Running with the Dead (Chris Sinclair) [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Jay Brandon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chris Sinclair | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Sexual politics, corruption in high-school athletics, revenge, and a mysterious stalker combine for an explosive new legal thriller by lawyer/author Jay Brandon. Four years ago, San Antonio District Attorney Chris Sinclair faced his first and biggest case as a defense attorney. His friend, teacher Henry Claremont had been accused of rape. Chris won the case, but had to reveal a love affair Henry had with another teacher. Then Henry's body was found, beaten to death.

Fast-forward to the present, when Chris Sinclair receives word that Henry's murder has been solved. The man accused, Hike Grimason, is a high ranking school administrator and high school basketball coach who, Chris discovers, took bribes from parents of his basketball players. During this trial, Chris and his daughter Clarissa are threatened by a man identical to the convicted multiple-murder Malachi Reese.

As events rush to a furious climax, Chris must succeed in the most high-pressure courtroom performance of his career, if he is to save Clarissa and to feel he’s brought justice to his unfairly accused friend Henry, whose death can be avenged only through Grimason’s conviction.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edgar finalist Brandon's compelling novel may be low on humor, but it's high on legal twists and turns. Soon after starting his career, San Antonio lawyer Chris Sinclair defended his longtime friend, high school teacher Henry Claremont, against a charge of rape brought by a student—though in doing so, he had to expose an affair Claremont was having with a fellow teacher. When Claremont was acquitted, someone in town disagreed and beat him to death one night at a local park. Four years later, new clues uncovered by the Texas Rangers point to school administrator and basketball coach Hike Grimason as Claremont's killer. After Grimason is indicted, however, Sinclair is unable to focus as directly as he'd like on the coach's upcoming trial, since someone is now stalking him, possibly a convicted multiple murderer he sent to prison or possibly the man's twin. Brandon (Fade the Heat) provides intelligent entertainment for lovers of courtroom drama. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Four years ago, in a brief incarnation as a defense attorney, Chris Sinclair, now the San Antonio district attorney, successfully represented Henry Claremont, a teacher accused of raping a student. But it was as hollow a victory as Sinclair would ever experience. Claremont had to reveal the identity of his married lover, and two careers were ruined. In short order, Henry was murdered, the victim of a brutal beating. Now the Texas Rangers say they have Claremont's killer, Hike Grimason, the basketball coach and a candidate for state office. Chris decides to prosecute the politically charged case personally, primarily because of the friendship he developed with Claremont. While he is preparing his case, Sinclair finds his relationship with his longtime lover unraveling, in part because of the attractive special prosecutor with whom he is working. Additionally, there are threats against his daughter's life from a Svengali-like serial killer who seems to be in prison and at large at the same time. The Sinclair series is an outstanding mix of courtroom maneuverings, evolving characters, and razor-sharp plots. Brandon, a former district attorney and Edgar Award finalist for Fade the Heat (1990), has the courtroom down pat, but so do a lot of writers. Brandon gets the people right, too, from Sinclair's too-cool, way-bright daughter to his soon-to-be-former lover, Anne, whose inner conflict pits freedom against love and commitment. A brilliant entry in a series that just keeps getting better. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765308932
• ASIN: B000VYTYPM
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,888,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jay Brandon (1953- ) grew up and his lived primarily in San Antonio, Texas. A graudate of the University of Texas, he also has a Master's degree from The Writing Seminars of Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from the University of Houston.
Brandon is the author of 15 novels and one book of non-fiction, as well as a number of short stories published in anthologies.
Brandon has also been a lawyer since 1985. His first job out of law school was at the Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest criminal court in Texas. He then served as an assistant district attorney of Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas, and a staff attorney on the Fourth Court of Appeals of Texas, before going into private practice in 1990.
Brandon's 1990 novel FADE THE HEAT, his first legal thriller, was shortlisted for the Edgar Award and optioned by Amblin Entertainment. That and later novels have been published by more than a dozen foreign published, with worldwide distribution.
Brandon is married and the father of three children. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and the American Crime Writers League (although he generally dislikes belonging to any group; just a natural prejudice).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One plotline too many., December 5, 2005

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running with the Dead (Chris Sinclair Thriller) (Hardcover)

Henry Claremont was a dedicated and well-liked high school history teacher. Four years ago former defense attorney and now San Antonio District Attorney Chris Sinclair won an acquittal for defendant Henry Claremont from sexual abuse charges. Unfortunately, Henry was brutally killed just a week after his acquittal. Chris has always been haunted by the death of the sensitive high school teacher. Now Horace "Hike" Grimason is on trial for Henry's murder. Hike, the high school varsity basketball coach at the time is now a deputy superintendent of schools. Fours years ago Henry was trying to prove along with his lover, Vice-Principal Charlotte Moore, that Hike was taking bribes from the parents of basketball players. In a concurrent story, Malachi Reese a murderer that Chris put on death row is petitioning the court for a new trial. He is claiming a lookalike is responsible for the deaths of which he has been convicted. The lookalike is terrorizing Clarissa, Chris's college student daughter. Luckily Clarissa does not scare easily, and helps her father in his quest to keep a murderer behind bars.

I really enjoyed the storyline that involved the Grimason case. I felt engaged in the outcome of the case. Henry was a sympathetic and wronged character. You want justice for him. There is even romance brewing between Chris and his co-counsel. The Reese storyline was less successful because it was a backburner story. It really wasn't well-developed. Every time the plot veered toward Reese it just felt like filler material. The story involving Reese did not feel compelling though I did like Clarissa and her part in it. I'd give the Claremont storyline 5 stars and the Reese storyline 3 stars.

4.0 out of 5 stars LONG chapters, when you're a sporadic reader, September 29, 2011

By 

R. Gawlitta "Coolmoan" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running with the Dead (Chris Sinclair) (Hardcover)

I enjoy reading a lot, though I have few opportunities to enjoy a novel, except maybe a chapter at a time before I go to bed. I'm not a fast reader, either, so I might've been a bit challenged with Jay Brandon's book, with unusually long chapters. He's a good writer, and I actually stuck it out, and generally enjoyed what I absorbed. Chris Sinclair is a good central character, with good intentions and a somewhat insecure assessment of himself. There are 2 distinct plotlines, and a few sub-plots which aren't given much resolution. One of the more interesting sub-plots involves Chris' ex- who is a psychologist, and sustains a subliminal character of interest. One of the main plots, involving a vicious killer named Reese, could've been more developed regarding background and motivation. The other main plot basically involved bringing a smart-ass bully to justice. This was much more interesting to me, and the entire case was well-examined, with a satisfying outcome. I refuse to blab away the whole story, since there may be some who may read this review before reading the book. (I do that often.) I enjoyed "Running with the Dead", and intend to check out more by Jay Brandon.