Slander [Paperback]

William Deverell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

In this legal drama, Liz Finnegan, a women's rights lawyer who defends abortion clinics and abused women, publicly denounces Judge Vandergraaf for giving a slap-on-the-wrist sentence to a white-collar rapist. The tension between these two legal powerhouses increases when a woman studying law comes forward with an accusation that she was raped by the judge many years ago but never reported it. Blocked in her efforts to open up the case, Finnegan holds an impromptu press conference during which she lays out the accusations and dares the judge to sue for slander in order to bring the case before a jury.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550225936
• ISBN-13: 978-1550225938
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,068,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A riveting courtroom drama, June 9, 2010

By 

Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slander (Paperback)

Elizabeth Finnegan is a brash, young, opinionated and outspoken beautiful young women living an outrageously off-the-wall, outré lifestyle. A talented and busy litigation lawyer in a well-respected downtown law firm, she's also not afraid to loudly voice her liberal, left-leaning political views. When Hugh Vandergraaf, a charismatic senior judge with aspirations to the US Supreme Court, hands down a slap-in-the-wrist sentence on a rape conviction, Finnegan goes ballistic. She holds a press conference liberally dispensing with vicious sound bites in which she criticizes the judge as a brainless "ego-testic1e" member of some old boy's club. Of course, this earns her a trip to the proverbial judiciary woodshed in which she is soundly spanked and given a warning by Judge Vandergraaf to conduct herself with greater decorum lest she be hauled up before the bench on charges of contempt.

Still seething from the very public dressing down she had received at Vandergraaf's hands, Finnegan is appalled when, a few days later, a woman arrives in her office with a story that Vandergraaf had raped her when she was attending university more than twenty-five years earlier. Although the rape is statute barred in the state of Washington because of the elapsed number of years, Finnegan is told that the act was actually committed on a sailing trip in Canadian waters. When she undertakes to charge Vandergraaf in Canada and extradite him to face a Canadian justice system (which has no such statute of limitations on sexual assault or rape), she is sued for slander in Washington. If she loses, she faces a lifetime crippling $4 million in punitive damages and the certain loss of her career.

"Slander" is a riveting courtroom drama that is at once witty and humourous, gritty and compelling, emotionally moving and thought-provoking. It touches upon important timely issues such as pro-choice vs the right to life anti-abortion movements, custody of children by gay parents and when free speech crosses the line into hate and the advocacy of criminal activity. Ultimately, Finnegan receives much more than she ever bargained for in an unforeseen twist ending that would do the likes of Jodi Picoult very proud.

I've been a long time fan of Canadian author William Deverell since his spectacular 1979 debut thriller "Needles" that dealt with the violent drug trade in Vancouver, then touted as the heroin capital of North America. Thirty years later, "Slander" certainly does nothing to diminish my enthusiasm for the skills of this fine author. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, January 8, 2009

By 

Hermy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slander (Paperback)

What a fantastic book. Lots of great twists. A must read! Deverell is one of the best!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Slander, June 25, 2001

By 

Janice E. Levin (Oak Park, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slander (Hardcover)

A great, thrilling courtroom drama about a little known law - the law on slander. A very surprising twist to the story. Women liberationists will love it! Even though it was written by a man it is definately a woman's story. Should be better known and better reviewed in this country. Definately a hidden gem. I hope that a good U.S. publisher picks it up and promotes/sells it like it deserves.