In Murder One, bestselling author William Bernhardt thrusts idealistic Tulsa, Oklahoma, attorney Ben Kincaid into the most controversial courtroom challenge of his career . . . an explosive murder case that Kincaid will confront not only as a lawyer--but as a defendant.
The crime is remarkably heinous: veteran police detective Joe McNaughton is found savagely slain, mutilated, and hung from a public fountain in downtown Tulsa. Scrawled across his chest in blood is the word FAITHLESS. The accused is a tabloid reporter's dream: stunning, nineteen-year-old Keri Dalcanton, a stripper involved in a kinky affair with the married McNaughton . . . and now cast by media, police, and public alike as a vengeful woman scorned.
Powerful circumstantial evidence and the prosecution's deftly orchestrated attacks on the defendant's character have Kincaid's client all but convicted. Until a major technical blunder by overzealous cops overturns the case--and sets Keri Dalcanton free. Amid a firestorm of outrage, Ben maintains his client's innocence. But angry comrades of the victim are convinced otherwise--and vow to see "justice" done, by any means necessary.
When a police raid on his office uncovers the bloody murder weapon, Ben gets a first-hand taste of the infamous Blue Squeeze. And as a new trial of Keri Dalcanton is launched, Ben faces his own day in court, charged with conspiracy and murder. What follows is a breathlessly twisting battle of legal wits--and lethal surprises--in which no holds are barred, no secrets are left unexposed, and ultimately, nothing is what it seems.
With Murder One, the author of Silent Justice and Dark Justice breaks loose and surpasses his own acclaimed reputation for legal thrillers that are "engrossing" (Associated Press), "throat-grabbing" (New York Daily News), and "richly drawn" (Chicago Tribune). This is William Bernhardt's electrifying entrée into the front ranks of crime fiction.
It doesn't seem possible that petite, blonde Keri Dalcanton could have stabbed police sergeant Joe McNaughton 20 times, dragged his body to a public square in downtown Tulsa, chained the corpse naked to a fountain, and hog-tied him, breaking several of his bones before she cut off his penis, stuffed it in his mouth, and wrote "Faithless" across his chest in his own blood. But McNaughton's friends on the force are convinced that the stripper was responsible. When Ben Kincaid takes Keri's case, they do everything they can to ensure that the hero cop killer's lawyer pays for her defense with his own blood, too.
Ben is convinced that Keri was framed. Beyond that, he's a little bit in love with her. The "blue squeeze" put on him by the Tulsa PD does nothing to convince him that he's wrong, not even when he's arrested and charged with complicity in McNaughton's death. Kincaid, Bernhardt's series hero (Dark Justice, Silent Justice), is a decent, hard-working lawyer who has offended too many Tulsa movers and shakers to put his still-struggling law firm into the black. When the girlfriend of one of his staffers is attacked as she's zeroing in on evidence that could free Keri, Ben plunges ahead with his defense, regardless of the danger it puts him in. Bernhardt's trademark pacing and courtroom expertise deliver this legal thriller to a riveting conclusion, with a surprise ending that most readers won't see coming. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
Perhaps fans of Bernhardt's Silent Justice will welcome the return of Tulsa defense attorney Ben Kincaid in a twist-filled sequel, but others will find little to cheer for in this clumsy, implausible courtroom thriller. After the gory, ritualistic murder of police sergeant Joe McNaughton, Kincaid finds himself unpopular with the public and police for his vigorous defense of McNaughton's sexy 19-year-old mistress, Keri Dalcanton, who has all but been convicted of the murder. Despite damning evidence, Ben gets her off on a technicality; both attorney and client subsequently feel the "blue squeeze" as angry cops conspire to attain justice by any means possible including raiding Ben's office, physically abusing him, planting evidence and cooking up charges of homicide and conspiracy against him. McNaughton's angry widow is equally eager to get Keri, and soon even Ben's staff may be in danger. Ben, meanwhile, is fighting to contain amorous feelings for Keri that may be clouding his judgment, and he's breaking in a new partner, his former legal assistant, Christina McCall, who may have similar feelings for him. Although Ben and especially Christina who's intelligent, crafty and engaging are easy characters to root for, little sounds natural here: secondary characters, plotting, dialogue ("Please hold me") and even courtroom arguments disappoint. And while readers may not guess all the twists in the plot, neither are they likely to believe them. Abundant clich‚s and crude contrivances give a surprisingly amateurish feel to this disappointing effort from veteran Bernhardt. Agents, Robert Gottlieb and Matt Bialer. Author appearances in Oklahoma and Texas.
