The Judgment

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Mystery with Character(s)
Review: "The Judgement" is my first exposre to the world of Joseph Antonelli and D.W. Buffa and I must admit that I am impressed. The mystery centers around Joseph Antonelli, an Oregonian attorney who finds himself drawn into the murder of two circuit court judges that appear to be related. Add a possible connection to the past and you have yourself a fine novel with deeper character development than you see out of the typical mystery. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Mystery with Character(s)
Review: "The Judgement" is my first exposre to the world of Joseph Antonelli and D.W. Buffa and I must admit that I am impressed. The mystery centers around Joseph Antonelli, an Oregonian attorney who finds himself drawn into the murder of two circuit court judges that appear to be related. Add a possible connection to the past and you have yourself a fine novel with deeper character development than you see out of the typical mystery. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Okay, but not too original, psychologically off
Review: Attorney Joseph Antonelli's life is intertwined with the lives of murdered judges Clavin Jeffries and Quincy Griswold. After a seemingly innocent mentally deficient man is being railroad for the latter murder he decides to take up his defense and find out why and by whom the judges were murdered.

This is one of the best legal thrillers I read in quite a long time. The story is gripping with enough plot twists and turns that you never know what will happen next. We get a glimpse of Antonelli's early law years involving the judges. The early years' story is as interesting as the later present time story. It's almost like getting two good books in one. This story keeps the reader involved until the very last page.

Rating:
Summary: WARNING! Bad writing ahead...
Review: I was in the mood for a light bit of suspense fiction... nothing brilliant, but a good airport read. Seeing all the positive reviews this book had gotten, I figured I'd give it a try. WOW... what a mistake! Buffa spends the first 70 pages setting up back-story. The writing is so bad that it's actually funny at times. I read passages aloud to my friends to show them just how bad it was. Now, maybe it evolved into something remarkable in the second half, because I only made it halfway through before deciding that life is too short to spend on something this bad. But I'll tell you this.. although I don't think Grisham is a "great" writer, per se, at least he knows how to keep things moving along and his dialogue (isn't bad). Grisham is entertaining, in a 'light' kind of way. Buffa, however, is not.

Rating:
Summary: Really Great Book!
Review: It was very long to listen to, but well worth it in the end. Maybe I'll try to read the Abridged book! I am a big John Grisham fan, but Buffa is truly brilliant! If it wasn't for the length , I'd definitely give it a 5 star!

Rating:
Summary: should we or should we not trust the reviewers
Review: It's been a year since I have read the Judgment and I have just finished reading his next book, Legacy. I wasn't much thrilled with either book and was all the more surprised to see the 5 stars or 4 stars reviews written for both books. Then I noticed that most of the reviews come from reviewers very highly rated by the Amazon.com website. Even the #1 reviewer Harriet Klausner was thrilled with the book. I wondered whether there was something wrong with my opinion, but then I read Harriet's little autobiography. It says, among other things: "I am a speed reader ( a gift I was born with) and read two books a day." Therein lies the problem. The speedreader understands that modern fiction is obsessed with unnecessary details. (oh no, here comes the preaching (-; ). Modern fiction seeks to provide descriptions of every room a hero enters, every piece of clothing the hero might wear, every street address the hero might drive to, etc. A speedreader knows and skips ahead to the relevant stuff. That is what one must do to enjoy Buffa's Judgment and Legacy. That is what one cannot possibly dare to do when reading Buffa's Defense and Prosecution.

The fact of the matter is that the Judgment is an adequate thriller; it is your run-of-the-mill paperback that you throw out after reading or take back to your nearest used bookstore. And that is how first time readers of Buffa will react to it. But those familiar with Buffa's earlier work have been captured by his careful characterizations and his social studies - writing that doesn't waste a word, will be disappointed, to say the least. Buffa's first two books are shorter, to the point and cannot be speedread (much like speedreading Kafka's Metamorphoses would defeat the purpose of reading it - just an example). Thus, unless you are an avid reader that knows how to avoid useless descriptions, read Judgment with proper reservations - or better yet, read Buffa's first two books instead. I must agree with the "Did We All Read The Same Book?, June 9, 2001" review and the "not buffa's best, December 29, 2001" review - they are reviews of those who have read Buffa's other works and who are disappointed by Buffa's new bad habits.

