The Judgment [Mass Market Paperback]

D. W. Buffa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2002

When Judge Calvin Jeffries becomes the first judge to be murdered while serving in office, charismatic criminal defense attorney Joseph Antonelli finds himself smack in the middle of a riveting case.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Calvin Jeffries's body is found in the courthouse parking garage, eyes widen and horrified tongues wag. The fact that Jeffries was a thoroughly reprehensible human being doesn't detract from the notoriety of the first murder of a sitting Oregon judge. Defense attorney extraordinaire Joe Antonelli has a long history with Jeffries. Years ago the judge threw him into jail for contempt in a vain attempt to deter Antonelli from winning yet another case. But one of Antonelli's colleagues suffered even more. As the curious Antonelli pieces together fragments of the legendary judge's past, he discovers that Jeffries apparently drove Elliott Winston insane, had him committed, and married his wife. If only Elliott weren't still securely in the psychiatric hospital, what a sterling suspect he'd make!

But the police find the killer, a homeless man with the murder weapon and a willingness to confess, who promptly commits suicide after being taken into custody. The legal community breathes a sigh of relief--until a second judge is murdered in the same manner. When another homeless man is arrested, Antonelli's "bizarre coincidence" antennae start to quiver, and he offers his services to the defendant. So convinced is he of Danny's innocence that he plunges undercover into the vagrant's world, searching for evidence of a setup. But his discoveries seem to point directly to the impossible--for how could Elliott Winston, safely tucked behind bars, be the murderer?

At some point during The Judgment (the exact moment will vary according to individual tolerance), you may find yourself putting the book aside and picking up an Elmore Leonard for an emergency infusion of quality dialogue. Along with everyone with whom he comes in contact, Antonelli suffers from an apparent speech impediment that usually makes him sound like a particularly pompous 19th-century pundit.

When author D.W. Buffa lets his courtroom savvy take center stage, the novel moves along briskly (even though Antonelli takes some rather remarkable legal liberties, it's all in good fun). The subplot involving the return of Antonelli's high-school sweetheart, however, feels less integral than afterthought-ish. Though Buffa tries to tie everything together at the end with a heavily contrived twist that probably set O. Henry yawning in his grave, the novel's final note isn't one of ringing irony. It's more like a dull thud. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Inventing a perfectly odious victim and an obvious killer with the perfect alibi, Buffa cooks up a convoluted legal thriller littered with plot-twist land mines that explode when least expected. Toss in a poignant midlife romance and an innocent, put-upon defendant, and you have a novel with wide appeal. So few people grieve when loathsome circuit judge Calvin Jeffries is stabbed to death and gutted in the courthouse parking garage that it comes as a shock when the confessed killer is revealed to be a homeless man with no apparent ties to the victim. When a second sharp-tongued judge is killed the same way in the same spot, the cops call it a copycat killing and arrest a retarded homeless man on an anonymous tip, finding him with the murder weapon. Seasoned defense attorney Joseph Antonelli, himself a particularly maligned target of the venomous Jeffries, is persuaded to take the case and becomes convinced that both murders were planned by the same brilliant criminal one Antonelli is particularly familiar with, since the man once shot him. Antonelli's investigator, disbarred lawyer and recovering alcoholic Howard Flynn, sees his own dead son in the retarded defendant and throws himself wholeheartedly into the case. Unfortunately, Antonelli's suspect has been in the state home for the criminally insane for the past 12 years and could not possibly have committed the crimes. Meanwhile, bachelor Antonelli's high school sweetheart re-enters his life after a bout with manic depression and a rough divorce. Buffa (The Prosecution) once again produces a fast-spinning tale that jolts and veers enticingly off-track, but always stays comfortably in sight of the main objective. Well-developed characters and the rich Portland, Ore., milieu add depth to this excellent thriller. Agent, Wendy Sherman. Major ad/ promo; author tour; audio.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Vision (April 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446611247
• ISBN-13: 978-0446611244
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DW Buffa was born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area. After graduation from Michigan State University, he studied under Leo Strauss, Joseph Cropsey and Hans J. Morgenthau at the University of Chicago where he earned both an M.A. and a Ph. D. in political science. He received his J.D. degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Buffa was a criminal defense attorney for 10 years and his seven Joseph Antonelli novels strive to reflect, from his own experience, what a courtroom lawyer does, the way he (or she) thinks, and the way he feels about what he does.

