The 37th Amendment: A Novel (Paperback)

by Susan Shelley (Author) "The blood on the windshield was the least of it, although from this angle, against the tall office buildings reflected in the tinted glass, the..." (more)
Key Phrases: incorporation doctrine, eight amendments, Dobson Howe, Robert Rand, Ted Braden (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Original and compelling....A fascinating 'what-if' look into the near future." -- Midwest Book Review, November 2002

"Susan Shelley's debut work is truly fabulous....a thrilling and chilling read....The author tackles the 'unimaginable' with astounding finesse." -- RebeccasReads.com, May 2003

Product Description
Ted Braden is just trying to collect on a basketball bet when he telephones a fellow Lakers fan one night. That phone call makes him a witness in a sensational murder trial and launches him into a dangerous battle with the California criminal justice system—the year is 2056, forty years after the 37th Amendment has removed "due process of law" from the United States Constitution.

Join Ted as his calm world is rocked by an angry girlfriend, a beautiful prosecutor, and an eminent defense attorney who has had enough of a legal system tilted against defendants. Then meet someone who has a different view.

A wild ride through a surprising future, The 37th Amendment is a startling look at what our society has given up to crime, what we might do about it, and what the next generation might think of our choices.

This remarkable novel includes an appendix that tells the true story of "How the First Amendment Came to Protect Topless Dancing." You'll never look at the U.S. Supreme Court the same way again.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (July 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595230830
• ISBN-13: 978-0595230839
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,296,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intriguing Premise!, March 2, 2003

By	L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Susan Shelley has come up with an intriguing premise for this, her first novel. It's an alternate explanation of a crime-free future in the USA to that set forth in the movie, "Minority Report" and the novel that preceded it.

In Shelley's Los Angeles of 2056, the use of capital punishment is wielded like an angry sword. The legal justification for this becomes possible when the 37th Amendment to the Constitution is passed in the year 2016. The road to the amendment is paved by a capable young lawyer C. Dobson Howe, who makes a name for himself in leading the nation's voters to demand true equality through a constitutional amendment, proposed on a grass-roots basis.

Others follow his plan, and the 37th amendment is enacted to take away the guarantee of due process in the Bill of Rights, repealing the 14th amendment provisions that the states would also insure due process. In the 40 years following the amendment, many states, California at the forefront, made harsh and expedited punishment the "law of their land" for violent crimes.

The effect of this after 40 years, is that, without as many rights as they have today, violent criminals have pretty much ceased to exist. California in 2056 is pretty idyllic in terms of the safety and security of its population. California's expedited punishment law has been curtailed by the Federal Ramirez Act, so that violent criminals are guaranteed some time to appeal to guard against mistakes; a minimum of 5 years. But California has challenged Ramirez as unconstitutional, and in the early pages of the novel, they win their appeal. As a result, rapid execution is reinstated.

The novel's hero, Ted Braden, is caught unawares in the middle of a violent murder case, one of few that LA has seen in recent years. Despite his assurance that the man accused of this murder couldn't have done it, because he was sitting near him at a Lakers' game when the murder occurred, the jury that convicts Robert Rand relies on the testimony of two eyewitnesses in a case of mistaken identity. Rand's fate is pursued by Braden, working with the assistance of a contact in the DA's office, Jordan Rainsborough, and C. Dobson Howe, aging, and determined to reverse the 37th amendment before he dies.

The story moves quickly and absorbs you in the tale of justice gone wrong. Shelley's writing is capable, Braden and Howe are believable - the romances of Braden are a touch unbelievable, particularly in the way he moves from woman to woman. But, you'll find yourself engrossed in the story and receptive to the way in which Shelley pursues it, particularly in light of her humor. The book handles the sidebar of the all but 100% disappearance of marriage in the future, and the reasons why, with a light touch. Although Jordan is somewhat of a caricature of the beauteous lawyer, her opening gambit, when many men ogle her, is amusing, "Sure, you think that. But you won't call."

In this day and age, when the composition of the Supreme Court, and those who control future appointments, will dictate whether Roe v. Wade survives, it is scary to realize that the Supreme Court does overrule itself on a political pendulum. As this somewhat complex process continues, it may very well be that the American people have to resort to the Constitutional Amendment process to protect their rights. In Shelley's dialogue: "..a decision of the Supreme Court can be overturned by the decision of a future Supreme Court. And that makes every vacancy on the Court a crisis for those who live by the grace of the last ruling. A constitutional amendment, on the other hand, cannot be reversed simply because five of the nine justices think the time has arrived to reverse it." But this novel shows how that method can be a double-edged sword as well.

Complex and thoughtful, with a unique appendix that illustrates how an amendment came to protect something it was never intended to protect (the First Amendment and topless dancing), the 37th Amendment is a great introduction to a new writer's voice!

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, Exciting, Thought-Provoking., August 6, 2003

By A Customer

This book is advertised as a legal thriller and it is -- it certainly keeps you turning the pages -- but it's a lot more than just a story about the lives and loves of lawyers. What Susan Shelley has done in this novel is amend the U.S. Constitution to solve the crime problem, and then start the story forty years later, in 2056, to see how it turned out.

It's fascinating in kind of a back-to-the-future (but not quite) way. Picture the 1950s with modern women and without the bother of marriage.

While you're flying through the story (it moves!), thinking about how nice it would be to live in a nearly crime-free Los Angeles, the characters in the book are battling over a case of justice gone wrong and trying to change everything back to the way we do it now.

You'll find yourself identifying with the senior citizens in this book, the ones who remember how things were way back in the 1990s. These kids today....

This is a dazzling novel. It also includes an appendix, an amazing history of "How the First Amendment Came to Protect Topless Dancing." You'll definitely want to read it if you're interested in the Supreme Court, or if you're on the Supreme Court.

Five stars.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom in free fall, January 17, 2005

By	Sharla J. Frost (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Set in 2056, Ms. Shelley's novel examines what happens when the due process clause of the United States Constitution is eliminated and states are truly free to set their own laws, no matter how draconian, without any federal oversight. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is a thought provoking examination of a United States legal system where the constitution has been amended to accomplish the states' rights agenda of many current politicans. The story presents both sides of the debate in a way that is simultaneously entertaining and intellectually challenging: a formidable accomplishment.