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The Best Defense: Library Edition [MP3 CD]

Kate Wilhelm , Anna Fields
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 2003
"ENGROSSING...Wilhelm provides suspense and excitement
while adeptly portraying Barbara [Holloway] as a wily and sympathetic heroine."
--Publishers Weekly
The neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon, is blue-collar; the cafe holds only three tables and four booths. But it's the only place attorney Barbara Holloway feels both productive and peaceful. Laptop computer on the table, coffee refilled regularly by the cook, Barbara gets her work done and wants for nothing more...certainly not another explosive, emotionally devastating courtroom case.
Until a woman comes to Barbara with a case she cannot refuse. The sister of "Baby Killer" Kennerman, the tale she tells is so terrifying that Barbara must act. What she unearths is a corrupt conspiracy that will allow a killer to walk away free. And when she finds herself up against a smear campaign of unimaginable proportions, Barbara Holloway realizes that even the best defense may not be enough....
"Better than any [courtroom dramas] I've read in years...Wilhelm has created an appealing and believable character in Barbara Holloway....The courtroom scenes are excellent, and narrative tension is maintained throughout the story."
--Mystery News
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

With this engrossing sequel to Death Qualified , prolific Wilhelm claims a leading place in the ranks of trial suspense writers. At a restaurant in Eugene, Ore., attorney Barbara Holloway regularly holds office hours for those who can't afford downtown representation. Lucille Reiner meets her there to complain about the court-appointed attorney defending her sister, Paula Kennerman. Dubbed the "Baby Killer" by the press, Paula is accused of murdering her young daughter before setting afire the home for abused women to which she and the child had recently fled. Lucille says her sister is innocent but has become withdrawn and uncommunicative and is giving in to the public defender's pressure to plead guilty. Barbara, still emotionally shaken by her fiance's recent death, meets Paula and breaks through her defenses, but then the public defender has his client severely sedated and bars Barbara from seeing her. Despite her reluctance to take on another high-profile case, Barbara becomes drawn into Paula's story and intrigued by suspected legal wrongdoings. Wilhelm provides suspense and excitement while adeptly portraying Barbara as a wily and sympathetic heroine. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-The murder trial of "Baby Killer" Paula Kennerman seems like an open-and-shut case. After taking refuge at a safe house for battered women, the defendent alledgedly set it afire, fatally burning her child. The plot twists with steadily mounting danger and tension as defense attorney Barbara Holloway sets out to prove her client's innocence. The characterizations and courtroom atmosphere are especially well done. Relevant social issues involving battered wives, the power of the media to influence opinion, and illegal business dealings that operate under a cover of sanctimony are smoothly woven into the story. This cleverly crafted page-turner proves that indeed the best defense is a good offense.
Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Legal thriller Aug 19 2000
By Helen
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a book from an obviously highly skilled author. The plotting was compelling, clever and tense and the main protagonists well drawn. The bad guys are clearly delineated if somewhat two dimensional. One slight flaw was the at times confusing detail of the plot. I am looking forward to other legal thrillers written by this author.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced drama, except for near trial end Jan 29 1999
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The book begins well, rich (or at least well off, but playing at being poor) female lawyer is asked to do the impossible, free a woman pre-judged to be a baby killer. Barbara (the lawyer) does a credible job and succeeds. The book bogs down near the end with a lot of shooting off in all directions apparently trying to explain herself. 'Bad guys' are unbelievably bad: making money on abortion formula while mouthing abortion foe rhetoric. A little too overdramatic...a C-minus for such a lack of sublety. The righteous are 'good-good', the other side is 'bad bad'. Author is no John Grisham.
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By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I'm a tough grader - reserve 9 and 10 for all-time greats. This is simply a good read. Very plot driven, with commentary on a number of contemporary issues and personal relationships. It also is about power and greed, and the corrupting influence of money. It touches on the fanatical nature of people's response to abortion, and gives the reader an emotional ride over some very difficult issues. The main characters are complex people, while the supporting characters are a little unidimensional. However, through it all you are engaged in unravelling the crime and discovering whether the truth will prevail or whether money will buy the verdict
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