One can hardly call this book a legal thriller. Ok, it's about a lawyer, Gideon Page, and it's the fifht installment in a series of very good legal thrillers, but the lawyering is very weak and the courtroom is only entered at the end of the book where the reader has already lost his interest for the plot.

The five stars are for a very good and insightful view on the relations and the character of Gideon. We know him from previous books as worrying about his daughter Sarah, his girlfriends Rainy and Amy, but in this book all the spotlight is on Gideon himself. It is a very subtle description of mid-life crisis. In everything he does he seems only to be able to concentrate on one thing; on himself. He has no problem, on a whim, to end a relationship with his girlfriend and also helping his client is made pursuant to his own vindicative feelings. I can't help liking him less then in previous novels, but I guess that is always the case when you probe in the life of your "heroes.

Apart from Gideon's own struggles, his observations of the Arkansas black/white scene are very interesting. The way he describes the county is completely politically incorrect, but honest and provoking.

For those who have not read any of the books in the series and who are looking for a legal thriller, do not buy this one but start on one of the earlier ones. For those who find interest in the Page family; don't miss this one!

Arkansas attorney Gideon Page leaves his home in Little Rock to defend an African-American, Doss Bledsoe, indicted for allegedly killing his employer, Chinese-American Willie Ting. The case is being held in Bear Creek, Gideon's place of birth and a town he would prefer never to see again. The prosecution feels strongly that Page was hired by Paul Taylor, a white man, whose family cheated Page's family out of property.

The Prosecutor offers to plea bargain with Page and Bledsoe. The state would lighten his sentence in return for Doss's testimony against Taylor. Page likes the idea because it will enable him to obtain some vengeance against the wealthy Taylor family who destroyed his own family. However, this may not be the best defense for his client. Page, who starts the case very poorly, has to decide between giving his client his all or ignoring his legal responsibilities to seek vengeance against his enemy.

Gideon Page is a no frills lawyer, who makes certain that the reader understands that being an attorney is not necessarily a glamorous job. The first person narrative adds to the feeling of a hard working, but mentally warring lawyer trying to insure his client receives BLIND JUSTICE while trying to personally obtain revenge. The ending is pure nirvana (no Perry Mason rabbit out of the hat trick). Readers who want to peruse an exciting, interesting, but realistic legal novel, need to obtain all five of Grif Stockley's works. No one paints a more intriguing but honest portrayal than Mr. Stockley.

Harriet Klausner

I'm biased in favor of Grif Stockley, I admit. I practice law in the same town, and I have had a case or two against him. I like him. That aside, I'm an avid reader of this genre and even if I didn't know and like Grif, I'd really love his books.

What I respect and admire about his writing is that he brings reality to his characters. The reality he is able to convey is not some stark picture of poverty or prejudice or some equally profound aspect of society, but the frustration a lawyer feels with uncooperative clients, the unfathomability of attitudes and opinions alien to us, and the natural tensions of relationships.

I think we can all agree that Significant Others aren't always soul-mates who complement what is lacking in ourselves. Certainly our children say and do things that are totally incomprehensible to us. Gideon Page, the lawyer protagonist in Grif Stockley's novels, suffers a double slap in the face when his daughter and his girlfriend join a charismatic fundamentalist congregation, exercising religion in a way Gideon seems to feel is the antithesis of free conscious reason and thought. Then, to make matters worse, he is confronted by that same church when the preacher's daughter becomes his client.

Assertive, charismatic, Christian fundamentalism can be bewildering and even offensive to those who view themselves as more "mainstream" or perhaps don't actively practice much religion at all. Confronted with this church and its charismatic preacher, Gideon is repulsed. He is thrust into close contact with not only the preacher and his client, but with the preacher's family and the spooky wife and child of his co-counsel, Chet Bracken.

