A Stain Upon the Robe

When the law clerk for a Boston judge disappears during the high profile trial of a pedophile priest, the judge turns to her old classmate Sheldon Gold and his young associate Mairead O'Clare for discrete help in locating the young man before new scandal erupts, this one involving her honor and her affair with the handsome young man.Enlisting the help of "The Pope", retired homicide sergeant turned private eye Pontifico Muirrizi, the case takes them into dens of sin in and around the City of Boston. The twists and turns of the plot are truly imaginative.Terry Devane is the pen name of an established Boston writer. Given the quality of this book and its predecessor Juror Number Eleven, Terry might turn into the dominant personality.

Shel, Mairead, the Pope, and Billie are back in this 3rd legal thriller from Terry Devane. Combining the best of legal thrillers from an author who knows whereof he writes, and the fabulous characters of someone who knows how to tell a story -- this is a solid book. Mairead is a woman who doesn't always know how strong she is, surrounded by people who aren't always as strong as they think they are. It's very nice to read a book which is respectful to all sorts of characters, and contains a great story. Anyone who likes strong women who make competent choices, and who don't need a man to save them from themselves, will find Mairead a character to their liking.

In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Judge Barbara Pitt presides over the headline news criminal case in which Father Cornelius Xavier Dooley is accused of sexually assaulting twenty-three boys. However, as Her Honor is in the media spot light, she asks her former law school lover criminal defense attorney Sheldon Gold to subtly investigate. To insure political correctness by balancing the female non-Catholic judge, Legal Research Services sends a male Catholic clerk Charles Vareika to assist Barbara. She confesses to Shel, his legal secretary, and his associate that she slept with the clerk who has since vanished. She fears for her reputation, but also the impact on the trial.Shel and his team, including a private sleuth, make inquiries by interviewing associates of the missing person, trial fanatics, and the Catholic priest on trial. As they dig deeper, Barbara seems more unsavory by the moment and Dooley appears quite deranged, but Charles remains missing.Though the key cast members, especially the Judge and the priest, speak stilted English that feels artificial rather than normal free flow conversation, fans will appreciate the honesty, perseverance, and temerity displayed throughout by Shel and his team. The story line moves forward at quite a clip as the trial plays an intriguing backdrop and enhancer to the missing person's investigation. The insight into the mean streets of Beantown and the close look at the Suffolk County legal system add depth to this action-packed novel. Fans of legal thrillers in which an exciting investigation supersedes the court room drama will enjoy A STAIN UPON THE ROBE.Harriet Klausner