Murder One (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Death came so suddenly he didn't even have a chance to scream..." (more)
Key Phrases: blue squeeze, william bernhardt, platinum blond hair, Keri Dalcanton, Judge Cable, Judge Hart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It doesn't seem possible that petite, blonde Keri Dalcanton could have stabbed police sergeant Joe McNaughton 20 times, dragged his body to a public square in downtown Tulsa, chained the corpse naked to a fountain, and hog-tied him, breaking several of his bones before she cut off his penis, stuffed it in his mouth, and wrote "Faithless" across his chest in his own blood. But McNaughton's friends on the force are convinced that the stripper was responsible. When Ben Kincaid takes Keri's case, they do everything they can to ensure that the hero cop killer's lawyer pays for her defense with his own blood, too.

Ben is convinced that Keri was framed. Beyond that, he's a little bit in love with her. The "blue squeeze" put on him by the Tulsa PD does nothing to convince him that he's wrong, not even when he's arrested and charged with complicity in McNaughton's death. Kincaid, Bernhardt's series hero (Dark Justice, Silent Justice), is a decent, hard-working lawyer who has offended too many Tulsa movers and shakers to put his still-struggling law firm into the black. When the girlfriend of one of his staffers is attacked as she's zeroing in on evidence that could free Keri, Ben plunges ahead with his defense, regardless of the danger it puts him in. Bernhardt's trademark pacing and courtroom expertise deliver this legal thriller to a riveting conclusion, with a surprise ending that most readers won't see coming. --Jane Adams --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Perhaps fans of Bernhardt's Silent Justice will welcome the return of Tulsa defense attorney Ben Kincaid in a twist-filled sequel, but others will find little to cheer for in this clumsy, implausible courtroom thriller. After the gory, ritualistic murder of police sergeant Joe McNaughton, Kincaid finds himself unpopular with the public and police for his vigorous defense of McNaughton's sexy 19-year-old mistress, Keri Dalcanton, who has all but been convicted of the murder. Despite damning evidence, Ben gets her off on a technicality; both attorney and client subsequently feel the "blue squeeze" as angry cops conspire to attain justice by any means possible including raiding Ben's office, physically abusing him, planting evidence and cooking up charges of homicide and conspiracy against him. McNaughton's angry widow is equally eager to get Keri, and soon even Ben's staff may be in danger. Ben, meanwhile, is fighting to contain amorous feelings for Keri that may be clouding his judgment, and he's breaking in a new partner, his former legal assistant, Christina McCall, who may have similar feelings for him. Although Ben and especially Christina who's intelligent, crafty and engaging are easy characters to root for, little sounds natural here: secondary characters, plotting, dialogue ("Please hold me") and even courtroom arguments disappoint. And while readers may not guess all the twists in the plot, neither are they likely to believe them. Abundant clich‚s and crude contrivances give a surprisingly amateurish feel to this disappointing effort from veteran Bernhardt. Agents, Robert Gottlieb and Matt Bialer. Author appearances in Oklahoma and Texas.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett; 1st THUS edition (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345428153
• ISBN-13: 978-0345428158
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #424,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 10 in The Ben Kincaid Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben Kincaid is back with another seriocomic thriller., April 22, 2001

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder One (Hardcover)

