The Indictment

I am a reality buff, and that usually means accepting fiction that is well written with characters that leave me depressed. Barry Reed in "The Indictment" gave me high crime and legal realism and a hero I could both believe and admire. Our protagonist lawyer, Dan Sheridan, is a modern and urban Atticus Finch, except that Reed allows us into Sheridan's world of doubts, fears, and sex life. Sheridan combines hero and humanity. I learned a great deal of incidental stuff about lie detector tests, drugs, the IRA, autopsies, and the abuse of grand juries. All this was woven into a complex and absorbing plot. I was tempted to stop reading some pages early but fortunately didn't. The apparent climax was followed by a twist into a second conclusion where natrual justice prevailed over the legal system. One great read by Reed.

I disagree with the Booklist reviewer who thought that the romance angle didn't work in the story. It enhanced it for me... it added a complication that otherwise wouldn't have been there....but then again, I tend to be into that sort of thing. Anyway, the things that irritated me about the book would go largely unnoticed to anyone who doesn't live in Boston. I didn't mind the geographical liberties that were taken, since it is fiction after all.... but Boston is presented as a kind of Irish theme park.... and while nobody would deny the impact that Irish immigration has had on Boston and its culture over the past 150 years, Boston is a large and very ethnically diverse city.... the Brahmin-vs.-Irish thing is about 120 years out of date. Most people that read this probably won't care about that though.The rest of the book, while sometimes far-fetched, was a gripping, entertaining read. The pacing was quick and the way that Sheridan's team stayed on top of their adversaries kept the storyline from insulting my intelligence. Lovers of legal chess game-type thrillers should find this hard to put down.I had some issue with the resolution of the mystery at the very end (if that person was actually guilty of killing the woman,he/she would not have done some of the things he/she did, in my opinion). However, it made for a nice plot twist.Better character development than Grisham... good legal drama. Like the story "Silent Witness", by Richard North Patterson, in this story, you didn't know if the defendant was guilty or not through the whole story, but you rooted for him anyway, since his lawyer was the "good guy." Makes for an interesting ambivalent feeling when reading.As a footnote, I listened to this as a "BooksOnTape" auciocassette (unabridged), read by George Guidall from a local library. Too bad that version doesn't seem to be available anymore, as I just love Guidall's delivery.

This was a well told story with a complex plot. I found myself rooting for Sheridan and then for his relationship. When that happens, the author has done his job well. I have been entertained and taken out of my daily life - if only for a few brief moments. I enjoyed this book on tape. Full - unabridged version. Recommended.