I didn't expect to like this Hollywood murder/courtroom drama as much as I did. The material has been done in a thousand other books....famous film director marries younger star...she's killed in a dramatic fashion....he's framed/arrested/put on trial....good attorney is hired to represent him/figure out who actually did it/restore the director's reputation.

What surprised me about this book was the author's literary craftsmanship. He employs a simple writing style to shed a harsh light on Hollywood glitz and glamour, showing what actually happens in the world of show business. There isn't a lot of action...and he doesn't overuse dialogue.

Reading this book was like being in the presence of a very good storyteller who makes you want to sit a spell and listen to what he has to say, because you know it's going to be good and it's going to be worth your precious spare time.

Enjoy!

As usual Antonelli will have a close relationship with an attractive female character, and numerous clues will be dropped along the way to point the reader in one of several directions regarding the killer. Hopefully, Antonelli will not return to Hollywood, and return to accused murderers who engender more sympathy from the reader.

This was a very engrossing read for me. I also feel that this is one of the top ten in this genre, as opined by a previous reviewer. The writing style drew me in as much as the story. Smooth and captivating dialogue really kept me reading all night. A finely written legal/mystery thriller with plenty of emotion and mystery that will make you want to bring the book with you wherever you go till you finish. It’s that good.

Inside the covers:

Oh where is the noble fear of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness and none join in fear of the Gods.

Highly recommended.

When two rather unloved judges get stabbed in an indoor parking lot, the cases are actually hard to connect, because before the second judge is murdered the killer of the first judge has already been caught, and has committed suicide in his cell. This is the basic premise of the book, and it's up to Defense Attorney Joseph Antonelli to prove that the answer to the second killing is not simply "Copycat!" (in this intricate story?...not likely!).

I'm never sure what the police are up to in this book, but the Defense Attorney basically investigates the case in the courtroom. He is defending the alleged killer of the second victim--an introverted, childlike homeless man--and I suppose I have to accept that a Defense Attorney who bases his defense on arguing a complicated, whiff-of-conspiracy theory would be allowed the far-ranging latitude that Antonelli gets up to, all in the interest of justice for his client. But would a real courtroom feature so much banter about what would sound like a far-fetched, ridiculous theory, without the judge deciding it was all an elaborate smokescreen?

It turns out that Antonelli is on to something, diabolical as it may be. If the mystery content of the novel loses steam, it's because Antonelli has sniffed out the basics of the puzzle fairly early on, which allows the plot to deal with him trying to sell outlandish-sounding theories in the courtroom for many of the later chapters. So, it's fair to say that there are many surprise revelations throughout the book, but maybe not in the places you expect.

As a subplot, Antonelli begins stepping out with an old sweetheart who has popped back into his life. There is a hackneyed quality to this romance--apparently Antonelli has been carrying a lifelong torch for this one woman, which burns so brightly that none of his follow-up romances have ever taken his mind off her. Meanwhile, her past is so fraught with tragedy that she may have some serious mental problems (the reader, surprisingly, may be better at spotting warning-signs than the otherwise astute lead character!).

Despite any flaws, the book uses no end of razzle-dazzle to take some tricky ideas and make them pretty gripping in the final execution. In fact, it's pretty captivating. I'm not going to pick at the edges too much or it may start to split apart, but if you want a thoughtful moody book featuring a strange criminal trial destined to explore whether madness, in this instance, has truly led to murder, then try Buffa's The Judgement.

Dennis Pedrovic has a voice often heard in commercials and cartoons, as well as television appearances on "Law and Order" and a number of soap operas to his credit. Hollywood and television both claim Ron McLarty who has appeared in numerous films, such as "The Postman," "Mean Streak," and "Heartburn."

Acknowledged as possessing a keen legal mind, Judge Calvin Jeffries disdained the law and worshiped power. His murder in a courthouse parking lot paralyzes the community, but is hardly mourned by attorney Joseph Antonelli whose worked has been plagued by Judge Jeffries' decisions.

