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JUSTICE GONE

About the Book:
When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down. A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran’s counselor, is caught up in the chase. Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa’s patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers get there first, leading to Darfield’s dramatic capture. Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge? Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr Tessa Thorpe, wrapped in the divisive issues of modern American society including police brutality and disenfranchised returning war veterans.
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such as the fact that more than 90% of criminal cases never go to trial, and
trial by jury is the exception rather than the norm. But when they do, does the
trial process work?
Gone, two steps of a criminal trial are examined. The first is the Grand
Jury proceedings. Many of us don’t realize the extent of the state’s influence
in these hearings. The District Attorney decides what evidence can be admitted,
selectively issues subpoenas, and basically runs the show, while the defense
plays little or no part. Commonly, overzealous prosecutors will make a case for
an indictment that might not be warranted, generating criminal trials for those
who may very well be innocent of the charges.
enforcement officers, the shoe may very well be on the other foot. Law
enforcement is on the same side of the fence as the DA, and consequently a conflict
of interests is difficult to avoid. That is why indictments against police for
using excessive force are rare.
decides whether to convict or not. And this is where the public and the media
can play an unwelcome part.
watched by over 100 million television viewers (comparable to the Super Bowl),
and was a sign that even in 1995, the people of the United States had yet to
bridge the divide over race, as well as raising doubts over the behavior of law
enforcement. But most of all, it provided an intimate glimpse into the US
justice system, from jury selection to the jury’s verdict.
criminal defense lawyers in the US – the “Dream Team,” the real
centerpiece was the jury. Although the trial took eleven months of testimony,
it took the jury only four hours to acquit.
impartial and correct?
felt that Simpson was innocent, while most Caucasians felt the opposite. Was
the fact that 80% of the jurors were African-Americans influence the outcome,
i.e. did they acquit Simpson solely due to he being the same race as they?
because the defense succeeded in raising reasonable doubt. Even if the jury believed Simpson murdered those people,
according to the principles of American justice, he should not have been
convicted.
DNA forensics, but chain of custody became a big issue. In fact, the handling
of all the evidence by the police came under scrutiny, and rightly so. Later
during the trial, with the jury absent, Mark Furhman, the detective who found
the bloody glove and socks, invoked the Fifth Amendment against
self-incrimination when asked “did you plant or manufacture any evidence
in this case?”
which the prosecution challenged Simpson to try on. Simpson could not get his
hand in.
believed Simpson probably did commit the murders, but that the prosecution had
failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Three jurors together wrote
and published a book called Madam Foreman,
in which they described how their perception of police errors, not race, led to
their verdict.
the Simpson trial in terms of attention grabbing, the trial of Casey Anthony, who
was accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter, was quite different. The
big difference was that while the country was divided over Simpson’s guilt, the
public and the media overwhelmingly assumed Anthony was guilty, which in turn
fueled the outcry over the not guilty verdict. One charge, that of first degree
murder, was problematic, in that forensics experts could not determine the
cause of the little girl’s death, but in general the questions of how, why
where and when were never answered satisfactorily. According to many legal
experts, the not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony can be seen as a victory for
the U.S. justice system, despite strong public opinion opposing it, mainly because
it upheld the concept of reasonable doubt.
and the other jurors cried and were “sick to our stomachs” after
voting to acquit Casey Anthony of charges that she killed her daughter. “I
did not say she was innocent,” said Ford,. “I just said there was not
enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine
what the punishment should be.”
can legal experts exclaim victory, even if a guilty person is allowed to be
released back into society?
people are not only possible, but probably occur at a rate that would alarm
you.
documented account of three separate trials, and the wrongful conviction of five men
(perhaps the title should have been The Innocent Men). In one case, the police and prosecutor used forced
“dream” confessions, unreliable witnesses, and flimsy evidence to
convict Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz of murder and rape. After suffering
through a conviction and eleven years on death row, Williamson and Fritz were
exonerated by DNA evidence and released on April 15, 1999. Similar narratives apply to the trials of Tommy
Ward and Karl Fontenot, and the trial of Greg Wilhoit, namely horror stories of
persecution, harassment, fraud, lying snitches, and fabricated evidence. If
reasonable doubt had been applied, those men would have never been incarcerated
on death row (this was in Oklahoma, where the death penalty still exists).
