Book Details: Book Title: The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel (Between Two Worlds, Book 6)by Evy Journey Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 340 pages Genre: Women’s Literary Fiction Publisher: Evy Journey Release date: April 2, 2023 Content Rating: PG:Some kissing, no bad language, no sex scenes
Book Description:
Clarissa, an Asian/Caucasian young woman has lived in seven different countries and has no lasting connection to any place. She thinks it’s time to settle somewhere she could eventually call home. But where?
She decides to live in the city of her birth. There, she joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts—a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press—hoping it would give her the sense of belonging she craves. But will it be enough?
For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.
The trail of the manuscripts leads to an American soldier who served in World War II. Clarissa is anxious to know what motivated him to steal and keep the artwork for fifty years. But instead of easy answers, she finds bigger questions.
Immersed in art, but naïve about life, she’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?
The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel is inspired by the actual theft of medieval manuscript illuminations during the second world war.
In this lawyer on the run action suspense, attorney Quinton Bell loses the trial of his career, and possibly his life.
Dead By Proxy takes you on a heart-pounding journey through the life of a criminal defense attorney, whose world is wiped out. When Quinton loses a career-defining case, he finds himself being hunted by the very client he tried to save.
As Quinton navigates the treacherous path of survival, he is running from a powerful and relentless adversary who will stop at nothing to see him silenced. Finally landing in Houston, he hides in plain sight while re-inventing his new life as a trial lawyer.
When he’s forced to take on a high-profile murder case, he exposes himself and those he loves to danger. With each passing moment, the noose tightens, and he must draw on every ounce of wit to outsmart those who still want him dead.
Will Quinton Bell find a way out, or will he forever be a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse?
Dead By Proxy is the first book in the edgy Proxy Legal Thriller Series. If you like memorable characters, smart gritty action, and jaw-dropping twists, then you’ll love Manning Wolfe’s fast-paced page-turner.
Praise for Dead By Proxy:
“A riveting read that expertly teams courtroom drama and legal maneuvering with imminent danger, spine-tingling suspense, a touch of romance, and non-stop action. Talk about an adrenaline rush!” ~ Reedsy
“Manning Wolfe just put herself on my list of must-read authors!” ~ John Ellsworth
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller Published by: Starpath Books, LLC Publication Date: September 2023 Number of Pages: 275 Series: The Proxy Legal Thriller Series, Book 1 Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Byron was not jaded or trapped into being an attorney as many he knew were and he was not in it for the money, although that part was nice. And, he was not naive, as he was aware of severe injustices in the criminal justice system and felt improvement was needed. Byron continued to be on the playing field because he was one of the last true believers. The system was the best available right now and he actually trusted the outcome, most of the time.
Having deceased parents, one semi-estranged sibling in California, and no current plans to marry, Byron embraced the law as his mistress and his life. He simply loved it all. As most careers went, loving it meant he was devoted to it and good at it. He never glossed over a precedent or twisted a legal argument beyond its parameters. He was thrilled every time he set foot in a courtroom to do battle for his client, guilty or innocent.
Across the aisle, the prosecutor, Sebastian Roberts, relished this chance to incarcerate another criminal. Roberts moved his short spark-plug-of-a-body, decorated with a vest and bright paisley bow tie, around the courtroom as he laid out the federal government’s view of the case. He looked at Byron and his client, then back to the twelve chosen members of the jury.
Byron organized his thoughts, felt excitement tingle through his fingers and toes, and stood up at the defense table. In defending Killian Tyrone, Byron’s opening argument went something like this: “Your Honor and members of the jury. Today, I’d like to introduce you to my client, Killian Tyrone, the accused in this case. Now, I know what the prosecutor said about what he did, and that is probably swirling around in your brain right now, but I’d like for you to take a step back and listen to both sides of the story before you make a decision about my client’s behavior, guilt, or innocence. You also heard his inference about defense attorneys, that would be me.” He smiled and the jury laughed. “I’ll leave it to you to decide, but I have no intention of tricking you or trying to hide the ball.”
Byron pointed at his co-counsel, Michael, a shorter, younger version of himself, but with brown eyes. “My colleague, Michael Everett, and I will present Mr. Tyrone’s side of the case and, when we’re finished, I’m certain that you will find him not guilty.”
Byron smiled at the jury and took pride in the fact that when he won, he won fair and square, and he instilled these principles in his protégé, Michael. Byron encouraged Michael not to be blinded by the legal system, nor be immune to the tricks of the trade. Byron used the tools expertly, but he wanted to win with an equal playing field, or not at all, and the law allowed for plenty of ways to win. To Byron, what was the point if cheating was involved? That only proved he was the best cheater, not the best lawyer.
***
Excerpt from Dead By Proxy by Manning Wolfe. Copyright 2023 by Manning Wolfe. Reproduced with permission from Manning Wolfe. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
MANNING WOLFE, an award-winning author and attorney, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. Manning was recently featured on Oxygen TV’s: Accident, Suicide, or Murder, and has spoken at major book festivals around the world.
* Manning’s legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, and Chinese Wall.
* Manning’s new Proxy Legal Thrillers Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell, including Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy.
* Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Books Speed Reads.
As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.
Journey to an unnamed mountainous country in central Europe at the end of the Great War. Enter Citizen Orlov, a simple fishmonger and an honest, upright citizen, who answers a phone call meant for a secret agent and stumbles into a hidden world of espionage and secrecy. Recruited by the Ministry of Security, he is sent on assignment to safeguard the king.
