Linda Rocker Uses Legal Expertise in Romp Through Mayhem...

"There wasn't an empty seat in Judge Clarke's chambers.
Every attorney involved in the case was there, as was every
law clerk, staff person, and deputy sheriff assigned to the
judge's courtroom. There was also not a lot of conversation.
No one seemed to know what to say, at least until the judge
and her bailiff, Casey, entered the room.
"I don't know who wrote the script for this farce, but whoever
it is has a warped sense of humor. Why don't you tell us, Mr.
State Attorney, how the wheels of justice have taken this
latest turn toward mayhem?..."

Punishment


By Linda Rocker




BRH has been authorized to give a signed copy of Punishment: A Legal Thriller... Leave a comment with an email that you are interested. Comments can be made through August 10th!  






America is a litigious nation, don't you think? I realized it most when I wasn't even surprised about the case covered in Linda Rocker's Debut...

Rocker graduated magna cum laude from Cleveland Marshall Law School, practiced as a defense litigator and then was appointed in 1989 to the Common Pleas Court of Cuyahoga County...Talk about writing what you know... I love to read thrillers, mysteries and suspense from writers with that respective background. I know I will always learn something...or be intrigued by the slant that professional takes in presenting their credentials.

Linda Rocker chose to make her novel informative but fun...

After all, it is not every day that a Bailiff is the main character of a legal thriller. Nor is it usual to present the personal or illegal issues of sitting judges and others involved in the court system... But, most of all, it is very unusual to be working a court case about Dogicide!

You know it wasn't hard to pick the type of dog--that is, a pit bull--that would be selected as a character. Actually, I had never seen one so when I saw the picture in Wikipedia, I thought he looked kind of cute...Then I scrolled down to see the one that more closely matched my image. But, no matter what, we all know that it is the owner (or trainer) who has made that dog what he was...

And there were many neighbors who testified that they had heard the victim's husband practicing attack commands with his dog...

But that didn't explain why the courthouse had been bombed, that one of the bailiffs had been murdered, nor why our main character was being looked at as possibly who killed the bailiff!

OK,  I've set the staged for quite a bit of mayhem, as one judge called it, and I haven't even mentioned the one jurist who was constantly texting...of course, out to somebody other than jury members and sharing all that was happening...or the witness who came to court wearing advertisements for her business...

Check out the happy grin on the picture of this author...she surely picked many issues that would, or could, happen to those involved in a criminal case and brought them to readers who will be following the clues to what was really happening, just as those jurists were learning and listening, to judge whether the owner of the dog who killed his wife was guilty...duh...

I must say that the thought of the Keystone Kops came to my mind often, only all the "Kops"  were those involved in the case, if that gives some of you a clue. This is not a Law and Order type of book. And expect having a smirk or two as you stumble through everything happening...thinking, "I just knew that was going to happen!"

Selecting the bailiff as the individual is most involved was enlightening to me. Most of us see that individual off in the corner, just standing and watching... Casey Portman, however, wasn't one to step back and just watch...Could this be an upcoming series similar to that provided to us by Janet Evanovich? If so, this could get verrrry interesting. In any event, I enjoyed this romp through one of the strangest set of court scenes you may ever see. Highly recommended...


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Meet Linda Rocker

Linda Rocker has been in the center of the action since she graduated college with a degree in English. When she wasn’t teaching, she was leading “teach-ins” against the war, writing and publishing poetry and music and joining the fight for civil rights and women’s access through politics. Law school and practice opened the door to professional success and to new opportunities, including arguments before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed to Ohio’s Common Pleas Bench, she served as a trial judge for a number of years and has continued to hear cases as a retired Judge. A prolific writer, many of her legal opinions have appeared in print, along with articles in local bar association magazines.

Rocker has been honored as a leader, a fighter for equal rights, and an advocate for the homeless. She has been recognized by Who’s Who in American Women, Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People and The Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame to name just a few.

“Punishment” is her debut novel. It is the first of a trilogy about criminal justice. The second novel, “Blame” is in progress and she will be publishing a collection of short stories, “Is Anybody Listening?” in early 2013.

Rocker and her husband travel widely and spend time in Cleveland, Florida and Chautauqua, New York.Visit LindaRocker.com