Fortunately, these men were exonerated before they could be put to death.
the jury. That is why I dedicated a whole chapter in Justice Gone on the jury deliberations in the trial of Donald
Darfield.
US, justice is in the hands of ordinary citizens.
About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).
In 1997, while visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc.
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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FAE’S CAPTIVE by Lily Archer
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party instead of studying. But those quirks paled in comparison to what she did next. She drugged me, and I woke up imprisoned in an alternate universe full of terrifying creatures. Now, the biggest and scariest creature of all—a fae king—believes I’m his mate. He’s freed me from the dungeon, but keeps me close.
So close, in fact, that I’m beginning to like his wintery gaze and ice-chiseled body. But secrets and villains lurk throughout this new world, and I don’t know if I’ll survive long enough to figure out how to get back home.
lost in the woods with a growly fae king.
rises, the bed groaning with relief as he grabs a pitcher and pours water into
a crystal cup, then hands it to me. I sniff it. No smell. But it’s not like I’m
an expert poison sniffer or anything. I drink, mainly because I’m parched and
don’t know when I’ll get my next chance at food or water.
beasts of the fantasy worlds and create true love where none seemed possible.
Lily’s Newsletter!
28th at Midnight EST!
CLOUDED BY ENVY by Candace Robinson
Amazon GC courtesy of Candace, The Parliament House Press, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
bats, everything came easier to Bray. While Brenik spent his time in her shadows, never feeling he was enough. After escaping their world of Laith, and
living on Earth for ten years, Brenik attempts to strike a deal with the Stone of Desire to become human. Though true humanity is not an option, he will accept the curse that will alter him to get as close as he can.
between Bray and Wes.
Lifting a hand up toward her cheek, she swiped the saliva away and rubbed it on
to the hammock. Classy, she thought, but there was already some gathered there
anyway.
thick stem, attached to a circular bottom. A birdbath! Almost giddily, Bray stepped on the ledge of the hole and leaped off, flapping her wings hurriedly to the nearest pink and yellow peach. Opening her jaw wide, she bit into the thin skin. A juicy one. The fruit filled her mouth with delicious pleasure, and she took one more long bite before diving down to the birdbath.
thinking about slipping into the water—still no sign of life.
Her bare feet scraped the rough bottom, while her dress inflated and then clung
to her body as she shot to the surface. She let out a small giggle to herself. It was sad that the only highlight of the past year was hopping into a shallow pool of water with no one around except for her.
up and down, while swimming in figure-eight circles.
the world existed, except for the muffled vibrations from the liquid.
blinked several times.
straight for the tree hole.
would poke both of his eyes to protect her and Brenik’s home.
eye—an eye she was going to poke. Startled, she jumped back instead of toward him.
her chest tightening. Then she shrugged it off and shifted her gaze back to the boy. “By the way, my name is Brayora, but you can call me Bray.” For some reason, she wasn’t worried anymore about the human.
are spent writing, book reviewing and traveling through books for my blog,
Literary Dust. I live just outside of Houston, Texas, where it feels like the hottest place on Earth with the crazy weather. No, seriously, one day it’s 30 degrees and the next it’s 70 degrees! I live with my husband and awesome
daughter!
All International 1 winner will receive an 10 Amazon Gift Card, International.
NARCOSIS ROOM Louise Cypress
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD
Total Recall meets Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies.
Sleep for three months and make your problems go away.
