The Judgment

The Judgment is an excellent book - and a captivating audible! While I will admit that I figured out "who dunnit" about half-way through, I loved the depth with which Buffa told his story. The first two sections (telling Antonelli's first encounters with Judge Jeffries) and that of Elliot Winston were remarkable. The book totally draws you in - and causes you to want to know exactly where the author is going with the story.

Sadly, I think this is the only one of Buffa's books really worth reading. I read (in paper, gasp), The Legacy, and his new one Star Witness, and neither came close to The Judgment. They both left me wanting more of the brilliance of The Judgment. You NEED to listen to this book. You will not regret it.

I was captivated. Buffa's storytelling capabilities were a surprise and a delight, given that I had no idea what to expect. And the reader - wonderful! Combine Buffa's skill with words and construction, imagery and character, with Predovic's performance and development of the characters as people, and it's truly spellbinding. This is a must-read in its genre!

This is definitely a well written book, full of suspense and well developed characters. Felt like I was right there with the characters...

This was one of the best lawyer books I've ever listened to or read! I like him better than Grisham, there was a more personal connection to the main character. Need to look for more Buffa titles!

A somewhat predictable thriller. Only suspense is how Mr. Buffa will end what we have predicted. I heard this book without any eagerness to listen to what is next nor did feel compelled to give up the book as a total bore. A perfectly mediocre thriller. Skip it if you are a real lover of mystery fiction.

I don't care what you say the reader is everything when listening to this great book and Dennis Predovic does not disappoint. His reading makes you feel and know every single character in this book and I could not stop listening. EXCELLENT!

Great writing, wonderful reading, intelligent dialogue, very accurate and knowledgable of the court system. It doesn't get much better than this.

This audiobook is highly enjoyable, with characterizations that are well developed for the major players as well as for several of the supporting characters. The narrator is one of the very best I have heard, and his reading strengthened the plot and the characters.

The story starts with an attorney, Joseph Antonelli, who is attending the funeral of a judge that had been murdered, who in Antonelli's experience is one of the most evil men he's ever known. The judge played an inadvertant role in Antonelli's early career, and this is combined with the story of another attorney Antonelli had known. While the police believe they have solved the judge's murder, things get more complicated when a second judge is murdered in very similar fashion. Yet, the two judges could not have been killed by the same person.

Antonelli begins to suspect a possible connection between the two murders, as he is called on to defend the person accused of the second murder. Antonelli must consider what could drive someone to confess to a criminal act they did not commit. Is it an act of insanity, or the only way to avoid going insane? Is it sane or insane to believe that the past can be changed by what is done today?

During this process we're presented with more of Antonelli's personal background, when a long-lost childhood love re-enters his life. This is the only woman he has ever truly loved, and we discover something in their past that caused them to have missed out on a lifetime together. Again, we see how the past can be re-created by the future, but can the future ever be what it could have been?

In the trial that concludes the book, Antonelli sees that in order to defend his client, the past must be re-cast to a different understanding of people and events. Even then, there is a final twist to our, and Antonelli's, understanding of the past.

This is a great book, made even better by a great narrator. I think it deserves all five stars.

Exceptional courtroom drama. Buffa and Predovic provided the finest writting and reading combination I have experienced in any audiobook. I listen in car to and from work and often wished for a longer commute. Highly recommended.

Grisham-Like, a very good effort. Good enough to invest your time.