ISBN-13: 978-0671702618
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jay Brandon (1953- ) grew up and his lived primarily in San Antonio, Texas. A graudate of the University of Texas, he also has a Master's degree from The Writing Seminars of Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from the University of Houston.
Brandon is the author of 15 novels and one book of non-fiction, as well as a number of short stories published in anthologies.
Brandon has also been a lawyer since 1985. His first job out of law school was at the Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest criminal court in Texas. He then served as an assistant district attorney of Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas, and a staff attorney on the Fourth Court of Appeals of Texas, before going into private practice in 1990.
Brandon's 1990 novel FADE THE HEAT, his first legal thriller, was shortlisted for the Edgar Award and optioned by Amblin Entertainment. That and later novels have been published by more than a dozen foreign published, with worldwide distribution.
Brandon is married and the father of three children. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and the American Crime Writers League (although he generally dislikes belonging to any group; just a natural prejudice).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Big Difference Between Early & Later Brandon Books, May 2, 2006

By 

G. H. Giroux "Eccentric Writer" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fade the Heat (Hardcover)

I've enjoyed Brandon's latest books, and found this one at the library. I didn't realize until I brought it home that it was from 1990, and the differences between the writer's early & later work: later is better.

I was disappointed by a number of factors: the lack of realistic emotions and verbal reactions to horrible situations (as in Blackwell's conversation with his son while visiting in prison); the breakaway from standard and more satisfying plot devices such as unmasking the villain before the trial concludes, rather than concluding the trial and designing (SPOILER) the horrific nightmare a framed, innocent, gentle young man finds himself in in Huntsville (brutally beaten and raped by people who hated his DA father, and placed in that position by an arrogant and hateful warden), and the moral and unappealing ambiguity of the main character and his relations with coworkers and family.

I was not impressed with this book, and was glad that it wasn't my first experience with Brandon's writing.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, June 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fade the Heat (Mass Market Paperback)

IMHO this stands with the best of Turow, RN Patterson, Martini, W. Friedman, & J. Amiel in courtroom dramas.

Combining a satisfying plot with sparkling dialog & sharply drawn characters, this book ranks as one of the best of its genre.