- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: GP Putnam And Sons (April 19 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0399152814
- ISBN-13: 978-0399152818
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 16 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,098,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this intelligent, gripping legal thriller, the latest in Buffa's Edgar-nominated series to feature San Francisco DA Joseph Antonelli (The Defense, etc.), Antonelli agrees to join his law partner and longtime friend, Albert Craven, on a national talk show to discuss the media craze surrounding the case of a young married woman, Angela Morgan, allegedly murdered by her husband. Also on hand for the discussion with the blowhard host, Bryan Allen, are up-and-coming attorney Julian Sinclair and young, attractive assistant DA. Daphne McMillan. Antonelli and Craven are so impressed by Sinclair's performance and his perfect background, that they invite him to join the firm. Unfortunately, Sinclair has a problem—McMillan is brutally murdered in his house, and he can say only that he didn't do it. The resulting media frenzy (driven to a large degree, as before, by Allen) puts the Morgan case to shame, and during the trial, Antonelli fails to convince the jury of Sinclair's innocence. Each new chapter brings another unexpected, not to mention unlikely, surprise. Even as credibility is strained to the breaking point, the fast-moving dialogue and fine sense of characterization keep the reader hanging on for the ride. Agent, Wendy Sherman. (Apr. 21)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Attorney Joseph Antonelli becomes fast friends with a young law professor, Justin Sinclair, when the two appear as talking heads during a high-profile murder trial. It's no surprise, then, when Antonelli agrees to defend Sinclair after he is arrested for the murder of the wife of a San Francisco businessman. Antonelli believes in Sinclair's innocence, but it appears the case has already been decided by the public. Usually in a legal thriller, the drama reaches its climax in a courtroom scene. Here, it's not until after Sinclair's trial that the story really begins to sizzle, and Antonelli seeks to right a terrible wrong. Since his first Antonelli mystery, in 1997, Buffa has gradually ratcheted up his style, character development, and narrative intensity. He definitely is hitting on all cylinders this time, combining a gripping murder mystery with insightful commentary on the state of public discourse about the law. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
trial by dullness,
By mad-about-murder "pugma" (invermere, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Trial By Fire (Hardcover)
this is a mess structurally and in terms of characterization, a novel which has veered so far from the moral core of classic detective fiction that the hero, based apparently on prince valiant, has no hesitation in murdering a fellow prisoner (a child-molester, of course)to provide a burned body in place of his in an unlikely escape from san quentin. no mention of any concern by the prison authorities about the disappearance of the fellow prisoner...characters are cardboard, modelled on the likes of mr cheerible at his most irritating and gloria allred at her most waspish. the plot is old, threadbare and simply unbelievable. avoid it..too many lawyers are retiring early and writing dreadful novels..they should stick to their knitting..
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Rate!!!,
By John R. Linnell - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Trial By Fire (Hardcover)
D.W. Buffa's novels are always a read to be anticipated. His latest does not disappoint. In setting up his main character, Joseph Antonelli finds himself as a guest on one of those interminable cable news channel "talk" shows about topics of the day in which the host and some of the guests have a preordained point of view and then proceed to roast and belittle anyone who opposes it. On this show Antonelli and a young law profesor, Justin Sinclair are the roastees and their protestations that you cannot prejudge guilt or innocence based upon newspaper stories and rumors are treated like a pinata at a Mexican birthday party.Soon thereafter, Sinclair is charged with murdering one of the other guests on the show, Daphne McMillan. McMillan is a prosecutor and she is also married to a man, who as it turns out may have murdered his first wife and is more than capable of murdering Daphne. However, the circumstances of the murder, in Sinclair's home, her blood on his hands and evidence of a romantic relationship which she was ending lead the talk show types to convict Sinclair in advance and during the trial that follows, not even the great Joseph Antonelli can save him from being convicted. The retribution which follows the conviction is interesting and at times a bit fanciful, but Buffa never lets certain things stand in his way of telling a story and while some liberties are taken, the story suffers not at all. While the novel stands as an indictment of the cable mentality that infects this nation and much of the world, it is also first rate fiction written by an author who desrves all of the awards he has been given. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trial By Fire,
By D. A. McPhail - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Trial By Fire (Paperback)
Like many of the great lone-wolf characters, Joseph Antonelli has become an individual about whom we want to learn more, and hear more. Just as we struggle with the personal charms and failings of Harry Bosch or Adam Dalgliesh or Dismas Hardy or Guido Brunetti, we come to believe in them, their fallibilities and their small victories.D.W. Buffa has created a character that endures, and draws the reader to his next book. And like the best dramas, whether profound or merely popular, the surrounding characters are also alive and thoroughly interesting in their own right. Whether it is the inventive quirks of his judges, or the contemporary take on talk show hosts and media types, Buffa creates a compelling story. In Trial By Fire, he adds a media mogul who deserves our concern, a love for Australia and Berkelely that comes through loud and clear, and a plot twist that makes you glad you read his well-constructed story. I can't wait to see what Antonelli is doing next! 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Story from D.W. Buffa,
By New Mexico Fan - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Trial By Fire (Hardcover)
The author gets the reader hooked through his in-depth descriptions of his characters, carrying you on a roller coaster of emotions from love, to hate, to respect. Then, just as you have the players all figured out, he drops a bombshell of an ending that has you rethinking your opinions of many of the characters. I can't wait for his next release.
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