"Murder One" is the latest entry in William Bernhardt's series of legal thrillers featuring the nebbishy lawyer from Oklahoma, Ben Kincaid. Although Ben is far from macho, he is a true idealist, and he is an aggressive and smart courtroom attorney. Christina McCall, Ben's former legal assistant, has recently graduated from law school and she is now Ben's partner. The case in this book deals with the horrible murder and mutilation of a policeman, Joe McNaughton, who was a popular man on the Tulsa police force. McNaughton's cop buddies and his widow are sure that the killer is a nineteen-year-old stripper named Keri Dalcanton. Keri was Joe's lover until he ended their torrid affair. Ben faces formidable obstacles in his efforts to acquit Kerry. First of all, there is strong circumstantial evidence linking Keri to Joe's murder. In addition, several policemen have a vendetta against Ben and Keri in the form of "the blue squeeze," which consists of physical and verbal harassment by the police. As usual, Ben's case seems hopeless and dangerous. However, he and his loyal staff battle the D. A. and the police with some clever tactics of their own. As always, Ben and his cohorts are amusing and charming, and the case is complicated and involving. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. However, Bernhardt goes overboard in several areas. There are graphic depictions of sadomasochistic and kinky sex that do not mix well with the gentle humor that pervades much of the book. The ending is way over the top and the plot becomes extremely contrived in an effort to "surprise" the reader. I enjoy a good surprise, but not at the expense of believability. All in all, "Murder One" is a serviceable legal thriller, but Bernhardt should have toned down the sensationalism and made the plot play out a little more realistically.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blue Squeeze, the Cop's Way of Getting Even, November 27, 2003

By	Jeremiah Swann (Newton Highlands, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder One (Hardcover)

Veteran police detective Joe McNaughton was a cop everybody liked, so when he was found murdered, his nude body hanging from a fountain with his privates severed and stuffed in his mouth in downtown Tulsa, his pals are understandably upset. Though married. McNaughton had nineteen-year-old stripper Keri Dalcanton as a main squeeze and the police quickly arrest her. The cops, along without everyone else in town it seems, want her blood and the assistant DA is seeking the death penalty.

The book opens in court and good guy attorney Ben Kincaid is looking at a loser. He believes Keri is innocent, but the police just have too much evidence, then he notices a problem with the search warrents used to obtain said evidence and through an intuitive stroke of good luck he gets Keri off on a technicality.

The cops, especially McNaughton's partner Arlen Matthews, go nuts. They decide to apply the Blue Squeeze, a term that means something like, damn the law and get even, cop style. They raid Kincaid's office and find the murder weapon, then they arrest the attorney and brutalize him in jail.

From this point on the battle lines are drawn, it's the cops verses Kincaid and the police will stop at nothing. Kincaid bails out of jail, but the cops re-arrest Keri and this time the slick DA himself is prosecuting the case. He wants to ride to re-election on the back of the conviction.

There is enough tense courtroom drama alone in this legal thriller to keep you tuning the pages at a steady clip, but the struggle leading up to the second trial and the long lead up to a climax straight out of left field will speed your reading like you wouldn't believe.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars William Bernhardt's Back but Not at His Best..., May 28, 2001

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Murder One (Hardcover)

Tulsa, Oklahoma criminal defense attorney, Ben Kincaid, is fighting an uphill battle to keep his client, Keri Dalcanton, a nineteen year old kinky stripper, out of prison. She's charged with the grisly murder and mutilation of her married lover, police detective Joe McNaughton, and even though Ben believes her to be innocent, all the circumstantial evidence points in her direction and he doesn't see much chance of winning this case. That is until a technicality sets her free. The police and D.A.'s office is outraged at what they consider this miscarriage of justice and promise they'll avenge McNaughton's death by other means, if necessary. Ben is just thankful for the lucky legal break and that this media circus of a case is finally over. Unfortunately, he couldn't be more wrong. Within days, incrimminating evidence of the murder is found in Ben's office, Keri's technicality is thrown out and Ben, himself is facing charges for obstruction and murder one..... William Bernhardt has written a fast paced, legal thriller with an interesting premise, but he doesn't always deliver. His plot needs to be tightened up and is more complicated at times, than intricate and compelling. His characters could be better developed and fleshed out and there are so many, you need a scorecard to keep track of who's who and what's what. But it's the implausible and contrived "surprise" ending I found most disappointing. After 288 pages, you shouldn't have to suspend belief to finish the last 29 pages of the book. Murder One is adequate beach reading with decent courtroom scenes, but Mr Bernhardt has written better books.