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(30 reviews)
Author: Michael Ponsor
ISBN : B00EP6PBEK
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Format: PDF
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Based on the experience of the author, a federal judge who in 2000 presided over the first capital case in Massachusetts in more than fifty years, this extraordinary debut thriller offers an unprecedented inside view of a federal death penalty trial
When a drive-by shooting in Holyoke, Massachusetts, claims the lives of a Puerto Rican drug dealer and a hockey mom volunteering at an inner-city clinic, the police arrest a rival gang member. With no death penalty in Massachusetts, the US attorney shifts the double homicide out of state jurisdiction into federal court so he can seek a death sentence.
The Honorable David S. Norcross, a federal judge with only two years on the bench, now presides over the first death penalty case in the state in decades. He must referee the clash of an ambitious female prosecutor and a brilliant veteran defense attorney in a high-stress environment of community outrage, media pressure, vengeful gang members, and a romantic entanglement that threatens to capsize his trial—not to mention the most dangerous force of all: the unexpected.
Books with free ebook downloads available Epub The Hanging Judge: A Novel [Kindle Edition]
- File Size: 2102 KB
- Print Length: 376 pages
- Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (December 3, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00EP6PBEK
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
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- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #21
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Legal
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Epub The Hanging Judge: A Novel
I am thrilled to review this book, and feel particularly qualified to do so. The Hanging Judge is the story of a case in which the United States seeks the death penalty for a drug-related shooting that resulted in killing not only the intended drug dealer, but an innocent bystander as well.
Because I am a retired career Assistant U.S. Attorney (federal prosecutor), I can vouch for how accurately the author has described what is involved in federal prosecutions and how plausible his plot is. This is perhaps not too surprising, given that the author is a Senior United States District Judge, but is welcome nonetheless. How often have I picked up a crime novel, only to find a completely bogus description of the criminal justice system, riddled with inaccuracies? By contrast, how often does one pick up a "crime novel" like this one, and see a blurb from Tracy Kidder on the cover? No review I can write will impress more than the fact that Ponsor's writing friends, Kidder, Jonathan Harr, Josaeph Kanon, and Joe McGinnis recommend this book! But I will try.
The story is told in an interesting technique. It unfolds chronologically, and the segments of the chronology included are told in accurate detail, but big chunks of the story which are not essential to the narrative are skipped. For example, we read a detailed account of portions of the first jury selection where a Unitarian (gasp! like me!) actually ended up in the Foreperson's seat. I won't tell you what happens, but events require the first jury to be replaced with another. The book skips all that went on in between, and takes us next to a segment of the trial before the second jury.
There are tons of mysteries and courtroom dramas novels seen in the perspective of the lawyer, the law enforcement officer, and even the indicted. But The Hanging Judge may be the first novel I have read that is mainly in the perspective of the judge. It is because the author, Michael Posner has been a judge since 1984 and is currently a judge in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.. It's nice to see a novel written by someone who knows all the facts, intricacies and problems that abound in our legal system.
Of course, it is even better that Michael Ponsor is an excellent writer and shows an amazing amount of promise in his debut novel. The author takes on the issue of capital punishment in this taut courtroom drama. the main protagonist, David Norcross, is a judge with some deep doubts about the legal system, especially pertaining to capital punishment. He is assigned a case involving a drive-by shooting resulting in the death of a gang member and a respected member of the community. It is clear almost from the beginning who is guilty and who is innocent but that is not really the point. This is more of a drama than a mystery as its main focus is on the actions and emotions of the principles who are caught up in the situation. There are no simple actions or answers throughout this well-developed story. I became very involved in the tale and pretty much read through the night to see what would happen. It has a satisfying climax but this is a story that is too realistic for a Perry Mason "I did it" ending. Various plot diversions come into being and culminate at the end always staying true and realistic to the story with good guys, bad guys but mostly people in between doing things is the best way they know how to.
Yes, I'm being vague.