False Witness [Paperback]

Dexter Dias (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

This is a legal thriller with the Old Bailey and a West Country village as its main settings. It features a jaundiced barrister trying to deal with the creaking British legal system.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dias is an English trial lawyer, and his first novel is a lively performance featuring an offbeat atmosphere but an overcrowded plot. On the one hand, this is a courtroom thriller about Tom Fawley, dubiously defending a cripple who writes semi-pornographic trash, acknowledges a sexual interest in teenage girls and is suspected of the ritualistic murder of one of them. It's also a wry, contemporary-London novel about the disaffected Fawley, his unwise amorous involvement with the fascinating prosecutor in the case, his drinking problems, his estrangement from his wife and daughter. Then there is the semi-mystical, dark-blood saga of a cursed family and an evil West Country village where it rains all the time and young girls suffer unspeakable practices. It's doubtful that any writer could have satisfactorily brought all these elements together, and Dias does not succeed. Still, as a narrator, Fawley offers engaging patter and tasty inside legal know-how, and the many and confusing plot strands are eventually tied together in the end, albeit a bit too neatly.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Narrator Tom Fawley, a British lawyer, defends a sleazy, wheelchair-bound child molester against a charge of ritualistic murder, but his client disregards his advice. Fawley, who is just as perverse, refuses to listen to important confessions. During a retrial, and after several threats, Fawley begins to investigate the client he had presumed guilty. Meanwhile, problems with his wife, other lawyers, and a would-be mistress further alienate him from society. First novelist Dias views the world through a jaundiced and cynical eye. Recommended.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: Coronet (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340639733
• ISBN-13: 978-0340639733
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Britain's John Grisham comes close., November 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: False Witness (Mass Market Paperback)

Britain's version of John Grisham is Dexter Dias.
I am a fan of Grisham's, and a law student to boot,
so I am a bit biased. Still, I found Dias to be
quite creative. Near the end, unfortunately, it
seems that you have figured him out. Thankfully,
though you probably have gotten the big pieces,
there are a few more surprises along the way.

Any American interested in the law should enjoy
this piece simply because of the insight into the
British legal system. It does not operate like
the American system, and it is fun and
enlightening to get entwined in Britain's while
enjoying a thought-provoking story.