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A Criminal Appeal

A Criminal Appeal

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Shining Debut!
Review: As the author reminds the reader throughout this excellent story, Nora Lumsey is a big-boned woman, and proud of it. She is farm-bred, drives a pickup truck, 26 years old and just out of law school, and lives alone in Indianapolis where she doesn't know a soul. Her job is a plum for any recent law school grad -- law clerk to a judge on the state's Court of Appeals.

As this book begins, Nora is assigned to write the opinion denying a poignant, handwritten appeal and affirming the conviction of 10-year-old Dexter Hinton. Dexter, who is deaf, confessed to the murder of an elderly woman and was convicted and sentenced to 55 years, but there were problems with the confession and Dexter and his grandfather now want to "take it back." Once Nora starts wading through the transcripts and case file, she becomes convinced that Dexter's conviction should be overturned, but her judge is adamant that the conviction will stand.

Nora is a young woman of uncommon principle, integrity, and ethics, so even she is surprised to find herself emotionally and personally involved in the case. Moreover, she has never known a black person before and getting to know this black child and his family comes as something of an epiphany to her. When she learns that Dexter's grandfather is her neighbor, she gets sucked even deeper into surreptitiously investigating the case and searching for the truth, knowing all the while that what she's doing could get her fired. "The system" alone does not satisfy Nora. She is a person who believes deeply in justice and the incumbency of all who serve it to seek the whole truth. When Nora and her new friend and ally, Owedia, who is Dexter's former teacher, start asking questions in dark and dangerous quarters and irritating some ruthless and powerful people, disbarment begins to look like the least of Nora's worries.

This book knowledgeably examines such issues as justice and the seemingly assinine complexities of appellate law, politics, race, religion, and gang violence with great insight while at the same time plotting a highly suspenseful mystery with a thought-provoking ending. Nora Lumsey is a down-to-earth, very realistic, and all around wonderful character. Could it be that this big-boned young warrior symbolizes Lady Justice herself? I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of mess Nora gets herself into next.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Shining Debut!
Review: As the author reminds the reader throughout this excellent story, Nora Lumsey is a big-boned woman, and proud of it. She is farm-bred, drives a pickup truck, 26 years old and just out of law school, and lives alone in Indianapolis where she doesn't know a soul. Her job is a plum for any recent law school grad -- law clerk to a judge on the state's Court of Appeals.

As this book begins, Nora is assigned to write the opinion denying a poignant, handwritten appeal and affirming the conviction of 10-year-old Dexter Hinton. Dexter, who is deaf, confessed to the murder of an elderly woman and was convicted and sentenced to 55 years, but there were problems with the confession and Dexter and his grandfather now want to "take it back." Once Nora starts wading through the transcripts and case file, she becomes convinced that Dexter's conviction should be overturned, but her judge is adamant that the conviction will stand.

Nora is a young woman of uncommon principle, integrity, and ethics, so even she is surprised to find herself emotionally and personally involved in the case. Moreover, she has never known a black person before and getting to know this black child and his family comes as something of an epiphany to her. When she learns that Dexter's grandfather is her neighbor, she gets sucked even deeper into surreptitiously investigating the case and searching for the truth, knowing all the while that what she's doing could get her fired. "The system" alone does not satisfy Nora. She is a person who believes deeply in justice and the incumbency of all who serve it to seek the whole truth. When Nora and her new friend and ally, Owedia, who is Dexter's former teacher, start asking questions in dark and dangerous quarters and irritating some ruthless and powerful people, disbarment begins to look like the least of Nora's worries.