Rating:
Summary: so so
Review: Judge Calvin Jeffries, an egomaniac with a vindictive nature, is murdered. He is stabbed in the courthouse parking garage. The judge had enough enemies so the suspect list would be voluminous. However, an anonymous phone call alerts the authorities to arrest a homeless man and escaped mental patient who confesses to the crime then commits suicide. It appears to be an open and shut case until two months later when Judge Jeffries' successor is killed in the same location in a similar manner. Joseph Antonelli, defense attorney, agrees to defend the man accused of the crime, another mental patient who was so abused in his past that he is almost unable to communicate. As Joseph looks into the case, he finds that events in his own past plays a pivotal role in the case.
There are many legal thrillers published each year. In fact, it is considered a strong dynamic subgenre of the mystery field. I just wonder what made this particular volume stand out in the mind of the Edgar Committee for best novel. THE JUDGEMENT is a competently written, yet overblown work. Characterizations, especially that of the first person narrator, Joseph Antonelli, are skillfully done and is the major strength of the work. The plot, itself, is reasonably compelling yet so very long and, at times, aimless, that reader interest could tend to wane. Courtroom scenes appear realistic, yet, they are a bit too detailed such as the judge's instructions to the jury on courtroom proceedings. The solution, when it comes at last, is ambiguous enough to cause frustration. Perhaps I am being overly critical, however, I think if a book is nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award it should be held to a higher standard. I feel THE JUDGEMENT does not meet that standard. Nonetheless, it is a very entertaining book and a good pick for summer reading.

Rating:
Summary: TOPNOTCH READINGS FOR THIS THRILLER
Review: Murder isn't a dead certainty in "The Judgment," the latest thriller from former defense attorney D. W. Buffa. What is without doubt are the topnotch audio book readings by Dennis Predovic in the unabridged release and Ron McLarty in the abridged version.

Dennis Pedrovic has a voice often heard in commercials and cartoons, as well as television appearances on "Law and Order" and a number of soap operas to his credit. Hollywood and television both claim Ron McLarty who has appeared in numerous films, such as "The Postman," "Mean Streak," and "Heartburn."

Acknowledged as possessing a keen legal mind, Judge Calvin Jeffries disdained the law and worshiped power. His murder in a courthouse parking lot paralyzes the community, but is hardly mourned by attorney Joseph Antonelli whose worked has been plagued by Judge Jeffries' decisions.

But this time the wheels of justice roll - the Judge's murderer is apprehended. The killer confesses, and then commits suicide. Case closed? Not really. Another judge is murdered in the same manner and Antonelli agrees to represent the defendant in what seems to be a copycat crime.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: This was my first Buffa novel and I absolutely loved it! The brilliant but also very much hated Judge Calvin Jeffries is found murdered in a courthouse parking lot. A couple months later another prominent judge is found murdered in the same location and in the same manner. A different homeless man is arrested for each murder in what seems to be open and shut cases. Attorney Joseph Antonelli decides to defend the accused in the murder of the last judge and soon discovers nothing is as it seems.

This was a very engrossing read for me. I also feel that this is one of the top ten in this genre, as opined by a previous reviewer. The writing style drew me in as much as the story. Smooth and captivating dialogue really kept me reading all night. A finely written legal/mystery thriller with plenty of emotion and mystery that will make you want to bring the book with you wherever you go till you finish. It’s that good.

Inside the covers:

Oh where is the noble fear of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness and none join in fear of the Gods.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: WARNING
Review: This was my first D.W. Buffa book and I was not disappointed really liked the battle in the start ( antonelli has with judge jeffries) About half way thru i had kind of figured who was behind the murders but it was good to see how it came about. Would definitely recommend you willnot be disappointed