Rating: 
Summary: Buffa writes with sophistication and panache.
Review: This story starts at a leisurely pace, gradually pulls you into the plot and won't let go. It is a brilliant revenge novel by a master storyteller that will keep you guessing until the end. When the intellectually acute but detested Judge, Calvin Jeffries is murdered, the cuplrit is caught, confesses and promptly commits suicide. The case is closed with no loose ends...or are there? The man who succeeds him as judge is killed in exactly the same way, in the same place a short time later. It looks like a copycat murder. When the perpetrator is apprehended, it turns out to be a mentally handicapped, homeless man who doesn't even know his own name. Attorney Joseph Antonelli agrees to defend him, but when he begins to unravel the leads to the real killer, he discovers the trail to a diabolic plan that seems to be the perfect crime. This is Buffa's third novel; it is a masterpeice of action and courtroom drama, with fully developed, likable characters and an intricate plot. Buffa definitely knows his way around the courtroom scene. After reading this novel I am eager to find THE PROSECUTION and THE DEFENSE.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but not too original, psychologically off
Review: This was a pleasant enough read, but I figured out "whodunnit" long before the second murder (less than 200 pages into it), mostly because the main plot is something of a transposition of a device used by others--e.g., Katzenbach's "Just Cause." Buffa's transposition is clever enough, but still, if you see it developing you know what's going on.The more "philosophical" theme--kind of a meditation on mental illness vs. normalcy--would be more persuasive if (a) that debate had not moved past Buffa's apparent perspective thirty years ago and (b) his accounts of mental illness showed more knowledge of the subject. While the caricature of shrinkdom offered in Elliot's shrink is great, Elliot's dissembling and successful defrauding of the shrink for twelve years strains credulity (though such things have been done in some famous research for shorter periods). That's a minor sin, though--it's not entirely ridiculous, and it IS entertaining. The "love interest," though-- a woman who comies back into Antonelli's life after many years-- bears no relation to any psychiatric diagnosis or syndrome, least of all to "manic depression," as he calls it. (That he uses this long outdated term may be revealing, since it dates from the time when Buffa's meditation might have been timely.) The ways Buffa draws parallels between the suffering we call mental illness and various phenomena of everyday life are just naive and mistaken. The book's structure is odd--takes a long time to get to its main plot, for instance. I didn't really mind that, but don't expect this to be a grab-you-by-the-throat piece of suspense. I wouldn't say to avoid this book, but within its genre, it is definitely only B-team work.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: This was my first Buffa novel and I absolutely loved it! The brilliant but also very much hated Judge Calvin Jeffries is found murdered in a courthouse parking lot. A couple months later another prominent judge is found murdered in the same location and in the same manner. A different homeless man is arrested for each murder in what seems to be open and shut cases. Attorney Joseph Antonelli decides to defend the accused in the murder of the last judge and soon discovers nothing is as it seems. 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.
Rating:
Summary: PRETTY FAST READ
Review: This was my first D.W. Buffa book and I was not disappointed really liked the battle in the start ( antonelli has with judge jeffries) About half way thru i had kind of figured who was behind the murders but it was good to see how it came about. Would definitely recommend you willnot be disappointed
Rating:
Summary: not buffa's best
Review: while i loved the first two books in the series, this one was only so so.... instead of admiring Joesph like I did in the first two books, in this one he comes off as a jerk. The court room scenes were very good and the basic story excellent but everytime I would get hooked into the story all of a sudden we meandered into a sub plot that just was annoying. A good story minus about 100 pages, Jennifer, and the ending which was just plain stupid....
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