I love my job. Even on the worst day when I can't seem to put together a coherent sentence, I am grateful for having been given this magnificent opportunity to participate in the literary exchange of ideas. My mother says I was telling people I wanted to be a writer when I was seven. I know that seems incredible, but she's my mom, so we have to believe her. I never missed an opportunity to visit the library, which was blissfully near my home, and the librarians there took a great interest in this nerdy, shy, bespectacled kid who kept reappearing almost every day. They encouraged me to read widely and to read the best of everything, and that is exactly what I did and have continued to do all my life.
I sent off my first submission when I was eleven, to Highlights Magazine. This was a poem of which I was particularly proud concerning the Oklahoma Land Run. They turned me down. Yes, that was my first rejection letter. Over the next twenty years, I collected over 400 more of them. No, I'm not exaggerating. I still have them. Every last one. There was a reason, I realize now, why all those compositions were being rejected. They weren't very good. But they improved over time. I didn't know it, but during the entire torturous process of submission and rejection, I was learning how to write.
I finally had my first novel published (by Ballantine, a division of Random House) when I was thirty-one. To some, this may seem an early age to publish, but if you clock it from my first rejection, it took twenty years. That was a great year--my first son, Harry, was born in August, and my first book, Primary Justice, was born in December. The book surprised everyone and the follow-up did even better and before I even realized it I had accomplished my goal--I was a real honest-to-gosh writer. I've been writing ever since. I've written more than twenty novels, edited two anthologies, done two books for children, and published numerous stories, essays, puzzles, and poems. I have three children now, and this job allows me to be present when they come home from school and available when they need me during the day, which is a blessing I could not have anticipated back when I was a seven-year old gazing dreamily at author photos on dust jackets, wishing I could see myself there.
My goals for the future are to continue to learn, to grow, to find new ways of doing my work and doing it better. I think the current interest in thrillers provides a marvelous opportunity to spin bigger and more exciting stories. I've learned that I enjoy teaching, which has led to the William Bernhardt Writing Programs and The Fundamentals of Fiction DVDs, as well as many speaking and teaching engagements throughout the year. My interest in mentoring aspiring writers led me to start the Small-Group Seminars and Master Classes, which allow me to teach my favorite subject all across the nation. And in my personal life, my goal is I to be the best parent possible to Harry, Alice, and Ralph, and the best possible partner to my wife, Marcia. I'm very excited about the future--my personal life with these extraordinary people, and my professional life, creating new stories for you wonderful people who still understand the importance of storytelling and the written word. ------- William Bernhardt is the author of more than twenty novels, including Primary Justice, Murder One, Criminal Intent, Death Row, Capitol Murder, Capitol Threat, Capitol Conspiracy, and Nemesis. He is one of fewer than a dozen recipients of the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He is also one of the country's most popular writing instructors, teaching at various conferences throughout the year. A former trial attorney, Bernhardt has received several awards for his public service. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Marcia, and their children.
