The Hanging Judge

By: Michael Ponsor

Narrated by: Rich Orlow

When a drive-by shooting in Holyoke, Massachusetts, claims the lives of a Puerto Rican drug dealer and a nurse at a neighborhood clinic, the police arrest a black drug dealer. With no death penalty in Massachusetts, the US attorney shifts the double homicide out of state jurisdiction into federal court so that he can pursue the death penalty.

The Honorable David S. Norcross, who has been on the federal bench only two years, now presides overthe first death penalty case in the state in 50 years. He must contend not only with an ambitious female prosecutor and a brilliant veteran defense attorney, but with a citizenry outraged at the senseless killing of a white hockey mom- not to mention the pressures of the media, anti-death penalty protesters, vengeful gang members, and the million other things that can go wrong in a capital trial.

Michael A. Ponsor takes readers into the courtroom and beyond, presenting with great sensitivity the points of view of the defendant and his wife; the victims' families; law enforcement officers; witnesses; and the judge who, while still coming to terms with the death of his wife, begins a relationship with a woman he is not sure he can trust.

©2013 Michael Ponsor (P)2013 Recorded Books

Too many characters

So many characters I could not keep track of who they were talking about. Would not recommend this book

Not Left Hanging

Not bad…just meh. A rather convoluted way to tell a story that was good for the just the current-day aspects of the story. There was no need for the distracting flashbacks to the 1800s; the substance of that message could have been added to Novotny’s story line to reinforce why he was so morally outraged and indignant about aspects of the criminal justice system.

Am looking forward to listening to the next book in the series but will read and listen to some other things between now and then.

Overall, a C+

A fresh, engaging courtroom drama

In some ways, this was a standard courtroom crime novel. A murder occurs, and we think that the suspect (a former drug dealer who seems to have turned his life around with a degree, a wife, and a child) is innocent, but you never know. I used to love that genre, but too often find myself bored with something I feel I have read too many times. This novel intrigued me because it was written by a judge, with a judge as the protagonist. The novel did not disappoint me. It had a rookie author freshness to it that I enjoyed, and I liked the judge perspective on a capital case. The main characters were believable and the plot moved at a good pace. Only a couple things held this back from being a 5 star book. Some of the secondary characters move in and out of the novel too quickly, and I would forget who they were. The author wanted to share true facts in the local history of capital punishment, but some went on too long. That said, I think that most fans of courtroom fiction will enjoy this. The narrator was especially excellent, differentiating voices so well. One warning - it is clear early on that the author is anti-capital punishment. Most of the reviewers who panned this book were clearly bugged by this, so if that is your political belief, be forewarned.

Grisham eat your heart out

This is an author I will follow for sure. He develops characters wonderfully. And I laughed out loud several times. Super talented. And the narrator- wow. I couldn’t stop listening. Totally engrossing.

I had thought the book would be better.

Where does The Hanging Judge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not as good as I thought. I would consider it an average story. Readable but not great. I was not compelled to keep reading.

Would you recommend The Hanging Judge to your friends? Why or why not?

Maybe. If I felt they would find it more entertaining.

What about Rich Orlow’s performance did you like?

He was average in this book reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

nothing