This book knowledgeably examines such issues as justice and the seemingly assinine complexities of appellate law, politics, race, religion, and gang violence with great insight while at the same time plotting a highly suspenseful mystery with a thought-provoking ending. Nora Lumsey is a down-to-earth, very realistic, and all around wonderful character. Could it be that this big-boned young warrior symbolizes Lady Justice herself? I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of mess Nora gets herself into next.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Suspenseful Thriller
Review: D.R. Schanker's debut novel "A Criminal Appeal" is a fast paced thriller that introduces the unforgettably big-boned law school grad & 1st year law clerk Nora Lumsey. As a clerk for an Indiana Court of Appeals judge, Ms. Lumsey is assigned to write an opinion confirming the murder conviction of 10-year-old Dexter Hinton. Dexter is a deaf, Black child who confessed to the crime of killing an elderly white woman in a drive-by robbery and shooting. After Dexter's conviction, his grandfather submits a type-written appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

When the appeal and trial transcripts find themselves in Ms. Lumsey's hands with explicit instructions from the judge to affirm the conviction, the plot thickens. Nora discovers that Dexter's grandfather, Carl Hinton, lives two houses accross from her. Intrigued by the case, Nora begins to dive into the trial transcripts and starts to question the legality of Dexter's confession and conviction.

She comes face to face with Carl then finds herself invited to his church where he meets Owedia, Dexter's former teacher. Owedia is a sweet, kind woman who is as passionate to Dexter's plight as Carl. She slowly pulls Nora farther into Dexter's case. Against Nora's moral and ethical judgement she accompanies Carl on a trip to see Dexter, then she is pulled further into Dexter's world. The story introduces Nora to racial tensions, gang violence and penitentiary life as a juvenile. With pressure from the judge to hand in the affirming opinion, Nora must choose between her professional ethics and her emotional preservations.

In a gripping, suspenseful novel, D. R. Schanker keeps the reader guessing about the outcome. Each chapter leaves one wondering just what will Nora's next move be and how far will she go to follow her convictions? The author offers a realistic look into inner-city youth, and has simplified the legal appeals process as well.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Suspenseful Thriller
Review: D.R. Schanker's debut novel "A Criminal Appeal" is a fast paced thriller that introduces the unforgettably big-boned law school grad & 1st year law clerk Nora Lumsey. As a clerk for an Indiana Court of Appeals judge, Ms. Lumsey is assigned to write an opinion confirming the murder conviction of 10-year-old Dexter Hinton. Dexter is a deaf, Black child who confessed to the crime of killing an elderly white woman in a drive-by robbery and shooting. After Dexter's conviction, his grandfather submits a type-written appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

When the appeal and trial transcripts find themselves in Ms. Lumsey's hands with explicit instructions from the judge to affirm the conviction, the plot thickens. Nora discovers that Dexter's grandfather, Carl Hinton, lives two houses accross from her. Intrigued by the case, Nora begins to dive into the trial transcripts and starts to question the legality of Dexter's confession and conviction.

She comes face to face with Carl then finds herself invited to his church where he meets Owedia, Dexter's former teacher. Owedia is a sweet, kind woman who is as passionate to Dexter's plight as Carl. She slowly pulls Nora farther into Dexter's case. Against Nora's moral and ethical judgement she accompanies Carl on a trip to see Dexter, then she is pulled further into Dexter's world. The story introduces Nora to racial tensions, gang violence and penitentiary life as a juvenile. With pressure from the judge to hand in the affirming opinion, Nora must choose between her professional ethics and her emotional preservations.

In a gripping, suspenseful novel, D. R. Schanker keeps the reader guessing about the outcome. Each chapter leaves one wondering just what will Nora's next move be and how far will she go to follow her convictions? The author offers a realistic look into inner-city youth, and has simplified the legal appeals process as well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: continuing the litany of praise...
Review: Let me continue the litany of praise for this first time writier and Edgar nominee.

A Criminal Appeal was not just a satisfying read, it was exquisite. It was also realistic. Caution: if you start A Criminal Appeal you better not have any other plans such as sleep because you'll just hate to interrupt this tightly told tale of suspense, legality, conflict, racism, family love set against a backdrop of life-like machinations of the justice system.

Oh yes, and let me also join the chorus of praise for big boned women, whom up til now I have apparently overlooked. Camryn Mannheim of the tv's The Practice is a look alike for Schanker's Nora.

There were two authors in this genre I would buy in hardcover at $25.00 as soon as I see their books in the bookstore. Now Schanker joins Robert B. Parker and James Patterson in that category. He certainly is getting into their catergory in weaving a tale.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A grand debut
Review: Nora Lunsey's first job as a lawyer is working as a legal clerk for Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Albertson. Proud of being a big boned woman, Nora is currently writing an opinion that convicts (as an adult) ten-year old Dexter Hinton, of killing a white woman. The deaf child has confessed he did the crime.

