The One-Eyed Judge
A Novel
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4.7 • 34 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The stunning new legal thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Hanging Judge, “a talent to watch” (The Washington Post).
When FBI agents barge into Sidney Cranmer’s home accusing him of a heinous crime, the respected literature professor’s life becomes a nightmare. Cranmer insists the illicit material found by the agents isn’t his, but the charge against him appears airtight, and his academic specialty—the life and work of controversial author Lewis Carroll, creator of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—convinces investigators he’s lying.
Presiding over the case against Professor Cranmer, U.S. District Judge David Norcross fears his daily confrontation with evil has made him too jaded to become a husband and father. His girlfriend, Claire Lindemann, teaches in the same department as the defendant and is convinced of his innocence. Soon, she will take matters into her own hands. Meanwhile—with his love life in turmoil and his plans for the future on hold—a personal tragedy leaves Norcross responsible for his two young nieces. Unbeknownst to him, a vengeful child predator hovers over his new family, preparing to strike.
Michael Ponsor’s debut novel, The Hanging Judge, was praised by retired Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens for reminding readers “that the judicial process is not infallible” and by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tracy Kidder for bearing “the heft of authenticity.” The One-Eyed Judge again draws on Ponsor’s thirty years as a US district judge, offering readers an insider’s view of one of the most harrowing kinds of cases faced by the courts. Fast-paced, thrilling, and thought-provoking, this is legal fiction at its most realistic and compelling.
The One-Eyed Judge is the 2nd book in the Judge Norcross Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Ponsor's melodramatic sequel to 2013's The Hanging Judge, the FBI busts Amherst College professor Sidney Cranmer after he accepts delivery of a DVD containing child pornography. Cranmer has written a biography of Charles L. Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) in which he argues that the author of Alice in Wonderland was not a pedophile. Federal judge David Norcross, known as the one-eyed judge for injuries he suffered after being shot in the face, handles the case, despite his witnessing the aftermath of Cranmer's arrest and his being involved with Amherst professor Claire Lindemann, who is familiar with the accused. Meanwhile, he gets some devastating news concerning his brother, the U.S. commerce secretary. The subplot involving David's efforts to help his brother's children distracts from the main story line. As Ponsor warns in an author's note, the subject matter is highly upsetting; some readers who soldier past the graphic descriptions of abused children may not feel the effort was worthwhile.
