Felony Murder (Felony Murder)

Rating:
Summary: Great first book! Started fast and kept it up throughout.
Review: For a book to begin by grabbing you in the first few pages and then keep up that pace, gotta be some writer. I will be watching for more books from this author

Rating:
Summary: A thorough attention to detail
Review: New York criminal defense lawyer Joseph T. Klempner's first novel concerns the defense of a homeless man charged with felony murder - a death caused during the commission of a crime. It's a headline case, since the dead man is the police commissioner, and appears hopeless since the defendant, ignorant of the felony murder law, freely admits robbing the man who apparently died of a heart attack during the mugging.

Court-appointed defense attorney Dean Abernathy is overwhelmed by the prosecution's evidence which includes two eye witnesses, a knife and a signed confession. There are some contradictions in the evidence and the district attorney seems to be stonewalling unnecessarily but Abernathy tends to believe the prosecution's case.

However, Abernathy is thorough. And when the seemingly pointless contradictions begin adding up, he digs further, getting a fortuitously big break from a blue movie. As Abernathy embarks on the trail of an explosive conspiracy, he finds himself falling in love and confronting an ethical and professional dilemma of momentous proportions.

Klempner's writing style matches his protagonist - thorough - with careful attention to legal detail. Although the plot becomes somewhat unwieldy, with a couple of holes big enough to drive a truck through, the legal maneuvering is fascinating and Abernathy is an appealing and determined character.