But this time the wheels of justice roll - the Judge's murderer is apprehended. The killer confesses, and then commits suicide. Case closed? Not really. Another judge is murdered in the same manner and Antonelli agrees to represent the defendant in what seems to be a copycat crime.

In this book, Joe Antonelli, who was a defense attorney in Buffa's first novel "The Defense", resurfaces -- this time as a prosecuting attorney. Those of us who left Joe off, after reading The Defense, weren't sure if he would ever return to practicing law. He was so disenchanted by the events surrounding his last case, that he went into retirement. Fortunately for the reader, he is convinced to reenter the courtroom by another mentor and friend, Judge Horace Woolner. Since this case is so close to home for the Portland D.A.'s office, Antonelli is brought in as a special prosecutor. It turns out that Woolner has received information that could implicate the city's deputy district attorney in his own wife's death. Up until the verdict is given by the jury, you're not sure which way it's going to go. Of course, you'll have to read the book to witness one of the best legal minds out there today.

And, just when you think that this one case may just put Joe over the edge again, he is asked to defend Horace's wife who has now been arrested in connection with the death of a member of a prominent Portland family, who also happens to be her "good" friend.

Buffa gives us two mysteries in one in The Prosecution. I read his first book The Defense a few years ago and was immediately drawn to the main character Joe Antonelli. He's ruthless yet sensitive, educated but not overbearing and very, very vulnerable at this point in his life. I look forward to entering the courtroom once again with Joe Antonelli in the future. If I could give him one piece of advice, after reading these two books, it would be to pick better mentors and friends!!!

It was surprisingly well written: a clear, uncomplicated and crisp style. It told the story in an economical way which but a little wooden. One reviewer compared it unfavourably to a John Grisham, but it was BETTER than that! This had a lot of interesting twists and turns which were too far fetched, but hey...it's only a story.

I did enjoy the cod philosophy and it set me thinking about the issues.

The characters were well rounded and beleivable.

The ending came too suddenly and because of this it lost its effect.

Overall...I would recomend the book.

In this novel, Antonelli leaves Portland, Oregon, and travels to San Francisco to defend Jamaal Washington. Washington is a young black man accused of gunning down United States Senator Jeremy Fullerton during a robbery. Fullerton was a ruthless and ambitious politician who had many enemies. Antonelli is certain that Fullerton's death was no robbery; he is convinced that a political enemy assassinated the Senator. Antonelli is determined to free the likeable Jamaal, a soft-spoken pre-med student who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Buffa writes this book as if he were doing a painting-by-numbers. He uses plot devices that we have seen too many times before. Many authors have written more compellingly about political charlatans who pretend to be altruistic, but who are really self-serving and corrupt.

Antonelli's character is strangely lifeless, as is his love interest, Marissa. Neither the courtroom scenes nor the twist at the end can save "The Legacy" from being a run-of-the-mill legal thriller that is not up to Buffa's usually high standards.

Surprisingly, without any obvious let alone remote connection to the accused, elderly local lawyer Albert Craven brings in Portland, Oregon attorney Joseph Antonelli to defend Jamaal. After hearing Jamaal's story on why he was there and how he ended up with the Senator's wallet, Joseph thinks the youngster is an easy fall guy taking the rap for a devious soul. Joseph quickly learns that Fullerton had presidential aspirations and built a cadre of cronies and supporters in the Bay area. A former KGB agent Andrei Bogdonovitch informs Joseph he has damaging information on the senator linking him to his former Soviet employer, but the informant is killed with an office bomb. The trial looks hopeless for the defense unless Joseph can pull off a last second Perry Mason-like miracle.

LEGACY starts off as an incredible legal thriller, but loses steam when it jumps the tracks into a conspiracy tale. The story line is at its best when Joseph investigates the senator and during the trial. The personal side of Joseph that frequents the plot slows down the story line while leaving the attorney not behaving as expected. Though the eyes of the world will pass JUDGMENT that Joseph is a strong egg, the exciting tale seems just off kilter.

Harriet Klausner