Flawed Judgment
By Jim De Fee
Xlibris Corporation
$24.99 soft cover, 443 pages; ISBN 1-4134-3552-1 (2004).
Using the pen name of Jim De Fee, Grover Alexander has written an entertaining legal thriller about a Maine lawyer who defends Arthur Langford, a wealthy client, charged with murdering his wife, Jennifer and her lover, District Attorney Jay Waldron. This book has all the ingredients of a thriller: murder, sex, dirty politics, sex, mob hit men, sex, corrupt judges – oh, did I mention sex?
I’m all for legal thrillers getting a little steamy – but there is a limit to how much sex can be used to drive the plot of a book. Don’t get me wrong — there are many things to like about this novel – but one glaring weakness is that nearly all the women (and most of the men) are driven almost exclusively by their more than ample libido.
To many older lawyers in Maine, Grover Alexander is a familiar name – he practiced law for fifty years (mostly in Maine) before retiring. Clearly not content to give up on law entirely, Alexander turned to writing fiction and his first novel – despite its faults – is quite satisfying.
Carl Anderson is the highly regarded lawyer who defends Arthur Langford. Pitted against him is Chief Deputy District Attorney Brad Nelson, who hopes that a conviction in this trial will propel him to be the next District Attorney. But Anderson must also battle against the presiding judge, Clarke A. Conley, whose primary ambition is to become the next Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
During the course of the murder investigation, Anderson comes to believe that judge Conley is the real killer. It becomes a battle of wits between the virtuous Anderson and the corrupt and scheming judge Conley. Somehow, Anderson must devise a way to trap and expose judge Conley during the trial – if he fails, his client will be found guilty of a murder he didn’t commit and Anderson will probably be disbarred. The courtroom battle between Anderson and the judge is well written and the highlight of this enjoyable novel.