Law school graduate and legal thriller author RC O''Leary reviews A Pitch For Justice and portrays the realism of this legal fiction novel
m grateful to RC O'Leary, a wonderful writer of Hallways in the Night for his great review of my novel that I hope you will take a moment to read.
http://www.rcoleary.com/
Original Thought-Provoking Premise Forms the basis of a Legal thriller
Having written a legal thriller that involves elements of baseball as part of the plot, I was curious to read Harold Kasselman's book "A Pitch for Justice," a book that begins with the idea that a major league baseball player could face criminal charges for actions taken during a game. In this case, for what a prosecutor deemed reckless behavior that led to the death of a player on the Mets. (One small note--the timing of the review coincides with the book being discounted on Amazon to .99 for a couple of more days. Disclosure, I was not aware of the sale and purchased book beforehand.)
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I found it to be a very interesting concept and one that became more realistic as the story progressed. Upon first reading the book's blurb I thought the idea was a bit unrealistic--would a major league pitcher really get charged with murder for beaning a batter--but Kasselman (who, more full disclosure, I have had some interactions with re: his book and mine on goodreads) creates an extremely plausible sequence of events and decision making that makes the idea seem completely credible. As a matter of fact, God forbid a major league player is killed by a bean ball, but if he were I think this book might be used as justification to potentially charge him.
As a matter of fact, I would recommend all high school, college and Major League pitchers read this book so they can be fully informed of the potentially life-altering consequences of ever throwing at someone's head.
I also think pre-law and law students would enjoy and greatly benefit from this book. Without a doubt, the strength of this book is the legal maneuvering and the pre-trial and courtroom scenes depicted. Harold Kasselman takes full advantage of his thirty year career to paint a very realistic picture of what happens in a trial. Unlike my book, Hallways in the Night, in which I take some artistic license with some of the rules of criminal procedure, Kasselman's book is "pitch perfect" on the law and procedure.
Everything from the grand jury setting, one of the best and most informative descriptions I have read, through hearsay exceptions, such as "excited utterances," you can learn some practical lessons about being an attorney. For example, even though I'm a law school graduate, I had no idea a grand jury can vote to bring a more severe charge than the prosecutor is seeking or how much of the proceeding is actually a conversation with those sitting on the grand jury.
Throughout the book, Kasselman offers some very interesting facts about baseball history, as well as some interesting facts about the speed and reaction times needed to hit a major league fastball.
Like most legal thrillers, Pitch for Justice ends with a trial. I honestly did not know which way the jury would vote at the end and I'm still not 100% sure if I agree with their verdict.
I enjoyed Pitch for Justice and the fact it made me continually think throughout the story. It forces readers to face a dilemma in which I'm not sure there is a black and white answer.
Law professors could probably use the premise as a good basis for a legal practice course using the facts as a set-up for a case that students are forced to try. I think it would be a great "case" to use because I bet jury verdicts would be different based upon the performance and effectiveness of those arguing the case, as well as some of the decisions of the Judge.
End of the day, I think both sides in this case can lay claim to the moral high ground. That is one of the things I enjoyed the most. Far from simplistic, it's a realistic and enjoyable read of an excellent premise that will keep you reading to the end to find out the eventual verdict and it will be up to you to decide if, in the end, justice is ultimately served
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