Kenneth Eade Produces Another Must-Read in Absolute Intolerance...

Brent Marks sat with his clients, James Fredericks and Ronald Bennett, in the second row of the gallery waiting for their case to be called, and his thoughts ran wild with boredom. He also couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated: not because he was sitting between two gay men (which some guys might be a little uncomfortable with), but because they were dressed so much better than he was. And neither of them seemed to have the budding spare tire around the middle that Brent had been wrestling with at the gym for the past three years. It was embarrassing. People might think that Brent was the shabby client who had come to court with his two good-looking lawyers, instead of the other way around...
Brent could never understand how a man could be attracted to another, but he did know one thing: his two clients had good taste and they were always in good shape. He made a mental note to consider asking one of his gay friends to go shopping with him next time instead of his girlfriend, Angela. She seemed to always be nicely dressed, but FBI agents like her were not known for their men’s fashion sense. Maybe I could find a gay trainer at the gym to help me shed these extra pounds? 
It was the hallowed ground of the federal court at 312 N. Spring Street, an old art deco building which contained some of the smartest men and women on the bench. The interior of the courtroom was all marble and dark wood. Brent and his clients sat on wooden benches that looked more like church pews than seats...
This was just the type of case that appealed to him: blazing a trail for civil rights; lighting a torch for tolerance. In his early days as a lawyer, he wasn’t as fortunate, taking every case that he could just to keep the office doors open. But now, with over 25 years of practice under his slightly bulging belt, he could concentrate on the cases that really meant something: civil rights, consumer rights, governmental abuses… cases that were more than about just paying the bills.

~~~

Absolute Intolerance:

A Brent Marks Legal Thriller

By Kenneth Eade

There are many things in life that present issues that confront their beliefs. In this case, two gay men have just been married, according to the law. Yet they are being harassed. They had just left the courtroom with their lawyer when a certain Joshua Banks came up:

As Brent and his clients trudged away, before he could even have the chance to console them, Joshua Banks, a bible-thumping, homophobic, religious fanatic, blocked their path. Brent had had run-ins with Banks several times, to the point where he had been forced to obtain a restraining order against him because of death threats. But he was mainly a zealot and a windbag who was always preaching to anyone who would listen, and a lot of people who wouldn’t.

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure!” Banks proclaimed, lifting his finger in front of them as if he was giving a sermon. “Step aside, Mr. Banks. Do I have to get another restraining order against you?” “Men committed acts with other men, and received in themselves due penalty for their perversion!” “Who is this guy?” “He’s just a nut job, James. I’ve dealt with him before.”

Banks stepped out of the way and the three proceeded down the escalator to the lobby of the courthouse. “He’s a religious fanatic. Part of the group opposing gay marriage.” As they descended, they could hear the echoes of Banks yelling verses from the Bible. “These dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings!” “He’s really harmless. Just ignore him.” “Sounds like he’s got a screw loose,” said Jim. Brent nodded. “More than one screw, I think.” The bellowing began to fade from their ears as they descended. “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, not thieves, nor the greedy or drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God!” “I guess it’s official, Jim. We’re both going to hell.” “At least we’ll be there together.”

My first Brent Marks thriller was Involuntary Spy. It was about an important issue that also interested me and I enjoyed it greatly and recommended it as a must-read...

Absolute Intolerance is also about an important issue. It is not an enjoyable book. I recommend it as a must-read as well...

Eades is hitting readers where they hurt--he does not allow prejudice, beliefs, corrupt activities, etc., to go unnoticed. He attacks them, hoping to teach. If not, to force us to face reality...

A long time ago, I had to make my own decisions about what I would do when I faced prejudice. I adopted "Judge Not Lest Ye be Judged."

And while Brent Marks acknowledged he didn't understand a physical attraction for another man, that did not mean that he was not willing to work with them, to help them if he could. Most of us take that position. However, Joshua Banks, what we would call today, a religious fanatic, took active opposition toward anybody who deserved to be judged--as he read and understood God's direction to be. So not only did he confront Marks' gay clients verbally, he also threw a window through the front window of their new home...

And soon they were murdered--horribly, with great hate and rage toward the bodies of these two happily-in-love men...

Marks had lost his clients, but was then shocked when Joshua Banks was accused of the murder and requested that Brent act as his lawyer! He didn't know what to do, but the first thing he did was call the Bar Association and sought guidance as to whether there would be a conflict of interest since he had once served as counsel for the victims...

Knowing that everybody deserved representation, Brent decided to take on Banks as a client, knowing that it was going to be extremely difficult, given Banks' constant rambling... And the police were quite sure they had the right man. Banks had harassed the gay men, he had admitted to the hate crime that he'd broken their window. He even indicated that he would want them dead. But was he guilty of murder? Brent didn't think so...

There was only one way to defend this client. Marks would have to solve the case... 

Acceptance of homosexuality has been a long-time problem for some Christians. In my mind, Jesus brought us God's love and ask that we love others. Was Banks arrested and put on trial because he was a fanatic, or because those involved were also prejudiced against homosexuality. If not why would they do everything to stop Brent from providing a solid defense of the man? Did they believe that all hate-mongers are criminals and should be punished? Or perhaps they had no emotional ties to anybody and simply worked to close the case without any concern for the individuals at all...

Is the author indicting the legal system? A religious faith for producing such fanatics? For the ending brings Brent Marks to a turning point decision. Could he continue as a defense counsel, knowing what had happened in this trial?

The author forces us to look within and ask--would we seek to destroy all those who hate others and speak out against them? Are those who believe differently than us automatically worthy to be murdered, destroyed? This book has an ending that is unsatisfactory...yet to tell the story that he intended, it must be recognized as a superb novel... Kenneth Eade's has much to tell the world. He is not a fanatic that shoves his thoughts down your throat. He merely creates a what-if story and lets each of us see what happens... What would you do if somebody told you our jury system is flawed? A totally infuriating story that must be read...



GABixlerReviews

Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as "One of our strongest thriller writers on the scene and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit." He is often compared to John Grisham, whom many regard as the master of the legal thriller.

Said Eade of the comparisons, "Readers compare me in style to John Grisham and, there are some similarities, because John also likes to craft a story around real topics and we are both lawyers. However, all of my novels are rooted in reality, not fantasy. I use fictional characters and situations to express factual and conceptual issues. Some use the term 'faction' to describe this style, and it is present in all my fictional works." 

Eade has written ten novels, which are now in the process of being translated into six languages. He is known to keep in touch with his readers, and offers a free Kindle book to all those who sign up at his web site, www.kennetheade.com. 

Email: info@kennetheade.com
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