Ellie Savage is used to promises. Her dermatologist dad and her psychiatrist mom run the Narcosis Clinic, a medical facility famous for ultimate makeovers, where disturbing issues are resolved while patients are beautified. Clients like pop star Dean Mathews are grateful to narcosis for healing their deepest wounds. Ellie is her parents’ most ardent supporter until her dreams become a nightmare. Ellie discovers that her true self has been shredded to bits by the scalpel and the only way for Ellie to remember is to forget everything she thinks she knows.
“The relationship between Cole and Ellie is absorbing (it’s indisputably a mutual affection) while the twins’ dynamic–they’re supportive but playfully combative–is likewise effective. The plot eventually spins into thriller territory but shrewdly incorporates themes of parenting and self-confidence. Cypress’ prose throughout is colorful: a crowd getting into ‘a ginormous frenzy’ and Ellie walking ‘in a fog of convoluted memories and migraine medicine.’ Well-defined characters in a zigzagging medical tale rife with surprises.” —Kirkus
Ava: A Hart Twins Novel by Charyse Allan
Ava has everything planned, as usual. Finish senior year at the top of her class, perform her best dance routine at the dance concert, and have the greatest prom ever. But her best friend, Cade, has other ideas. He convinces Ava to abandon her rigid schedule and enjoy her last year of high school. After letting her hair down for one amazing night and exchanging a steamy kiss with Cade, she’s ready to explore this carefree side of herself, until someone plays a cruel joke on her.
Humiliated and hurt, Ava retreats into her carefully constructed box, hoping everything will go back to normal. But it doesn’t. What she thought was a prank has turned out to be so much more, and she doesn’t even know the half of it. Determined to handle the situation herself, Ava hides her true feelings from her friends and her new love interest but is quickly pushed past her breaking point.
The survival of a sickening betrayal, a broken heart, and a perilous attack mean very little when lost in a game you don’t even know you’re playing.
About the Author
Charyse Allan grew up in Arizona dancing and riding horses. She is an avid reader, but didn’t become one until high school. This is also when she realized her passion for writing, however it wasn’t until a couple years into her marriage that she tried her hand at writing a novel.
When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found in Northern Arizona, tending her garden with her husband and best friend, while their two kids and two crazy dogs run around the yard. Charyse is also a big fan of Holy yoga, juicing and being a vegetarian—she misses bacon like nobody’s business.
Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
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Wicked Origins is on sale and Wicked Gambit just released!
Wicked Origins
I have no idea what’s happening to me.
When a tornado dropped my car in a land of short, wild people, I was shocked. With no way to get home, no idea where I was and no clue how to communicate with the muchkins, I was completely out of luck. Then I found out that my car had landed on someone and killed them. Supposedly she was the Wicked Witch of the East.
If that wasn’t bad enough, now her ruby slippers magically appear on my feet, and slowly, I’m becoming her.
Now I need to get to Emerald City and see the Wizard if I want to stop the transformation and return home. But the yellow brick road is no cake-walk, and I don’t know what I’ll find at the end of this journey. Luckily, I have three brothers I meet along the way to help me on my journey. Each of them is vying for my affection, as if it doesn’t matter that my skin is turning green.
Wicked Origins is a modern YA Fantasy Retelling of L. Frank Baum’s original Oz tales.
Buy on Amazon (Available in Kindle Unlimited)
Wicked Gambit (Wicked Origins Book 2)
The Witch of the West is a necromancer.
And she doesn’t take kindly to strangers on her land, not when she’s been preparing to make war against the Wizard. And now Dorothy and the three shifter brothers are unknowingly caught in the middle of the dispute. They will face more dangers than they anticipate, but Dorothy discovers a new magic power she has with the shoes. Will this newfound power help her destroy the witch and gain the brothers their pardon? Or will the cost of using that new magic be too great?
Buy on Amazon (Available in Kindle Unlimited)
Enter to win a $25 Amazon GC. Must be 18+ Available wherever you can receive an Amazon GC.