The Hanging Judge by Michael PonsorMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
One morning in Holyoke, Massachusetts a Puerto Rican drug dealer was shot by a rival gang. The shooting also had a second casualty -- a nurse who worked at a nearby clinic. The police manage to arrest the 16-year old driver of the car that was ridden by the shooter. The driver confesses that a black man was the shooter and so the police arrest the man who is also a drug dealer. However, Officer Alex Torricelli, who arrested the driver saw a man run from the car but he cannot be sure it was a black man. So the million dollar question is -- is the man they arrested guilty?
Judge David Norcross is being put on a very tough spot because the US attorney is after the death penalty in a capital murder case. The only witness that the prosecution has is a teenage driver who has been in trouble most of his life. Whether he is telling the truth is not clear and if he is lying, then an innocent man may be sentenced to death for a crime someone else committed.
Micheal Ponsor does a very good job of writing this very interesting novel. But then, he is a sitting US District Judge so he knows his way around the justice system and is able to clearly present multiple perspectives.
I have to admit that, during the first few pages, I was reminded of John Grisham and his style of writing. However, I soon found that Michael Ponsor has a definite style of his own. This book is a very good read.
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