Offer of Proof : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: The best debut legal thriller of the year
Review: Arch Gold, public defender in NYC, has a difficult assignment. He is used to defending the guilty but now is asked to defend a young black man accused of killing a white woman on a Manhattan street. As the evidence comes in Gold becomes convinced of his innocence. However, the prosecutor strongly believes otherwise and is seeking the death penalty. Gold must get at the truth and prove his client's innocence to save his life.
OFFER OF PROOF is the best debut legal thriller of the year. What makes this particular book so much better than the others is the stark simplicity of the tale. When things get a bit complex, Mr. Heilbrun has a talent for making the complex easy to read and allow the plot to flow with little or no interruption. This is not always easy to do. Characters are well portrayed and have no real flaws except for the somewhat stereotypic villain. Pacing is quite rapid consistent with the best of thrillers. One criticism is the author tried to get a bit too cute with the surprise ending which really came out of nowhere. However, this is a good example of a very worthy debut.

Rating:
Summary: A new anti-hero: Welcome!
Review: Offer of Proof combines the best of Linda Fairstein, John Grisham and Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder series). Unlike Fairstein, Heilbrun actually takes us into the courtroom. We learn how the law really works, a series of bargains and random outcomes -- very scary.

Unlike Grisham, Heilbrun delivers realistic characters and challenges that are realistic, not larger than life. And unlike Block in his Scudder series, Heilbrun creates a proactive character who's lost a lot but manages to avoid the down-and-out-detective stereotype. Hero Arch Gold takes chances and sometimes loses. He's smart but he's no super-hero -- a three-dimensional character with depth.

And Heilbrun maintains a fast pace. There's no temptation to skip a section or read ahead. We're introduced right away to the black 18-year-old who managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, who lacks the maturity to be "managed" to make the jury like him. And we're on edge as the defense experiences one setback after another, up to the nail-biting moment when Gold faces a crackerjack prosecutor.

Best of all, the ending seems satisfactory, with a last-minute curve that works. When you go back over the first part of the book you realize Heilbrun didn't miss a detail. He doesn't drop clues but he's totally consistent.

So what's not to like? Well, if you start thinking too much about the legal system, you can get scared. Justice depends on luck of the draw. A good lawyer won't protect you from a bad judge and a hanging jury. It's all a game, a dueling match between hired guns. If you've had misgivings about the system before you pick up this up, you may find yourself tossing and turning, just like the hero does.

Rating:
Summary: a Son Follows in His Mother's Footsteps
Review: When one learns that the author is the son of Caroline Heilbrun, the author of Kate Fansler mysteries,it is not surprising that the author has written such a well paced thoughtful whodunit that creates realistically much of the aTMOSPHERE OF NEW York city criminal procedures. Unfortunately, justice does not always triumph.