Trials [Paperback]

Anne Tolstoi Wallach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

For two female Manhattan judges, the bond that has existed between them since childhood is about to be put to the ultimate test, as a high profile case thrusts them both into the media spotlight. Already forced to compete for the same coveted seat on the appellate court, the stakes get even higher as they must battle for the heart of the same man--a charismatic defense attorney who could force one woman to betray the other! Ads in "Romantic Times" and "Redbook Gold".

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This lollapalooza of a potboiler revolves around a child-custody dispute in which a ballet dancer named Tom D'Arcy battles for the very soul of his deceased lover's daughter. Meanwhile, an assortment of secondary players swirls around the periphery, scheming, lying, and forming an enormous daisy chain of adulterous relationships. Anne Tolstoi Wallach doesn't seem particularly at home in a judge's chambers, but no matter--in Trials, after all, the boudoir is where the important decisions are made. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Boilerplate sociology and stock characters drive Wallach's workmanlike third novel (after Private Scores and the bestselling Women's Work). New York City trial Judge Pax Peyton Ford is called upon to exercise the cool composure of Portia and the wisdom of Solomon in both her personal and professional lives. She's drawn the custody case of Caitlin California, the six-year-old daughter of billionaire artist Johnny California, whose death has left the child torn between her father's gay lover, famous ballet dancer Tom D'Arcy, and her aunt, the high-strung and narrow-minded Ba Bishop. Making matters trickier for Pax is Ba's marriage to John Talcott Bishop, a member of the screening panel for appointments to the Appellate Division, promotion to which Pax desperately desires. On the personal front, Pax's budding romance with Leonard Scholer, her son's father-in-law, is placed on hold when Leonard signs on as D'Arcy's defense counsel. And Judge Rosa Macario, an old friend of Pax since childhood (when her mother was the Ford family's maid), is becoming both a romantic and a professional rival. In the end, one of the women gets the man and the other gets the coveted appellate judgeship. Wallach keeps the pages turning, albeit at the expense of deep character exploration, but that's less likely to bother readers than the fact that this agreeable entertainment wasn't available for the beach.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451187415
• ISBN-13: 978-0451187413
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,774,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I really liked it, July 2, 2008

By 

March1044 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trials (Hardcover)

Don't read the Publisher's Weekly review, as it gives away the ending. Luckily, I didn't, and really enjoyed the book. Not many books any more keep my attention throughout, but this one did. Really, a very enjoyable read with many interesting characters.

2.0 out of 5 stars An unfortunate anti-semitic treatise . . ., January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Trials (Paperback)

It's a shame that Ms. Wallach, who bases her entire story on promoting strong ethnic identities, strong women, wholesome homosexuals, and nice WASPS feels the need to feature a self-hating Jew (her hero Leonard)and his spoiled JAP daughter stereotype. Bad writing on that score and dangerous ethics.