The Judgment

'D.W. Buffa has taken the legal thriller one step further-endowing it with an eerie and stylish noir sensibility. The Judgment is masterfully crafted and peopled with characters you won't forget. First rate.' -Jonathan Kellerman, author of Dr Death 'Buffa's spare observation, crackling dialogue and shadowy circle of criminals, lawyers and lovers keep you entwined.' -Who Weekly When Judge Calvin Jeffries becomes the first sitting judge to be murdered while serving in office charismatic criminal defence attorney Joseph Antonelli finds himself smack in the middle of a riveting case. Then another judge is killed in the same manner. What Antonelli uncovers is a relentless conspiracy that challenges everything he knows about crime and punishment . . . and himself. Beneath the tidy, well-catalogued pile of evidence, he uncovers a twisted trail of obsession and revenge that leads to the real killer, and a plan that is chillingly flawless-the culprit has the perfect defence, and Antonelli is his chosen, though unwilling, instrument. In The Judgment Buffa delivers a tour de force, a stunning story of revenge in which defence attorney Joseph Antonelli faces a challenge that not only pushes his legal skills to the limits but also tests the very basis of his morality. The acclaimed author of The Defense and The Prosecution, The Judgment is D.W. Buffa's third novel. Buffa served as a defence attorney for ten years.