The Reluctant Jurist: Peter Sharp Legal Mystery, Number 8 (Unabridged‪)‬

The case involved in this Peter Sharp adventure is a dramatic escalation of the jury-tampering attempts made by organized crime back in the roaring 20's when one of their leaders' freedom was in jeopardy, in that it goes a step higher and threatens not a juror, but the judge hearing the case.

It doesn't matter to these criminals that the jury will determine guilt or innocence of the accused, because this defendant on trial is also an attorney, and he is aware of the fact, that in this jurisdiction, a judge has the power to set aside a jury's guilty verdict, and find the defendant innocent.

The usual warnings are given as to bringing the authorities into this threat, and the judge takes them seriously enough to follow that demand, leaving very few choices for a safe, favorable solution, that also brings justice to the culprits.

The clock is ticking and time is running out as the conclusion of the trial is rapidly approaching, so attorney Peter Sharp is forced into drastic action to defeat this hostage situation, and its attempt to extort an acquittal of the attorney on trial.

Thanks to assistance from an unbelievable source, Peter may have found the clue to where his plan should be put into effect so that the situation might be resolved satisfactorily, but you'll be sitting on the edge of your seat as this thrilling adventure come to an end, complete with an undercover operation, the FBI, and Peter Sharp, unexpectedly armed and dangerous.

This is surely one the most exciting of all the cases in this series of 20 books that Gene Grossman has written, that chronicle the adventures of attorney Peter Sharp, his 13-year-old computer-genius legal ward Suzi, and Peter's bitter ex-wife Myra - the top District Attorney prosecutor of Los Angeles County.