Despite what some non-lawyers may believe, many, many clients are uncooperative, secretive, and completely untruthful with their attorneys. Lots of times clients have something to hide, or want to accomplish something they know their lawyer wouldn't condone. How many times has every trial lawyer in America said to an uncooperative client, "You MUST tell me everything because unless I know absolutely everything I can't protect you from anything"? Gideon Page has not only an uncooperative client, but an uncooperative co-counsel on this case, though. Not only is the client avoiding him, but Chet Bracken, the lawyer who asked Gideon to help with the case, won't come clean about it. And now Chet is dying and Gideon is going to have to handle the case without knowing anything about it. Frantically investigating every miniscule lead, Gideon's worst fear comes to be that his client might actually be innocent.

When it becomes obvious that Chet Bracken isn't preparing for trial, Gideon attempts to do his best in a virtual vaccuum. Nobody will tell him the truth. Bit by agonizing bit he learns disparate facts that still don't make sense. The investigative trail seems to lead suspiciously to the preacher himself -- is the daughter going to take a fall for Daddy so Daddy won't lose his flock? But wait -- is Daddy going to take a fall for darling daughter? Who really committed the crime? Daughter isn't talking, Daddy talks too much, and co-counsel is cryptic at best.

As trial looms closer Gideon becomes frantic that the legal team has no defense for the accused, and still the accused adamantly refuses even to talk to him! The eleventh hour comes and goes and Gideon finally learns two stupefying facts that change not only his opinion about Chet Bracken, but about Chet's family, the accused, and ... well, I'm not going to give it all away. Read the book! It's worth it!

This was certainly not your run of the mill legal thriller. From Stockley we are already used to have sharp and witty observations, but in this third book in the Gideon Page series he outperforms himself.

In fact, it is not a legal thriller at all. The protagonists enter the courtroom only towards the end of the book and then only for a brief period.

It is much more a story about the relationship between father and daughter. Gideon and Sarah go through a very difficult time together when Gideon has to defend a girl who is suspected of killing her husband. Gideon wants to attack in his case the girl's father, a highly respected preacher to whose church Sarah is drawn.

The doubts of Gideon as a father and the complete lack of doubt and the righteousness of Sarah are beautifully drawn. A very satisfactory read.

Well written and a tragic telling of another one of America's disturbing chapters in race relations. Highly recommended.

grif stockley has the pasion and ability to put together a story, that leaves nothing to be desired.after reading "probable cause",which was my first introduction to mr.stockley;i closed that last page ,feeling like there was something real and familiar about each and every character in the book.grif stockley is by far the best author ive everencountered. thank you,mr.stockley for reading enjoyment on a whole new level....steve...ft.smith,arkansas.

Gideon Page gets fired and starts on his own with a manslaughter client and a woman who bakes rats. I had hopes that this book would be much better, but the action was slow. It took forever to get to the court scenes, and they were dissappointing. I never figured out what motivated Dr Chapman to be so stubborn with his lawyer. There are parts of this book which entertain with appealing characters, but overall, I had to force myself to finish it.

Grif Stockley's PROBABLE CAUSE is full of well-defined, memorable characters. Gibeon's Guys: Spunky Sara, a daughter with wisdom; Rainey ,a girlfriend who's so in love she's trying to protect herself; Dan, a budding partner with his own expansion plan; and then there's the clients. Egotistical, sociopathic, obcessive-compulsive, bill paying clients. Finally, meet ex-social worker cum attorney, Gideon Page. More real than shredded wheat with raisens. The only way you'll ever meet people like these is in Grif Stockley's imagination, and in PROBABLE CAUSE.

Grif Stockley is the writer you have probably never heard of -- but should definitely read. I picked up this book, finished it, then picked up all of his others. Loved them all! Better than John Grisham any day.

Despite the potentially controversial subject matter -- an African-American athlete accused of rape -- Stockley has written another amiable, charming page turner. Lots of Southern atmosphere, agreeable characters, plot twists that are only semi-predictable. If I didn't fly so much, no doubt I would be reading more serious stuff (Proust? Mann? Musil? In my dreams), But there are times when only undemanding fare will do. And Stockley's a reliable fellow when the need arises. You won't read it with fevered excitement, but you won't be sorry you plucked it off the wire racks, either.