When two men meet in the Virginia state penitentiary in a maximum security visitation room on May 5, 1968, they have only one thing in common: they both want their lives back. On one side of a glass divider sits Kenneth Deatherage, who was sentenced to death for the brutal rape and murder of a young woman. The jury agreed with the prosecutor’s closing argument: that all evidence points to Deatherage as the killer. But Deatherage says the evidence was fabricated.
He claims that the judge and his own lawyer rigged the trial against him. On the other side of the divider sits Nate Abbitt, who was a successful prosecutor until he tried to drink his way through a midlife crisis. When he finally sobered up, he had lost his career, his marriage of 30 years, and his self-respect. He turned to criminal defense because it was the only work he could get.
When the court appoints Nate to represent Deatherage on appeal, Nate doesn’t believe there’s a grand conspiracy to send Deatherage to the electric chair. But when his investigation uncovers hints of corruption in the county justice system, he finds himself accused of murder by the same forces that convicted his client. To save himself, Nate risks his life and the lives of others, and in the process, discovers that he and Deatherage have much more in common than he wants to admit.
Awesome book a MUST read!!!!’ I read this book not stop this past weekend. I love it when an author can keep a story going without a bunch of ” insignificant crap” as filler. This is a must read. I will definitely read more of Ken Oder’s books/novels. The only negative comment I have is that I couldn’t WAIT to read The Old Bull. The cover made it book look so interesting. It was a short story!!! Ah man!!!! What a bummer I was really into it then it was over. I think Mr. Oder should make that story just a wee bit longer. You…
Virginia is for killers, liars, and chats A prosecuting attorney becomes a drunk and philanderer, abuses his powers and still gets to practice law in 1960s Virginia. Protected by a judge and family friend, the attorney begins to work on the defense for a convicted murderer’s appeal. Who is more corrupt, the white collar, well-bred attorney or the sicko hick he tries to defend? You get plenty of opportunities to consider this, as the former prosecutor continues to break laws and hide evidence. There’s plenty of violence and rough…
EXCELLENT!!!! This book had a tone that immediately reminded me of that wonderful classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It’s an era several years later and Nate Abbitt is no Atticus Finch, to be clear. The storyline is very different yet still raises similar questions that Harper Lee explored in her exquisite tome. The similarities end there although justice and law in the post-Depression South were similar in many states and mindsets that exceeded boundary lines on maps and both of these stories explore those…