"Murder One" is the latest entry in William Bernhardt's series of legal thrillers featuring the nebbishy lawyer from Oklahoma, Ben Kincaid. Although Ben is far from macho, he is a true idealist, and he is an aggressive and smart courtroom attorney. Christina McCall, Ben's former legal assistant, has recently graduated from law school and she is now Ben's partner. The case in this book deals with the horrible murder and mutilation of a policeman, Joe McNaughton, who was a popular man on the Tulsa police force. McNaughton's cop buddies and his widow are sure that the killer is a nineteen-year-old stripper named Keri Dalcanton. Keri was Joe's lover until he ended their torrid affair. Ben faces formidable obstacles in his efforts to acquit Kerry. First of all, there is strong circumstantial evidence linking Keri to Joe's murder. In addition, several policemen have a vendetta against Ben and Keri in the form of "the blue squeeze," which consists of physical and verbal harassment by the police. As usual, Ben's case seems hopeless and dangerous. However, he and his loyal staff battle the D. A. and the police with some clever tactics of their own. As always, Ben and his cohorts are amusing and charming, and the case is complicated and involving. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. However, Bernhardt goes overboard in several areas. There are graphic depictions of sadomasochistic and kinky sex that do not mix well with the gentle humor that pervades much of the book. The ending is way over the top and the plot becomes extremely contrived in an effort to "surprise" the reader. I enjoy a good surprise, but not at the expense of believability. All in all, "Murder One" is a serviceable legal thriller, but Bernhardt should have toned down the sensationalism and made the plot play out a little more realistically.
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Tulsa, Oklahoma criminal defense attorney, Ben Kincaid, is fighting an uphill battle to keep his client, Keri Dalcanton, a nineteen year old kinky stripper, out of prison. She's charged with the grisly murder and mutilation of her married lover, police detective Joe McNaughton, and even though Ben believes her to be innocent, all the circumstantial evidence points in her direction and he doesn't see much chance of winning this case. That is until a technicality sets her free. The police and D.A.'s office is outraged at what they consider this miscarriage of justice and promise they'll avenge McNaughton's death by other means, if necessary. Ben is just thankful for the lucky legal break and that this media circus of a case is finally over. Unfortunately, he couldn't be more wrong. Within days, incrimminating evidence of the murder is found in Ben's office, Keri's technicality is thrown out and Ben, himself is facing charges for obstruction and murder one..... William Bernhardt has written a fast paced, legal thriller with an interesting premise, but he doesn't always deliver. His plot needs to be tightened up and is more complicated at times, than intricate and compelling. His characters could be better developed and fleshed out and there are so many, you need a scorecard to keep track of who's who and what's what. But it's the implausible and contrived "surprise" ending I found most disappointing. After 288 pages, you shouldn't have to suspend belief to finish the last 29 pages of the book. Murder One is adequate beach reading with decent courtroom scenes, but Mr Bernhardt has written better books.
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In Tulsa, Ben Kincaid defends stripper Keri Dalcarton against a charge of brutally killing police officer Joe McNaugton in a bestial manner left for public viewing. The trial goes badly as witness after witness provides testimony insures Keri's conviction. However, Ben notices that the two search warrants used to look inside Keri's car and home were illegal, forcing the judge to throw out the case on a technicality. The cops are outraged, as Keri is not only free, but also protected under the Double Jeopardy clause of the Constitution.
Officer Arlen Matthews, who looked incompetent on the stand, persuades his cohorts to pull the "blue squeeze" on Kincaid. With a legal search warrant in hand, the police rummage through Kincaid's office to find the McNaugton murder weapon. Initially Ben is accused of obstructing justice, but then the charge is changed to MURDER ONE. Ben's legal assistant now a lawyer of two days serves as his defense attorney with more trouble awaiting Kincaid.
The previous Kincaid legal thrillers were excellent novels, but the newest tale, MURDER ONE, is superior to even that high standard. William Bernhardt grips the audience with a thriller that never eases up until the final twist and turn. Kincaid and his crew remain fun to observe as they struggle with this too personal case and the potential second round in the Dalcarton defense in spite of the Double Jeopardy clause. Mr. Bernhardt has written a fabulous story that if justice were simple would lead to the top of the best seller lists.
Harriet Klausner
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