When an herbalist who is reputed to be a witch is indicted for the poisoning of her niece and nephew, lawyer Don Robak begins snooping around to find the real murderer and save the herbalist's life."
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Joe L. Hensley has been a lawyer and a judge in small Indiana towns, and his books about lawyer (soon to be a judge) Don Robak have the smack and tang of elemental truth. They are also full of wisdom, sadness, and wonderfully precise writing that can capture the essence of a character in a sentence. Recovering slowly from the stomach wound he suffered in Robak's Run and separated from his wife and 10-year-old son because of his attraction to violent cases, Robak gets involved in the defense of Bertha Jones, an eccentric herbalist accused of poisoning her teenage niece and nephew. The case becomes a witch hunt in more ways than one, as a local evangelist whips up public sentiment against Bertha and her gay lawyer.
From Kirkus Reviews
Still smarting from the bullet he took in his gut at the end of his last trial, Indiana lawyer Don Robak's holding on till the first of the year, when he'll ascend to the circuit bench. Meantime, though, he's still vulnerable to a plea from his old law school buddy Kevin Smalley to join him in cozy Madisonville in the defense of alleged witch Bertha Jones, facing death for poisoning her teenaged niece and nephew. It's obvious from the beginning that the killings have something to do with the hysterical condemnations of Rev. Hoskin Allwell, and scarcely less obvious that the late Mary Petrakis and James Smitham were more Romeo and Juliet than Hansel and Gretel. While you're waiting for the less obvious stuff, Robak winds up the case and assumes that judgeship. A lesser effort concocted from familiar ingredients by veteran Hensley (Grim City, 1994, etc.). Even the writing is plodding. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One really terrific tale,
By A Customer
This review is from: Robak's Witch: A Don Robak Mystery (Hardcover)
In Indiana, attorney Don Robak recovers from a gunshot wound to his
gut which has dampened his zeal for being a courtroom lawyer. Adding to
Don's troubles, his second wife and their son have left him, fleeing to
Chicago because they are tired of his legal lifestyle. On a positive note,
Don is expected to become a judge in about six months.
..... As a personal favor to an old crony and legal opponent, Madisonville
attorney Kevin Smalley, Don agrees to help on a death penalty murder case.
The accused is Bertha Jones, a local herbalist, who has been arrested for
allegedly poisoning her niece and nephew. Don quickly learns that the
townsfolk want to burn the witch at the stake and that Kevin is just as
unpopular here in rural Indiana for announcing that he is gay. Still Don
begins to investigate and quickly learns that the two deceased teens had
close ties to Reverend Allwell, the leader of a local hate group. As he
gets closer to uncovering the truth, Don struggles to survive irate
religious sects, a crazed local militia group, and the worst of all, a
family seeking revenge. With all that in his way, Don's quest for justice
on his last case may prove, in deed, to be his LAST case.
...... Joe L. Hensley provides his many readers with a great new Don Robak
tale. Don is in his usual position of being under the bridge over troubled
waters in his quest to do what is right within the legal system. ROBAK'S
WITCH is well written with numerous twists and surprising problems
continually confronting Don. The ending is fabulously unique as the impact
of the Witch case on all the characters are provided by the great Mr.
Hensley, whose novels get the highest recommendation from this reviewer.
......Harriet Klausner
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