The Halls of Justice

by Lee Gruenfeld Narrated by Barrett Whitener

Overview

Santa Monica Deputy District Attorney Sal Milano is prosecuting the most explosive and high-profile case of his career.

A small-time thug with ties to the mob has been charged with raping twin sisters, one of them the stunning Diane Pierman, a celebrated attorney and Sal's longtime court rival. The case is thrown out on a technicality, but a few days after the trial, one of the sisters hunts down and kills their assailant. Neither one will talk and both are charged with murder one. Now Sal is working the case of a lifetime, with the headlines and attention enough to satisfy even his ambitions. But everything depends on prosecuting and convicting two beautiful women who, in the eyes of the public, have righted a grievous wrong.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Which of two twin sisters killed the man who raped them both? That's the question that drives Gruenfeld's latest thriller, which demonstrates that this up-and-coming author is as adept at legal twists and turns as he is at police drama (Irreparable Harm) and psycho-thriller chills (All Fall Down). Narrator Sal Milano, the top ADA in Santa Monica, Calif., is considering running for his boss's job and starting a relationship with brainy and beautiful defense lawyer Diane Pierman. He puts aside both ideas when Diane and her twin, Lisa, are raped by small-time drug dealer Vinny Rosamund and he signs on to prosecute the case. But despite Sal's best efforts, Rosamund walksthough not for long. Days later, the hoodlum is shot to death in a glitzy L.A. eatery. Eyewitnesses say the killer looked like Diane Piermanor Lisa Pierman. As the twins are both charged with murder, the plot swivels on the delicious maneuvering of prosecution and defense: how do they tell which twin pulled the trigger if neither twin is talking? Gruenfeld handles the legal elements, including the trial, with aplomb, tossing in catchy legal tales and bon mots along the way ("there's right, there's wrong, and then there's the law"). The conclusion feels forced, though, and the revelation of some information that Sal has kept to himself will have some readers feeling cheated. But, then, arrogant Sal isn't the most likable hero aroundwhich is one reason why he and his adventure are so refreshing. 75,000 first printing. (June)

Library Journal

After dealing with the extortion of an airline in his successful All Fall Down (LJ 7/94), Gruenfeld turns to courtroom intrigue and big-city politics. His narrator is Sal Milano, an assistant district attorney with political aspirations whose thoughts and conversations offer an engrossing inside look at judicial strategizing. Most of the book involves his prosecution of two cases, both concerning the same identical twin sisters (one of whom is an attorney and courtroom rival of Milano). When a small-time hood charged with raping the sisters is let off on a technicality, he is murdered by one of themand they won't say which one. The situation is a clever contrivance, but Gruenfeld handles it well and keeps readers hooked by advancing the plot briskly, with several astounding plot twists and a genuinely surprising ending. A well-crafted legal thriller that will further Gruenfeld's reputation as a top-notch suspense writer; highly recommended for public libraries.Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.

AudioFile

Whitener does a nice job…He has a confident, sharp, energetic sound, which he uses intelligently and expressively…[He] treats the violence and few necessary obscenities with perfect taste.”

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191471969
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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