A Criminal Appeal

by D.R. Schanker

Book Overview

Fresh out of law school, Nora Lumsey - a farm-bred, big-boned woman, recovering bigot, and a compulsive meddler - has just begun her clerkship for Judge Carter Albertson of the Indiana Court of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312192533
• ISBN13: 9780312192532
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A Realistic Legal Thriller

The majority of the legal thrillers today contain most of the fiction in how the procedures of the law are followed. Not this book! It captured the frustration, tedium and politics of legal procedure *without being boring*. Mr. Schanker has provided the readers with a wonderful novel. It is gripping, thoughtful and moving. He brings home the realities of urban plight, racism and gangs. Though one battle may be won, the war is not over.

Excellent, well paced novel

I have just finished reading A Criminal Appeal. It is an excellent, well-paced novel. The characters are developed and believable. The novel has given me insights into life in and around Indianapolis, the intricacies of legal appeals system, and gangs.The book is entertaining to read but most importantly, the ending is thought provoking. I would highly recommend this book.

Best first novel of the year

Tightly-writen, with a heroine you can root for in a world that is close and yet just out of reach. Read the other reviews for a plot summary, just trust me that this book is a "YES".

great thriller, better than Grisham and Turrow combined

A wonderful mystery which keeps one guessing until the end. As a career prosecutor, I am often wary of stories where the main character is wrongly accused. Most such novels have little basis in reality and play to the general public's belief that the police intentionally seek to convict innocent persons. D.R. Schanker has taken this basic premise and written a believable, yet suspenseful novel.Mr. Schanker, as a former law clerk, portrays the complexities of the appellate system with an accurate desciption of the many pitfalls of legal procedure and practice. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a fresh and exciting murder mystery.

A grand debut

Nora Lunsey's first job as a lawyer is working as a legal clerk for Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Albertson. Proud of being a big boned woman, Nora is currently writing an opinion that convicts (as an adult) ten-year old Dexter Hinton, of killing a white woman. The deaf child has confessed he did the crime.Though she knows better, Nora cannot stop herself from getting emotionally involved in the case. She starts to doubt the confession and subsequently that Dexter is the murderer. Nora, with the help of Dexter's teacher, begins to investigate what really happened even though it could cost her more than a lucrative job. Interference could bar her from practicing law and face criminal charges of her own. There are several folks wanting her dead to stop her inquiries, but even all that fails to stop the determined Nora from trying to insure justice and not the law prevails.The story line does justice to the legal thriller sub-genre and should elate fans that a new author with fresh ideas has entered the fray. The characters, who come from all walks of life, are all brilliantly developed and add to the authentic feel of the novel by making Indianapolis and the surrounding areas feel alive. However, what makes D.R. Schanker's debut novel so good is Nora, who is one genre's best new characters. Hopefully, more tales starring Nora will soon follow.Harriet Klausner