A Stain upon the Robe

Rating:
Summary: Tedious Reading
Review: A main character gets a crush upon a missing person immediately upon viewing his portrait. No -- it's not a juvenile romance, but a purported legal thriller (although "thriller" is not an apt term for this tedious plodder). I love to read mysteries that develop the main characters/investigators, but not at the expense of the mystery and story itself. Unfortunately, this book does not succeed in balancing characterization with plot. The plot is not compelling; I never had difficulty putting the book down. And even the characterization fails, relying on artifice (the nun's voice) and stilted dialogue. I am giving the book two stars instead of one simply because I did appreciate the description of the pre- and post-trial processes.

Rating:
Summary: Sensationalized comic book reading
Review: I see I'm in the company of several reviewers who rated this book highly. Frankly, I can't see it.

Boston Superior Court Judge Barbara Pitt has an affair with her Law Clerk, some 25 years or more her junior. The Law Clerk disappears during the sensational pedophile trial of a former catholic priest, Father Cornelius Dooley, and Pitt enlists the aid of her 'former' lover, Sheldon Gold, a noted Boston attorney with an investigative staff. Pitt, while pining for her lost love clerk continues to invite Gold to her bed. Are you with me so far?

Gold has three assistants, the beautiful but scarred Irish Mairead O'Clare, gay ex-street savvy Boston tough guy ex-cop Pontifico Murrizi, and African American receptionist, sage, font of wisdom, soothsayer, attorney without the JD, Billie Sunday.

Can we get anymore eclectically diverse in our personal issues? Can we stereotype differing people in any other way? Oh. I forgot to mention that Shelly Gold is under a prescription for heavy anti-depressants and his 'wife' is in a care facility for grave, violent attacks of psychosis.

Here are the 4 reasons why this book left me cold and even a little disturbed.

First of all the characters 'speechify.' The don't talk to eachother, they give speeches. About the church, politics, homosexuality, adolescent scarring, "swinging," Catholics, on and on. People don't talk that way. An occassional rant, OK? 300 pages of it? Tedious.

Secondly. The church gets slammed. OK. Is this a Dan Rather expose or a novel? I firmly believe that it flirts with personal bias. If you want to take on that topic, give some balance. We are left with numerous "speeches" that the church is filled singularly with pedophiles, homosexuals and alcoholics. Cheap shot. Untrue. Yellow journalism.

Thirdly, for all they rant about, the characters are superficial. I know less about Mairead O'Clare, certainly the strongest character of the dysfunctional quartet, on page 295 than I did on page 1.

Finally, I find it boring to have these 1 and 2 page chapters. It's like flitting around with the remote control. Lots of pictures; no substance.

A poor book riding the tide of sensationalism and tragedy. Larry Scantlebury

Rating:
Summary: For fans of legal thrillers
Review: In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Judge Barbara Pitt presides over the headline news criminal case in which Father Cornelius Xavier Dooley is accused of sexually assaulting twenty-three boys. However, as Her Honor is in the media spot light, she asks her former law school lover criminal defense attorney Sheldon Gold to subtly investigate. To insure political correctness by balancing the female non-Catholic judge, Legal Research Services sends a male Catholic clerk Charles Vareika to assist Barbara. She confesses to Shel, his legal secretary, and his associate that she slept with the clerk who has since vanished. She fears for her reputation, but also the impact on the trial.

Shel and his team, including a private sleuth, make inquiries by interviewing associates of the missing person, trial fanatics, and the Catholic priest on trial. As they dig deeper, Barbara seems more unsavory by the moment and Dooley appears quite deranged, but Charles remains missing.

Though the key cast members, especially the Judge and the priest, speak stilted English that feels artificial rather than normal free flow conversation, fans will appreciate the honesty, perseverance, and temerity displayed throughout by Shel and his team. The story line moves forward at quite a clip as the trial plays an intriguing backdrop and enhancer to the missing person's investigation. The insight into the mean streets of Beantown and the close look at the Suffolk County legal system add depth to this action-packed novel. Fans of legal thrillers in which an exciting investigation supersedes the court room drama will enjoy A STAIN UPON THE ROBE.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: For fans of legal thrillers
Review: In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Judge Barbara Pitt presides over the headline news criminal case in which Father Cornelius Xavier Dooley is accused of sexually assaulting twenty-three boys. However, as Her Honor is in the media spot light, she asks her former law school lover criminal defense attorney Sheldon Gold to subtly investigate. To insure political correctness by balancing the female non-Catholic judge, Legal Research Services sends a male Catholic clerk Charles Vareika to assist Barbara. She confesses to Shel, his legal secretary, and his associate that she slept with the clerk who has since vanished. She fears for her reputation, but also the impact on the trial.

Shel and his team, including a private sleuth, make inquiries by interviewing associates of the missing person, trial fanatics, and the Catholic priest on trial. As they dig deeper, Barbara seems more unsavory by the moment and Dooley appears quite deranged, but Charles remains missing.

Though the key cast members, especially the Judge and the priest, speak stilted English that feels artificial rather than normal free flow conversation, fans will appreciate the honesty, perseverance, and temerity displayed throughout by Shel and his team. The story line moves forward at quite a clip as the trial plays an intriguing backdrop and enhancer to the missing person's investigation. The insight into the mean streets of Beantown and the close look at the Suffolk County legal system add depth to this action-packed novel. Fans of legal thrillers in which an exciting investigation supersedes the court room drama will enjoy A STAIN UPON THE ROBE.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Top-notch legal thriller
Review: Shel, Mairead, the Pope, and Billie are back in this 3rd legal thriller from Terry Devane. Combining the best of legal thrillers from an author who knows whereof he writes, and the fabulous characters of someone who knows how to tell a story -- this is a solid book. Mairead is a woman who doesn't always know how strong she is, surrounded by people who aren't always as strong as they think they are. It's very nice to read a book which is respectful to all sorts of characters, and contains a great story. Anyone who likes strong women who make competent choices, and who don't need a man to save them from themselves, will find Mairead a character to their liking.

Rating:
Summary: Great new series!
Review: When the law clerk for a Boston judge disappears during the high profile trial of a pedophile priest, the judge turns to her old classmate Sheldon Gold and his young associate Mairead O'Clare for discrete help in locating the young man before new scandal erupts, this one involving her honor and her affair with the handsome young man.

Enlisting the help of "The Pope", retired homicide sergeant turned private eye Pontifico Muirrizi, the case takes them into dens of sin in and around the City of Boston. The twists and turns of the plot are truly imaginative.

Terry Devane is the pen name of an established Boston writer. Given the quality of this book and its predecessor Juror Number Eleven, Terry might turn into the dominant personality.