by Marianne Wesson
|
by Marianne Wesson
|
See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.
|
Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
Newcomer Wesson, a prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney, melds Dead Man Walking with the legal thriller formula in her provocative debut. Months after she's left her job in the D.A.'s office to head the Boulder Rape Crisis Center, Lucinda Hayes gets leaned on by her old teacher, now Colorado Supreme Court Justice Hilton James, to go back to the courtroom by handling the habeas corpus appeal of Jason Smiley, on his way to the death house for raping and murdering his blue-blooded lover Nicole Caswell. Smiley insists he's innocent, but Cinda knows that under Colorado law (as in most other states), claims of innocence, however well documented, aren't grounds in a habeas corpus action. But as she casts around for the sort of legal grounds that might give her client a chance--improper jury instructions, errors in interpreting the laws of felony murder, omitted warnings that might have violated Smiley's constitutional rights--she begins, to her amazement, to turn up evidence that indicates that maybe, just maybe, Smiley might be telling the truth about the crime. Of course, Cinda's colleagues at the Rape Crisis Center, horrified at her spirited defense of Smiley, recoil as if their director had sprouted horns, and she ends up losing both friends and job; her best friend, Assistant D.A. Victoria Meadows, won't take her calls for weeks on end; and even Hilton James suddenly blows cold when he finds out she's actually been researching cases that might offer some precedent for sneaking exculpatory evidence into a habeas corpus case. Just when you think Cinda's headed for a courtroom showdown and a heartfelt, predictable embattled-heroine conclusion, Wesson detonates the first of a series of bombshells that keep his heroine scrambling until the final satisfying surprise. Legal eagles may be disappointed by the perfunctory courtroom scenes. For everyone else, though: an audacious, unsettling mixture of legal suspense and morality play. (Book-of- the-Month Club alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A superior work." -- -- San Jose Mercury News
"Bright and llively and very, very smart." -- -- Susan Isaacs
"Scott Turow fans will devour this intense legal drama." -- -- Sara Paretsky
Newcomer Wesson, a prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney, melds Dead Man Walking with the legal thriller formula in her provocative debut. Months after she's left her job in the D.A.'s office to head the Boulder Rape Crisis Center, Lucinda Hayes gets leaned on by her old teacher, now Colorado Supreme Court Justice Hilton James, to go back to the courtroom by handling the habeas corpus appeal of Jason Smiley, on his way to the death house for raping and murdering his blue-blooded lover Nicole Caswell. Smiley insists he's innocent, but Cinda knows that under Colorado law (as in most other states), claims of innocence, however well documented, aren't grounds in a habeas corpus action. But as she casts around for the sort of legal grounds that might give her client a chance--improper jury instructions, errors in interpreting the laws of felony murder, omitted warnings that might have violated Smiley's constitutional rights--she begins, to her amazement, to turn up evidence that indicates that maybe, just maybe, Smiley might be telling the truth about the crime. Of course, Cinda's colleagues at the Rape Crisis Center, horrified at her spirited defense of Smiley, recoil as if their director had sprouted horns, and she ends up losing both friends and job; her best friend, Assistant D.A. Victoria Meadows, won't take her calls for weeks on end; and even Hilton James suddenly blows cold when he finds out she's actually been researching cases that might offer some precedent for sneaking exculpatory evidence into a habeas corpus case. Just when you think Cinda's headed for a courtroom showdown and a heartfelt, predictable embattled-heroine conclusion, Wesson detonates the first of a series of bombshells that keep his heroine scrambling until the final satisfying surprise. Legal eagles may be disappointed by the perfunctory courtroom scenes. For everyone else, though: an audacious, unsettling mixture of legal suspense and morality play. (Book-of- the-Month Club alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A superior work." -- -- San Jose Mercury News
"Bright and llively and very, very smart." -- -- Susan Isaacs
"Scott Turow fans will devour this intense legal drama." -- -- Sara Paretsky
"A superior work." -- San Jose Mercury News
"Bright and llively and very, very smart." -- Susan Isaacs
"Scott Turow fans will devour this intense legal drama." -- Sara Paretsky
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
|||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
|
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Active discussions in related forums
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta (What's this?)Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.
› See featured Amapedia.com articles
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
Avon: Free Shipping |
Best Books of 2008 |
 |
||||||||
|
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
