All In the Name of Justice

Dear Readers,

A lifetime of work as a police officer, prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney has inspired me to write this novel. Inspired by true events, this is a gripping and enlightening fictional journey, exposing "street justice," "codes of silence," and "corruption," all things done and pursued in the name of justice.

My fictional lead character reminisces about his life experiences during jury deliberations that will bring a verdict in his latest and perhaps last trial-a trial in defense of a murderous drug dealer, one of many whom he arrested, prosecuted, and defended over the years.

The book examines authority-authority of police officers, prosecutors, and courts-and the need for a common-sense, practical approach to oversight that will check authority and assure proper governance. And yes, even private attorneys need to be mindful of their authority and responsibility to vigorously represent their clients and not rush to an expedient resolution of their cases.

Police need to be tough and feared by criminals, but not too tough. Prosecutors need to be fair and compassionate. Courts, prosecutors, and police need to focus on the spirit of laws-a fair application of the laws, application that would be conceded to be fair by all litigants. And all authority figures must avoid any appearance of impropriety. Equally important, there should be no smug tolerance of impropriety among the ranks of authority figures.

Authority must be well placed to work and get things done to serve justice with fairness, to allow pursuit of the ever-elusive democratic dream of "liberty and justice for all."

I hope you like the book. There are plenty of stories out there to fill volumes of sequels. My hope is that there is thoughtful reflection and progress in appointing the most qualified and effective representatives who will serve us all.

Thank you,