Sunday Synopsis

A Gambler's Jury by Victor Methos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book. It's my second book by Victor Methos, the first being The Neon Lawyer. First of all, I had to learn what is meant by "A Gambler's Jury." A defense lawyer might use this to describe a jury that might convict based on race although the evidence points to acquittal.

Now, that is exactly the kind of case that main character Dani Rollins walks into. Her client is Teddy Thorne, a black teenager (17), who has mental difficulties. He's been accused of selling drugs. Teddy is obviously a fall guy. He doesn't have the mental capacity to arrange a big drug deal. He should be tried in juvenile court, but prosecutor's insist on trying him as an adult on a felony drug offense. Worse, still, his parents can't wait to get rid of him when he turns 18.

It seems that, at every turn, people are working against Dani and Teddy - the prosecutors, the District Attorney, the judge, Teddy's so-called friends, and even Teddy's parents. What can she do?

I liked this book, but I found Dani's courtroom behavior not only disrespectful, but unbelievable. There was nothing realistic about her courtroom attitude. In a real court of law, had she behaved the way she did, she would have had to do worse than spend a night in a cell by the judge's chambers. I was also put off by having Teddy's character add the word "see" to almost every sentence. For example, he might say, "Kevin's my friend, see." Or "I have to eat pancakes, see." That was just a personal irritant.

Overall, it was a good storyline. I felt I got to know the characters well. It moved with the speed I expect a good book to have. There weren't any really slow parts and there weren't any parts that didn't add to plot or characterization. So... read it if you like legal fiction.


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