Worthwhile New Series Alafair Burke is inevitably tagged as "daughter of James Lee Burke" but don't be put off by that. Ms. Burke is worthwhile in her own right....she is not cruising on her father's fame.
Judgment Calls is the first of what will become the Samantha Kinkaid series. Kincaid is an Asst DA in Portland, OR. In this first novel, Kincaid catches a prostitute murder case.
The characters are well crafted as is the plot. The book is fast-moving and full of enough twists to keep you off-balance and guessing until the end.
Well worth reading and following up the other two now out in the series.
Outstanding Writer Alafair Burke is an outstanding writer. Her experience as a former prosecutor and current criminal law professor is evident in the pages of Judgment Calls. One can learn a great deal about criminal law and procedure while enjoying a fast-paced (can't put the book down) mystery at the same time. The protagonist, Samantha Kincaid, is a smart, sassy deputy district attorney with a heart who won't let the bullies walk all over her. I thoroughly enjoyed Judgment Calls, and look forward to reading more of Burke's novels.Bland debut. The career spotlight is not focused on Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid with her current job. The vice cases she prosecutes aren't the big time career winners, so when local police come cap in hand for assistance with a sexual assault and attempted murder, she's interested. The usual hand passes have been given to this one as while the victim has got her details straight, she is not the ideal person to appeal to a jury. Thirteen year old Kendra Martin admitted belatedly that she's lately taken to prostitution to pay for her new habit, and was high on the night of her brutal attack. With a solid identification, Kincaid and the cops are ready to move on this one, dragging their reluctant victim along with them.
The defense attorney seems to want to make a big statement on this one, and Kincaid is sucker punched at the trial with a hit on the integrity of the investigating officers. Former flame Chuck Forbes had his rising career almost snuffed out before it began when he was accused of leading a witness in a high profile serial killer case. This new case is likened to the same, and it is not long before the media take flight. Someone is staking claim to the attack of Kendra Martin and others, throwing Kincaid's case wide open to be linked with the older crimes. If there's a serial killer at hand, he'd like to eliminate the threat of his only surviving witness. Kincaid must not only protect her client, her friend Chuck but also herself from the threat of a maniac who has now decided he wants his own turn at being the media's darling.
"Judgment Calls" was a debut novel for author Alafair Burke, who has written two further novels since featuring district attorney Samantha Kincaid. This isn't a stellar first novel, but it should introduce enough new faces for the reader to take the interest forward to the next book. There is little suspense as the whodunit factor is revealed along the way, and the rest of the journey is in the process - the detailing of which gets a little tedious. It gets to be sickly as Burke talks up her protagonist, via the secondary characters, to be some kind of avenging saint. Also, for a supposedly smart woman, Kincaid gets to do some rather dumb things. This is a light thriller read, possibly appealing to the reader who prefers the gorey details to be tucked away behind a teaching view into the courtroom, with some harmless romantic scenes included.
