WINNER OF 4 AWARDS
2019 NEW YORK CITY BIG BOOK AWARD
2019 AMERICAN FICTION AWARD
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD - Best legal thriller 2019
SILVER MEDAL 2019 READER'S FAVORITES AWARDS
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers
A homeless veteran brutally killed by police. Three cops gunned down. A multi-state manhunt for a cop-killer on the loose. The trial of the decade. Justice Gone, a new kind of legal thriller
WINNER OF THREE AWARDS
2019 AMERICAN FICTION AWARD
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCY AWARD - Best Legal Thriller OF 2019
SILVER MEDAL WINNER 2019 READERS' FAVORITES AWARDS
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers
The courtroom scenes are wonderfully written...the characters are well described and the author paints a picture of each in the mind of the reader...Strong plot, strong characters and a strong writing style that I really enjoyed. This one is a definite "thumbs-up." Strongly recommend! I look forward to reading additional works by N. Lombardi, Jr.
Kim M Aalaie, Author's Den
One of my favorite suspense novels of the year. It will make you question the legal system.
The Eclectic Review
The courtroom action is excellent, trimmed to the most gripping parts of the trial, with plenty of emotional impact...a fairly realistic portrayal of the way small-town US society works...a fast-moving story with plenty of dramatic moments, and a big twist in the final pages.
Crime Review
"When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?”
Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr. Tessa Thorpe
Excerpt
“All rise!”
Everyone in the overcrowded courtroom did so, creating a muffled thunder that rose to the high ceiling. Clearly, the size of the crowd was too great for the space provided, but there was nowhere else to hold this event as the white courtroom was the largest one in Asarn County, a locality where high-profile trials rarely, if ever, took place. The judge entered and took his seat at the bench, nodded to the bailiff who then opened the door to the deliberation room to let the jury file in.
“State calls Detective Ralph Cavaluzzi,” Fiske announced.
The bailiff offered the Bible upon which Cavaluzzi placed his right hand. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
“I do.”
Under Fiske’s rehearsed questioning, what followed was a rather boring narrative of how he, Detective Cavaluzzi, and his partner, Detective Ryan, arrived at each of the three scenes, one after the other, discovered the bodies, and called in the other homicide teams. On display near the court clerk was a flipchart with large diagrams of the neighborhoods of all three victims, showing streets and emphasizing wooded areas where the shots may have originated in each case. Although the evidence gathered at each of the scenes was scant, consisting only of the bullets and one shoe print near a forested locale verging on Puente’s house, both Fiske and his witness gave the impression that an abundant amount of invaluable facts had been collected. “Your witness,” Fiske said to the defense table as he took his
seat.
Bodine stood and toyed with the curved handle of his cane. He knew that Cavaluzzi loathed defense lawyers, since several of his last arrests had resulted in the suspects’ cases being dismissed due to procedural errors he had made and that the defense had homed in on. Bodine knew this from tasking his son to investigate and submit a profile on the arresting officers. And he would exploit this vulnerability to taint Cavaluzzi’s testimony.
“Detective Cavaluzzi, did you know any of those three men that were killed?”
“Of course, we’re in the same force.”
“How well did you know them? I mean, how personal? Anything more than just workplace camaraderie?”
“Not sure what you mean.”
“Did you socialize with any of them, particularly Officer Fox?”
Fiske got to his feet. “Objection, irrelevant.”
Before his honor could rule, Bodine blurted out, “I’m building foundation, Your Honor.”
The judge stared at Bodine, Bodine’s sunglasses reflected back at him. “I’ll allow it for the time being, but if you’re going somewhere with this, better get there fast. Witness, answer the question.”
“Sometimes we would get together for a few beers.” “I see. Isn’t it true that he married your cousin?” “No.”
“No?”
“My second cousin, if you must know.” Some snickers from the spectators.
“In fact, wasn’t it you who introduced them?” Again Fiske stood up, “Your Honor…”
Judge Tupelo was also becoming annoyed, “What is your point, Counselor Bodine?”
The point was to rattle the witness, what else. “Just wanted to establish that Detective Cavaluzzi may have been affected by personal feelings during his investigation.”
“I’m not supporting that line of questioning.”
“Sorry, Your Honor. I’ll take a different tack.” Bodine hesitated before asking the next question, perhaps a bit too long, causing Cavaluzzi to shift in his chair impatiently.
Time to jab him in a sensitive area. “Now, you testified that the Crime Scene Forensics, under your direction, analyzed all three crime scenes and gathered up evidence. You think you did a good job?”
Cavaluzzi gave out a disgusted smirk. All these scum sucking bastards are the same, he thought to himself. “It’s a painstaking procedure, but we always try to be as thorough as possible,” he replied, restraining himself.
“You don’t think you missed anything?” “No.”
“Did you find any fingerprints?” “No.”
“Saliva? Fibers.”
“No, these men were killed by a sniper at some distance away. Naturally we don’t expect…”
“Recover any shells?” “No.”
“Did you find any physical evidence linking Mr. Darfield to the scene?”
“There are the bullets, but I’ll leave that to the ballistics expert. And we found a print that matches Mr. Darfield’s boots.”
“Explain to the court how it matches.”
