Customer Reviews

The Judgment

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This was my first Buffa novel and I absolutely loved it! The brilliant but also very much hated Judge Calvin Jeffries is found murdered in a courthouse parking lot. A couple months later another prominent judge is found murdered in the same location and in the same manner. A different homeless man is arrested for each murder in what seems to be open and shut cases. Attorney Joseph Antonelli decides to defend the accused in the murder of the last judge and soon discovers nothing is as it seems.

This was a very engrossing read for me. I also feel that this is one of the top ten in this genre, as opined by a previous reviewer. The writing style drew me in as much as the story. Smooth and captivating dialogue really kept me reading all night. A finely written legal/mystery thriller with plenty of emotion and mystery that will make you want to bring the book with you wherever you go till you finish. Its that good.

Inside the covers:

Oh where is the noble fear of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness and none join in fear of the Gods.

Highly recommended.

"The Judgement" is my first exposre to the world of Joseph Antonelli and D.W. Buffa and I must admit that I am impressed. The mystery centers around Joseph Antonelli, an Oregonian attorney who finds himself drawn into the murder of two circuit court judges that appear to be related. Add a possible connection to the past and you have yourself a fine novel with deeper character development than you see out of the typical mystery. Enjoy!

Attorney Joseph Antonelli's life is intertwined with the lives of murdered judges Clavin Jeffries and Quincy Griswold. After a seemingly innocent mentally deficient man is being railroad for the latter murder he decides to take up his defense and find out why and by whom the judges were murdered.

This is one of the best legal thrillers I read in quite a long time. The story is gripping with enough plot twists and turns that you never know what will happen next. We get a glimpse of Antonelli's early law years involving the judges. The early years' story is as interesting as the later present time story. It's almost like getting two good books in one. This story keeps the reader involved until the very last page.

Circuit Court Judge Calvin Jeffries ranked with this country's best legal minds, but his reputation to the public involved over use perhaps abuse of court power. Many attorneys who felt Jeffries unfairly undermined a defense were not toasting the deceased. However, surprisingly, the individual who murdered the Judge in the court parking lot was a homeless person not connected to the victim. Attorney Joseph Antonelli, not a Jeffries fan, accepts the defense of the accused judge killer.

When the suspect kills himself, the case seems over, but Jeffries' widow thinks otherwise. Soon someone murders a second judge and the police shout copycat and arrest another homeless person. Antonelli begins to wonder if Mrs. Jeffries is right that something more sinister is the cause behind the homicides and who is next?

The story line of THE JUDGMENT is a fast-paced, exciting legal thriller. The cast is fully drawn and seem real, especially the hero and the first dead Judge. Though Antonelli speaks in a stilted tongue in what sounds like to much legalese for everyday discussions, he remains a powerful caring character who readers will like but ask him to speak in plain English. D.W. Buffa provides the audience with a strong legal thriller that fans will enjoy, but need a few days to read.

Harriet Klausner

Another great legal thriller by one of the best legal thriller writers in America. Lots of spins and curves. But the victim is so ruthless it is difficult to have any sympathy for him.

I am currently in the middle of the book and let me tell you it's a struggle. I think Buffa can write; the problem is that he wants to tell you EVERY detail of every character, past, present and future! This slows the book down to a crawl and you end up with 30% to 40% of the book being irrelevant. The characters are interesting but when you read 10 pages that should have been a paragraph and 20 pages at a clip that add nothing to the story, it kills the book. If the editor of the book would have done his job and shrunk the book to 250- 300 pages of story instead of 480 pages of minutia this would be a best seller 4 stars!!!!! As for the other reviews, I don't know what book they were reading!!!!!

As entertainment novels go, this is a good 'un. Joseph Antonelli is a defense attorney who smells a rat after two judges are killed in the same manner, and offers his services to the homeless and seemingly helpless man accused of the second murder. Only Antonelli has all the clues to this engaging puzzle. Worth reading as a distraction.

Problems (why this is a three- and not a four-star review): 1) Mr. Buffa is a bit guilty of over-writing. You'll find yourself thinking "yes, you've already said that" too often. 2) The secondary plot line, in which Mr. Antonelli's long-lost love reappears, goes nowhere worthwhile. The book needed either more or less of her. Less would've worked for me.

I recommend the audio version. It is very well-narrated and you won't have to spend time outside the car on this book (let's face it, the reader who said this is "as good as fiction writing gets" is, shall we say, overstating his case).