Buffa had been writing for pleasure for many years when Henry Holt and Co. decided to publish his first novel, The Defense, in 1997. The week it was published, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, the literary critic of the New York Times, called The Defense 'an accomplished first novel' which 'leaves you wanting to go back to the beginning and read it over again.'

The Defense was followed by The Prosecution and then The Judgment, which was one of the five books nominated in 2002 for the Edgar Award as best novel of the year. While the first three novels are set in Portland, the author's fourth novel, The Legacy, takes place in San Francisco and is as much a political as it is legal thriller. Star Witness tells the story of Stanley Roth, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, who is charged with murder of his famous movie star wife.

Breach of Trust, published in 2004, was considered by one critic as "one of the few books that fifty years from now will really matter." It offers readers a scintillating look at Washington politics. Buffa's seventh Joseph Antonelli novel, Trial by Fire, was released in 2005; in this new book, the focus is on the media and the role that television "Talking heads" increasingly play in very high profile criminal cases. Publishers Weekly says of Trial by Fire, "In this intelligent, gripping legal thriller...fast moving dialogue and fine sense of characterization keep the reader hanging on for the ride."

D.W. Buffa lives in Northern California. You can visit his Official Website at dwbuffa.net if you'd like to correspond with him through email.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOPNOTCH READINGS FOR THIS THRILLER, May 2, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Judgment (Audio Cassette)

Murder isn't a dead certainty in "The Judgment," the latest thriller from former defense attorney D. W. Buffa. What is without doubt are the topnotch audio book readings by Dennis Predovic in the unabridged release and Ron McLarty in the abridged version.

Dennis Pedrovic has a voice often heard in commercials and cartoons, as well as television appearances on "Law and Order" and a number of soap operas to his credit. Hollywood and television both claim Ron McLarty who has appeared in numerous films, such as "The Postman," "Mean Streak," and "Heartburn."

Acknowledged as possessing a keen legal mind, Judge Calvin Jeffries disdained the law and worshiped power. His murder in a courthouse parking lot paralyzes the community, but is hardly mourned by attorney Joseph Antonelli whose worked has been plagued by Judge Jeffries' decisions.

But this time the wheels of justice roll - the Judge's murderer is apprehended. The killer confesses, and then commits suicide. Case closed? Not really. Another judge is murdered in the same manner and Antonelli agrees to represent the defendant in what seems to be a copycat crime.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars should we or should we not trust the reviewers, August 2, 2002

By 

J. Janko (nj, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Judgment (Mass Market Paperback)

It's been a year since I have read the Judgment and I have just finished reading his next book, Legacy. I wasn't much thrilled with either book and was all the more surprised to see the 5 stars or 4 stars reviews written for both books. Then I noticed that most of the reviews come from reviewers very highly rated by the Amazon.com website. Even the #1 reviewer Harriet Klausner was thrilled with the book. I wondered whether there was something wrong with my opinion, but then I read Harriet's little autobiography. It says, among other things: "I am a speed reader ( a gift I was born with) and read two books a day." Therein lies the problem. The speedreader understands that modern fiction is obsessed with unnecessary details. (oh no, here comes the preaching (-; ). Modern fiction seeks to provide descriptions of every room a hero enters, every piece of clothing the hero might wear, every street address the hero might drive to, etc. A speedreader knows and skips ahead to the relevant stuff. That is what one must do to enjoy Buffa's Judgment and Legacy. That is what one cannot possibly dare to do when reading Buffa's Defense and Prosecution.

The fact of the matter is that the Judgment is an adequate thriller; it is your run-of-the-mill paperback that you throw out after reading or take back to your nearest used bookstore. And that is how first time readers of Buffa will react to it. But those familiar with Buffa's earlier work have been captured by his careful characterizations and his social studies - writing that doesn't waste a word, will be disappointed, to say the least. Buffa's first two books are shorter, to the point and cannot be speedread (much like speedreading Kafka's Metamorphoses would defeat the purpose of reading it - just an example). Thus, unless you are an avid reader that knows how to avoid useless descriptions, read Judgment with proper reservations - or better yet, read Buffa's first two books instead. I must agree with the "Did We All Read The Same Book?, June 9, 2001" review and the "not buffa's best, December 29, 2001" review - they are reviews of those who have read Buffa's other works and who are disappointed by Buffa's new bad habits.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Did We All Read The Same Book?, June 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Judgment (Hardcover)

Definately not one of Buffa's best. It appeared not even the author knew which direction he was headed midway thru the novel. Poor characterization and a cheap ending.