Fiske rose again. “Your Honor, we have our crime scene forensics expert as our next witness, who is well versed in footprint analysis.”
The judge, who had been hunching forward since the start of cross-examination, leaned back in his chair to relieve his aching spine. “Let’s wait for the State’s expert for the matter of the footprint.”
“Very well,” Bodine continued. “Let’s talk about the shells. Recover any?”
“I just told you a few minutes ago! What, are you deaf as well as…”
Bodine stood still as a statue, while he let Cavaluzzi’s words hang in the courtroom like an airborne virus. The jury members squirmed uneasily, the spectators holding their collective breath, relishing the tension.
“As well as what?”
Fiske tried to break the awkward moment. “Your Honor…”
But Bodine wouldn’t let him. “No, I’m not deaf. No further questions.”
Professional Reviews
Has it all
From the title, one would guess that Justice Gone is a legal mystery, but it really is a lot more. From beginning to end, it evokes controversary and arguments that typically fill the comment sections of current news stories. Not surprisingly, the story pulled in my emotional side from the beginning, and it's pace never let up.
An event in a small town cascades into a drama that keeps unfolding and expanding before we finally arrive at the trial, where the author does a superb job of heightening the tension while at the same time gives one of the most realistic depictions of courtroom procedures I've ever read in a novel. Even the jury deliberation is expressed in the diversity of opinions that are fragmenting our society.
One of my favorite aspects of this novel are the characters, so vividly portrayed, you can practically see their faces and instinctively form opinions of them. One way the author does this is through his handling of dialogue.
I won't mention anything about the ending, except that you will be completely thrown off-guard.
So, if a novel has a keen plot, interesting characters, a brisk tempo and an imaginative ending, it has just about everything needed for an enjoyable read, doesn't it?
Marilyn at Goodreads
From Rosepoint publishing
This book delivers a knowledgeable albeit prejudiced punch in a bow to the plight of our PTSD veterans, both with the lack of support for vets as well as the state of awareness of our law enforcement bodies. The protagonist is Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veterans counselor, who decries the loss of one of her own, beaten to death, as she champions the support of Donald Darfield, close buddy of the vet killed by law enforcement in a less than enlightened confrontation.
This is an excellently drawn scenario, plausible to the point of eliciting ginchy reflex, and proffers major sympathy for the well-fleshed characters. Dr. Thorpe is largely the reason Darfield survived his heated resistance to the army of officers ready to take him into custody for the deadly sniper deaths of three of those officers. This narrative grabs you immediately and draws you into the psychological thriller that ramps up as it goes. The lawyer for Darfield is introduced and immediately so well developed you can see, hear, and be spellbound by his expertise in law, handicapped or not. You'd want this powerful "Ironside" on your side.
I was absolutely drawn into the emotionally supportive and intelligent Dr. Thorpe and loved the introduction and crafty legal manipulations of Nathanial Bodine and his daughter assistant and the sympathetic plight of Darfield. As this is to be the first in a series of psychological thrillers, I say grab this while you can as you will want to be glued into the next book of the series. These characters are strong and wily. The author knows how to craft his characters and it will become necessary for you to see where he is taking this.
I received this ebook download as an initial direct request from the author for a read and review and received through the publisher and NetGalley. Recommended as a not-to-miss thriller.
See my full review after 12/28/18 at https://rosepointpublishing.com
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Wow - what a great book!
I had very low expectations when I started this book by an author I had never come across before but it engaged me from the start and I found it original and moving.
The heroine is Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counsellor, who specialises in dealing with war veterans suffering with PTSD and how she copes with the situation when one of her clients is suspected of the revenge killing of three cops who beat another veteran to death.
The action is breathless but the characters are well drawn and credible and the author has a deep knowledge of and sympathy with the plight of veterans.
As if it was not already good enough, the second half of the book introduce us to the irascible blind lawyer Nathaniel Bodine who is a wonderful invention and mesmerising to see in action.
This is apparently the first of a new series and the author has set the bar extremely high.
Greville Waterman - NetGalley
This psychological thriller begins with the death of a homeless veteran that lives at the clinic of Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veterans counselor handling veterans dealing with PTSD. Matters are made worse by the fact that he was beaten to death by the police.
When the murdered man's best friend from combat, Donald Darfield, goes missing around the same time as three of the officers involved in the death come up murdered, the hunt is on...
Once incarcerated, the story focuses on the trial and its outcome, starting with the introduction of Nathanial Bodine. He is the cantankerous, feisty, blind lawyer representing Darfield. The courtroom scenes are wonderfully written. I fell in love with Bodine at once. His character is great!
No spoiler alerts here, but the ending will surprise all!
'Justice Gone' is my first book by N. Lombardi, Jr., but will not be my last. From the very beginning the story line draws you in. 'Justice Gone' is a fast paced story with several sub-plots. The characters are well described and the author paints a picture of each in the mind of the reader. I enjoyed the descriptions of each of the jurors, a great addition to the story. Another great addition was the use of racial proponents working throughout the novel.
'Justice Gone' is a well written book with an excellent story line. Strong plot, strong characters and a strong writing style that I really enjoyed. This one is a definite "thumbs-up." Strongly recommend! I look forward to reading additional works by N. Lombardi, Jr.
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