A Final Judgment (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Michael A. Black (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite a less than credible plot, Black's third novel (after 2004's Windy City Knights) to feature Chicago kickboxer Ron Shade, has its charms, not least a street-smart, likable hero. Shade, an ex-cop turned PI, reluctantly takes work from his least favorite kind of client, a lawyer, and from the police lieutenant who helped boot him off the force. Lieutenant Bielmaster wants Shade to keep a paroled ex-con away from Bielmaster's daughter, hinting that Shade might get reinstated in the PD in return. Defense attorney Rick Walters recruits Shade's help on a civil wrongful death suit, an attempt to get a measure of justice for a murdered woman whose husband was acquitted, possibly because of a corrupt judge. In his minimal downtime, Shade takes a crack at the world heavyweight kickboxing championship. He faces pretty fierce competition in the ring, but nothing as lethal as the attempts on his life that result from his involvement in the trial. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Black, a police sergeant in Matteson, Illinois, delivers the cadence of cop speech, the virulence of cop politics, and the vagaries of the street as only a cop can. This is the third installment in Black's series about former Chicago cop and current private eye Ron Shade. This time out Shade takes on every cop's nemesis, a crackerjack defense attorney, when an old friend asks Shade to look into a wrongful death suit revolving around the killing of a North Shore woman by her husband, and his subsequent acquittal. And the Chicago Police Department lieutenant who was behind Shade's dismissal from the force asks Shade to look out for his daughter, who is being bothered by a sex offender. Black keeps the action humming, except in the subplot involving Shade's training for the kickboxing championship, which sometimes seems like recycled Robert B. Parker. Still, this is a crisp, fast-moving mystery. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME) (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594144265
• ISBN-13: 978-1594144264
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael A. Black graduated from Columbia College, Chicago in 2000 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fiction Writing. He previously earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Northern Illinois University. Despite his literary leanings, he has often said that police work has been his life. A former Army Military Policeman, he entered civilian law enforcement after his discharge, and for the past twenty-eight years has been a police officer in the south suburbs of Chicago.

The author of over forty articles on subjects ranging from police work to popular fiction, he has also had over thirty short stories published in various anthologies and magazines, including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. His first novel, A KILLING FROST, featuring private investigator Ron Shade, was published by Five Star in September 2002 with endorsements from such respected authors as Sara Paretsky and Andrew Vachss. The novel received universally excellent reviews, and was subsequently released in trade paperback.

WINDY CITY KNIGHTS, the second novel in the Ron Shade series, came out in March of 2004. His third novel, THE HEIST, a stand-alone thriller set during the freak Chicago flood of 1992, came out in June, 2005. He has also written two nonfiction books, THE M1A1 ABRAMS (tank), and VOLUNTEERING TO HELP KIDS, which were published by Rosen Press.

He has worked in various capacities in police work including patrol supervisor, tactical squad, investigations, raid team member, and SWAT team leader. He is currently a sergeant on the Matteson, Illinois Police Department. His hobbies include weightlifting, running, and the martial arts. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. It is rumored he has five cats.

Mike's newest novel, FREEZE ME, TENDER (think: Frozen Elvis) is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com now.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mike Black does it again!, October 17, 2006

By 

Helen J. Osterman (Chicago Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Final Judgment (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Mike Black has written another fast-paced mystery featuring Ron Shade. His characters are believable; his writing is crisp; the plot moves along at a good pace.
I love the ending where he hints of things to come.
Highly recommended.
Helen Osterman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Comer--worth your time!!, November 15, 2006

By 

Don In Fremont (Redmond OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Final Judgment (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Three books in, Michael A. Black has an interesting series brewing here. Ron Shade is a world-class-kickboxer and an ex-Chicago-cop-turned PI. In A Final Judgement, he's presented with a case by a lawyer in private practice, something Shade prefers to avoid, since he's averse to their typical clients--traditionally guilty scumbags. But this lawyer is a friend, and Shade feels compelled to help.

Yup, mistake #1. Shade, in short order, realizes he is up against some legendary opposition on the Cook County side of the case, and pretty soon the fan gets very clogged, if you get the drift.

Black has a sparse, no-nonsense style that is refreshing in an age of Parker/Crais wannabees. His first-person style is information-packed and light on punchy metaphor, which services this specific story very well, particularly the very well-drawn action sequences.

As he winds up the story, Black gives us an ending that both inspires and intrigues, which is a neat trick.

If you are a reader that likes to discover new talent and spread the work, consider yourself advised: Michael Black is the real thing. Check it out!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book., July 5, 2007

By 

M. J. Chessin (Shaker Heights, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Final Judgment (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

The fight scenes in this book along with a tense finale kept me up far too late. This Ron Shade novel presents a really nice guy who becomes titanium tough when he needs to be.