The Judgment

By: D.W. Buffa

Narrated by: Dennis Predovic

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

No one had a more brilliant legal career than Judge Calvin Jeffries. And no one cared less about the law and more about power. That is, until Jeffries is found murdered in a courthouse parking lot. The crime shocks the community, but justice is swift. Jeffries's killer is caught, confesses, and then unexpectedly commits suicide in his jail cell. The case is closed.

Soon a second judge is stabbed to death under identical circumstances. And like the Jeffries murder, the killing appears to be an open-and-shut case, and a copycat crime as well.

Yet there's one attorney who knows both sides of Judge Calvin Jeffries too well to believe the murders were simply random acts of violence. Attorney Joseph Antonelli agrees to defend the accused. What he discovers challenges everything he knows about crime and punishment...and himself. He uncovers a twisted trail of retribution and obsession that leads to the real killer - and a plan even more chillingly flawless than the mythical "perfect crime."

©2001 by D.W. Buffa, All Rights Reserved (P)2001 by Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"A crackling good psychological thriller." (James Patterson)
"Buffa once again produces a fast-spinning tale that jolts and veers enticingly...Well-developed characters...add depth to this excellent thriller." (Publishers Weekly)

Can You Change the Past?

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.

The Judgement

Excellent! Listened to because everyone seemed to like it -- well worth the read!

fresh plot

I was interested all the way through, an unusual occurance for an editor! not your typical mean judge or da.

Not as bad, not as good...

as other reviewers have made it out to be. It was not well written enough, not suspenseful enough, nor interesting enough to warrant 5 stars, or to say that I would listen to it again. The love interest that was introduced was ridiculous, gratuitous and took away from the rest of the book. The general plot was ok and the characters were ok. I had no problem finishing the book and consider it better than just average (which would warrant 3 stars from me.) It's not a waste of a credit, for sure, but also not something that I would say "hey, you have to listen to this one!"

Liked this one

Characters were believable. Heartbreaking and harsh People can be so evil ... one step away from D-evil. There is a TON of narration which usually makes for a dull plodding story. Not this time. Worth a listen and maybe later on, another listen .....

A very good book.............

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

Fantastic Story Teller

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.

Predictable

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.

The best audiobook I've heard so far

The Judgment is the best audiobook amongst all I've heard so far in English.

Has its good parts, but . . .

I was not as impressed as some listeners were. The premise was good, the courtroom drama and investigation were interesting, but the love interest was gratuitous and added nothing to the story. The theme of mental illness was a little too hammered upon. I don't want to give away anything to those who haven't listened, so I'll say this cryptically: too many characters outside the asylum suffered bouts of mental illness, or went through episodes that made us wonder about their sanity. I saw no point in that aspect of the book, and I wonder if the story would not have been more believable and interesting without it. I'm not sure the outcome was totally predictable, but neither was it a huge surprise. I might look for more books from this author, but this particular story is only lukewarm.