Above the Law

by Patricia D. Benke

In charge of the investigation into a Mexican laborer's murder, deputy district attorney Judith Thornton, aided by a recent law graduate, discovers that someone is poisoning the laborers' water... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380790157
• ISBN13: 9780380790159
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Some escape the law

Justice Patricia Benke has written an insightful, compassionate novel about the people who suffer the consequences of the actions of those who are above the law. Set in present day San Diego County, Above the Law dramatizes how Southern California and its inhabitants, both legal and illegal, have been impacted by the need for water. Justice Benke vividly describes how the arid conditions in Mexico and the expense of shipping water from Northern to Southern California have combined to make the lives of desperate farm workers more tenuous and the reach of a powerful landowner/developer further beyond the long arm of the law. Against this backdrop, Serafino Morales, a desperately poor Oaxacan Indian field hand, discovers a developer's agent poisoning one of the last tomato fields in the county. A deadly confrontation between Serafino and the developer's agent triggers District Attorney Judith Thompson's race to find the connection between the murder and the toxic dumping on the tomato fields. Her investigation is aided by first-year attorney Peter Delgado, whose involvement in the investigation will chart the course of his life. Written in the clear and concise style one would expect from an experienced appellate Justice who obviously has a passion for writing, Benke's latest book should be a mandatory read for all new lawyers. In just a half-dozen sentences, Justice Benke delivers some of her hard-won legal wisdom acquired from years on the bench, a wisdom that some lawyers never earn. But Above the Law is not just for lawyers. It is a book that anyone could enjoy. Because it is written in plain, ordinary language and because it is structured into short, action-filled chapters, it is a page-turner that leaves the reader rooting and hoping for justice. For some readers, the pace of the first two-thirds may be a little slow, but the purposeful development makes a perfect foundation for the exciting resolution. By the end of the book, the reader will have an insight into Southern California and its inhabitants that is based on the clear view given by empathy and truth.

Very good book by a very talented author

They are the forgotten ones, who can work in the United States only if the can remain invisible. They put up with primitive living conditions because their meager wages are needed to support their families back in Mexico. Serafina Morales considers himself to be fortunate to be able to find work in the States as a fruit picker. However, his good luck turns bad when he witnesses Rogellio Carrasco illegally dump toxic waste in the nearby river that the workers use to obtain their water needs. The next day, Serafina observes Carrasco receiving a payment from a gringo, who happens to be the lobbyist of a prominent land developer. Carrasco beats Serafina up and steals the itinerant worker's money. Knowing that he cannot allow the bully to take food out of his family's mouth, an enraged Serafina kills Carrasco. The case lands on the desk of Judith Thornton, Chief Deputy for the San Diego District Attorney's Office. Judith is a bit surprised that such a trivial case lands in her lap, but soon learns that she is dealing with a potential political hot potato. As the wheels of justice turn, Judith with her newest and most troubled employee, find themselves in the midst of a high stakes real estate gamble in which the transient workers are expendable. Patricia D. Burke exposes the plight of the migrant workers with gruesome but colorful language that highlights a social problem that is at best ignored and at worst lied about. The author makes the her audience care for their plight due to a believable story line that showcases that justice and the law are not necessarily equal. ABOVE THE LAW illuminates the legal system from an insider's perspective, making it an even more compelling reading experience. Fans of the legal procedural sub-genre will want more books from the talented Ms. Burke. Harriet Klausner