Though she knows better, Nora cannot stop herself from getting emotionally involved in the case. She starts to doubt the confession and subsequently that Dexter is the murderer. Nora, with the help of Dexter's teacher, begins to investigate what really happened even though it could cost her more than a lucrative job. Interference could bar her from practicing law and face criminal charges of her own. There are several folks wanting her dead to stop her inquiries, but even all that fails to stop the determined Nora from trying to insure justice and not the law prevails.

The story line does justice to the legal thriller sub-genre and should elate fans that a new author with fresh ideas has entered the fray. The characters, who come from all walks of life, are all brilliantly developed and add to the authentic feel of the novel by making Indianapolis and the surrounding areas feel alive. However, what makes D.R. Schanker's debut novel so good is Nora, who is one genre's best new characters. Hopefully, more tales starring Nora will soon follow.

Harriet Klausner

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Let's hear it for big-boned women!
Review: The cover of A Criminal Appeal, by D.R. Schanker, says "The truth doesn't always set you free. Sometimes it takes a damn good lawyer." Actually, this story puts the lie to that statement, showing instead that achieving justice sometimes has nothing to do with the law, but rather comes down to simple faith, tenacity, and hard-headedness. Also, being big-boned seems to genetically predispose Schanker's protagonist, Nora Lumsey, for the role of the crusader.

Nora is a newly-minted lawyer working as a clerk for an appeals court judge in Indiana who has before him an appeal dealing with a robbery and shooting of an elderly white woman allegedly committed by a 10-year-old, deaf Black boy named Dexter. Nora is assigned Dexter's appeal and the judge instructs her to write an opinion affirming the conviction. Under ordinary circumstances, Nora would feel only an ordinary level of sympathy and pity for the boy whose life will be wasted serving a 55-year sentence for murder. But it turns out that Dexter's grandfather, Carl, who submitted Dexter's appeal, lives two houses away from Nora. And, as Nora reminds us throughout the story, being big-boned has endowed her with an inordinate amount of stubborn righteousness, and she wants to try to help Dexter.

Curious about the circumstances of the case, and heedless of the conflict inherent in a judge's clerk independently investigating the case, not to mention the blatant violation of judicial rules and ethics, Nora seeks out Carl's acquaintance. Almost instantly, she finds herself being drawn into the case, being invited by Carl to attend church with him, to go to the reform school to meet Dexter, and to meet Dexter's former teacher, named Owedia. Owedia's persistent efforts to involve Nora in trying to free Dexter are met with feeble resistance (Nora tells her she can't get too involved because "I work for the State.") and eventually Nora finds herself enmeshed in the search for the truth of who committed the murder. She fails to convince the judge to overturn the conviction, and despite the danger to her career, she continues to pursue the case, following up leads that take her into seedy neighborhoods and into a world of gang violence she has never experienced firsthand. When the situation turns dangerous, possibly deadly, Nora's big-boned bravado and Owedia's deeply religious faith carry them through.

The major themes in the story are the nature of racial prejudice, the fallibility of the judicial system, and the importance of community and individuals helping others. In the face of corrupt and ambitious politicians, a porous judicial system that allows innocent people to slip through the cracks, and a religious establishment incestuously involved with political machines, it is the individuals willing to put their faith and convictions on the line -- those who will not walk away or hide behind pragmatism -- who set the best example in this story and who accomplished true justice. The story is engaging and uplifting even when the plot takes depressing turns. As a lawyer, Schenker understands his subject matter very well and is able to translate the legal jargon effectively for the lay person. Schenker writes an engaging story which was rewarded with a nomination in 1999 for the prestigious Edgar Award.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Realistic Legal Thriller
Review: The majority of the legal thrillers today contain most of the fiction in how the procedures of the law are followed. Not this book! It captured the frustration, tedium and politics of legal procedure *without being boring*. Mr. Schanker has provided the readers with a wonderful novel. It is gripping, thoughtful and moving. He brings home the realities of urban plight, racism and gangs. Though one battle may be won, the war is not over.


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