Judgment Day (Mike Daley) [Kindle Edition]

Sheldon Siegel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Siegel's straightforward sixth novel to feature San Francisco defense attorney Mike Daley (after 2004's The Confession), Nate Fineman, an attorney on San Quentin's death row, enlists Daley and his law partner, Rosie Fernandez, who happens to be Daley's ex-wife, in a desperate effort to gain a stay of execution. Fineman, who's scheduled for lethal injection in less than nine days, was convicted 10 years earlier after being found in a Chinatown alley clutching the gun used to murder two drug dealers and a lawyer who'd been meeting in a nearby restaurant. The defendant had been on the SFPD's persona non grata list since he'd managed to get charges dismissed against yet another local narcotics trafficker. Daley pursues the theory that his new client was framed by the boys in blue, despite the complicating factor that Daley's own father was one of the policemen responding to the triple homicide. The courtroom action builds to a predictable resolution sure to please Perry Mason fans. (May)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Hope springs eternal, wrote poet Alexander Pope, but optimism is wearing thin for San Francisco law partners Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez. The pair of legal eagles, who remained in business after their marriage went bust, is working to stop the execution of Nathan Fineman, a onetime Mob lawyer accused of gunning down three people at a Chinatown restaurant. Fineman’s health may be failing, but his mind is very much alive. He’s convinced San Francisco cops planted the murder weapon on him as payback for his successful defense of drug dealers in a notorious local case. Fineman’s claim is more than just an indictment of the SFPD; it’s an emotional blow to Daley, whose late father was one of the first cops to reach the scene on the night of the murders. Minutes turn to days as Mike and Rosie seek evidence that might exonerate their client (and possibly implicate Mike’s much-respected old man). Drug dealers, wily lawyers, crooked businessmen, and conflicted cops populate the pages of this latest in a best-selling series from Siegel, a practicing attorney in San Francisco for more than 25 years. A compelling cast and plenty of suspense put this one right up there with the best of Lescroart and Turow. --Allison Block

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 509 KB
• Print Length: 436 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1596922907
• Publisher: M P Publishing; 1 edition (December 24, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0022NHG6Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,080 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

A native of Chicago, Sheldon Siegel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1976 and graduated from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. He has been in private practice in San Francisco for over twenty years and specializes in corporate and securities law with the firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Judgment Day is the sixth novel in his series of critically acclaimed, best-selling courtroom dramas featuring San Francisco criminal defense attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into eight languages.

Sheldon lives in Marin County with his wife, Linda, and twin sons, Alan and Stephen. He is currently working on his seventh novel. For additional information about Sheldon Siegel, please see the Q&A (answers to his most common questions at book tour appearances) at www.sheldonsiegel.com/meet.htm.

E-Mail Sheldon Siegel at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You sure wouldn't want........., May 19, 2008

By 

Robert C. Hufford (Hopewell, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judgment Day (Mike Daley Mystery) (Hardcover)

...THIS job. Nate Fineman is in a mess; he is a 77 year-old legend in the San Francisco legal community who has made himself a "reputation", and a ton of money, defending rich low-lifes when they deal drugs, murder cops and other drug dealers, etc. Nate The Great had it all, but 10 years ago the sudden demise of two dope king pins and a crooked lawyer landed him on Death Row, where he has a date with the needle in nine and a half days. The San Fran Cops wanted his neck for years, and finally got it....

Enter Mike and Rosie, old friends of ours by now, who make a great legal team, have two kids, and the craziest divorce on record. Nate needs all the help he can get, and wants to hire them, along with Pete, Mike's PI brother, for the final appeals. The Law has no tougher job, and it is sure evidence of Sheldon's great skill that he can make us feel the stress. [Sheldon is a corporate attorney, and hasn't actually handled a death penalty appeal]. Naturally, Nate claims innocence [there are no "guilty" men on death row], but he has some rather specific charges about the alleged frame-up, and the part Mike and Pete's Dad [now deceased] played in it. Ouch. Now, I have to be careful, lest I spoil it for you.....

Sheldon takes us on a heck of a ride...tense, fast-paced, draining...that is sure to draw up conflicting emotions about both legal obligations and family loyalties. Several of our old friends are here...Roosevelt Johnson is retired now, but sharp as ever; he was well involved in the original case, hates Nate, but remains honorable. Mort The Sport Goldberg was Nate's original Counsel. He's had a stroke, has good days and bad, but can still turn on the fire. Nick Hanson is involved in everything, always has been, and remains ageless. Rabbi Friedman from "Special Circumstances" is back...he is one of Sheldon's best creations, a model for all clergymen, of whatever faith.

OK, I've said enough. This MAY be Sheldon's best, and I will not ruin it for you.. Start with time left to finish it in one sitting; you will be pulled straight along, and won't be able to stop. It is NOT a polemic on either side of the Capital Punishment debate. I have no idea how Sheldon feels about the matter [bravo Sheldon]; heck, I'm not even 100% sure how I feel. The loudest defender of capital punishment would stop short of executing the innocent, and the most vocal opponent wouldn't want his daughter dating Ted Bundy; this controversy has points on both sides that will not be settled here. But, you will definitely have quite an adventure, and be forced to think at the same time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Countdown to an execution, July 7, 2010

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judgment Day (Mike Daley Mystery) (Hardcover)

First Sentence: The oldest man on death row is eyeing me from his wheelchair.

Attorney Mike Daley and Rosie, in spite of a promise to his ex-wife and law partner, takes on a death-row appeals case. Former powerhouse-attorney Nate Fineman, is due to die in 8 days. He was convicted of killing three men in a Chinatown restaurant shooting, but claims he is innocent and the gun was planted by the police. Now Mike has not only to prove Nate's innocence, but find identify the killer in order to prevent Nate's execution. There is one slight conflict; Mike's late father was one of the officers at the scene of the shooting.

Living in the Bay Area, I do love books set here where it is delightful to read of places I know or have been and people whose names are iconic with the area. But it is also nice, that Siegel gets the geographic and atmosphere right as well. Siegal has a great voice writes realistic dialoque and uses humor well.

It's his characters I particularly like. His people are...people; not over-the-top or infallible. Mike and his ex-wife Rosie work together, are occasionally intimate but can't life together yet they make it work so they are both involved in their children's lives. The contrast between Mike and his ex-cop brother, Pete, is a study in contrasts and adds dimension to both characters.

The story is very well plotted. The element of time counting down is always effective and, although I don't know how realistic they may be, I do particularly like the courtroom scenes. [An attorney friend tells me the courtroom scenes are very well done.]

Siegel is a writer whose books I very much enjoy and was pleased to learn there is a new book on its way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars silly, May 3, 2009

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Ralph Adam Fine - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judgment Day (Mike Daley) (Kindle Edition)

siegel writes well. plot had potential, but story marred by too many easy coincidences. further, kindle edition badly formatted. and, by the way, no one can tell a sequestered witness what other witnesses have testified.