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Description edit
Tough and street-smart, a principled rebel against an establishment he has always scorned, Dan Lazar has risen from the working class to become one of Philadelphia s top criminal defenders. But now divorced and burned out, Dan is ready to call it quits. On the surface he would seem... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Dan Lazar: A principled criminal defense lawyer who fought his way up from working-class roots, Dan Lazar is burned out from winning acquittals for defendants he knows are guilty and the trumped-up witness-tampering charges he faces. But when his lover, Susan Boelter, is charged with murdering her husband, he has to decide whether to defend her --- and to discover if she's truly innocent.
- Susan Boelter: Susan is the smart and gracious upperclass wife of Philadelphia's powerful, autocratic newspaper publisher. She stands to lose everything she holds dear when he moves to divorce her, including custody of their 13-year-old daughter. When he is found dead, she is charged with his murder.
- Peter Boelter: The manipulative, autocratic publisher of Philadelphia's biggest newspaper, he feels stymied because family members own equal shares of the paper, and his late father put his wife Susan in control of the foundation that owns 40%. He is furious that Susan has her own ideas about what should be done with the paper.
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
"He's dead!" the woman's voice screamed into the telephone receiver. "He isn't moving. He's dead!"
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Should a lawyer serve as his lover's defense counsel in a murder trial?: Courts frown on a lawyer defending a spouse or lover out of concern that the lawyer will be unable to exercise objective judgement in doing so -- emotions may cloud his or her thinking. Dan Lazar is faced with another complication if he defends his lover, Susan Boelter, he isn't sure she's innocent.
- Should a criminal defense lawyer try to win an acquittal for someone he knows to be guilty of a crime, someone who might even be a killer who might strike again?: The U.S. Constitution asserts that every defendant in a criminal trial is innocent until proven guilty and entitled to a vigorous defense. Dan Lazar has become renowned as a criminal defense attorney because of his skill in winning acquittals for his clients. But the very first client he defends in the book could be a killer-rapist who might strike again. When other women are attacked, Dan is forced to question the value of his skill.
- What needs and traits can make love between people from widely separated classes not only possible, but gratifying?: Dan Lazar has fought his way up from a rough working-class neighborhood to become a top criminal-defense attorney. Susan Boelter was born into one of America's storied upper-class families and married a rich and powerful newspaper publisher. Does she just need Dan's legal skills or can she truly love him? Can Dan, divorced and disillusioned, allow himself to believe he can find romantic happiness with a woman like Susan? Can he even trust her?
Authors & Contributors edit
- Joseph Amiel (Author)
Subjects edit
- Books › Law › Procedures & Litigation › Jury
- Books › Law › Procedures & Litigation › Witnesses
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