But Orlov soon discovers that his ministry handler, the alluring femme fatale Agent Zelle, is planning not to protect the king but to assassinate him. Caught in a web of plot and counterplot, confusing loyalties, and explosive betrayals, Orlov finds himself on trial for murder. Given the opportunity to clear his name, he finds that the lives of his friends, mother, and fellow citizens hang in the balance.
Praise for CITIZEN ORLOV:
“A triumph—and an answer to that age-old question of what would have happened had Gogol, Kafka and G. K. Chesterton collaborated on a thriller. A timeless work which will, I fear, be forever timely.” ~ Dixe Wills, author of Places to Hide and New World Order
“Jonathan Payne’s Citizen Orlov is a stunning debut! A page turning, down-the-rabbit-hole delight, told with equal measure of wit and suspense. A timeless classic for our current moment; a paranoid and comic thriller with a surprise on every page. I loved it!” ~ Don Scardino, Producer/Director, 30 Rock, New Amsterdam
“Highly engaging, and written with an engaging lightness of touch, Citizen Orlov marks the debut of a comic novelist to watch for the future.” ~ Dr. Adam Lively, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing & Programme Leader, MA Novel Writing, Middlesex University
“The blend of action and picaresque buffoonery flatteringly calls Conan Doyle’s Brigadier Gerard tales to mind, and Payne pulls off a genuinely surprising conclusion. This auspicious debut announces a bright new voice in comic suspense.” ~ Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
[An] odyssey that seems part Kafka, part ‘Alice in Wonderland. ~ Wall Street Journal
Book Details:
Genre: Espionage Thriller Published by: CamCat Books Publication Date: May 2023 Number of Pages: 288 ISBN: 9780744309010 (ISBN10: 0744309018) Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books
Read an excerpt:
On a frigid winter’s morning in a mountainous region of central Europe, Citizen Orlov, a simple fishmonger, is taking a shortcut along the dank alley behind the Ministries of Security and Intelligence when a telephone begins to ring. He thinks nothing of it and continues on his daily constitutional, his heavy boots crunching the snow between the cobbles.
The ringing continues, becoming louder with each step. A window at the back of the ministry buildings is open, just a little. The ringing telephone sits on a table next to the open window. Orlov stops, troubled by this unusual scene: there is no reason for a window to be open on such a cold day. Since this is the Ministry of either Security or Intelligence, could an open window be a security breach of some kind?
Orlov is tempted to walk away. After all, this telephone call is none of his business. On the other hand, he is an upright and patriotic citizen who would not want to see national security compromised simply because no one was available to answer a telephone call. He is on the verge of stepping toward the open window when he hears footsteps ahead. A tight group of four soldiers is marching into the alley, rifles on shoulders. He freezes for a second, leans against
the wall, and quickly lights a cigarette. By the time the soldiers reach him, Orlov is dragging on the cigarette and working hard to appear nonchalant. The soldiers are palace guardsmen, but the red insignia on their uniforms indicates they are part of the elite unit that protects the Crown Prince, the king’s ambitious older son. Orlov nods politely, but the soldiers ignore him and march on at speed.
The telephone is still ringing. Someone very much wants an answer. Orlov stubs his cigarette on the wall and approaches the open window. The telephone is loud in his right ear. Peering through the gap, he sees a small, gloomy storeroom with neatly appointed shelves full of stationery.
Finally, he can stand it no longer. He reaches through the window, picks up the receiver, and pulls it on its long and winding cable out through the window to his ear.
“Hello?” says Orlov, looking up and down the alley to check he
is still alone.
“Thank God. Where have you been?” says an agitated voice, distant and crackly. Orlov is unsure what to say. The voice continues. “Kosek. Right now.”
“I’m sorry?” says Orlov.
“Kosek. Agent Kosek.”
Orlov peers into the storeroom again. “There’s no one here,” he says.
“Well, fetch him then. And hurry, for God’s sake. It’s important.”
Orlov is sorely tempted to end the call and walk away, but the voice is so angry that he dare not.
“One minute,” he says, and lays the receiver on the table. He opens the window wider and, with some considerable effort, pulls himself headfirst into the storeroom, where he tumbles onto the floor. Picking himself up, he slaps the dust from his overcoat, opens the storeroom door, and peers along the hallway; all is dark and quiet.
With some trepidation, Orlov returns to the telephone. “Hello?” he says.
“Kosek?”
“No, sorry. I’ll have to take a message.”
The caller is still agitated. “Well, focus on what I’m about to say. It’s life and death.”
Orlov’s hands are shaking. “Hold on,” he says, “I’ll fetch some paper.”
Before he can put the receiver down, the caller explodes with anger. “Are you a simpleton? Do not write this down. Remember it.”
“Here it is. We could not—repeat not—install it in room six. Don’t ask why, it’s a long story.”
The man is about to continue, but Orlov interrupts him. “Should I include that in the message: ‘it’s a long story’?”
“Mother of God,” shouts the man. “Why do they always give me the village idiot? No. Forget that part. I’ll start again.”
“Ready,” says Orlov.
This time the man speaks slower and more deliberately, as if to a child. “We could not—repeat not—install it in room six. You need to get room seven. It’s hidden above the wardrobe. Push the lever up, not down. Repeat that back to me.”
Orlov is now shaking all over, and he grimaces as he forces himself to focus. He repeats the message slowly but correctly.
“Whatever else you do, get that message to Kosek, in person. No one else. Lives depend on it. Understood?”
“Understood,” says Orlov, and the line goes dead.
***
Excerpt from Citizen Orlov by Jonathan Payne. Copyright 2023 by Jonathan Payne. Reproduced with permission from CamCat Books. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Jonathan Payne is a British-American writer based outside Washington, D.C. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Novel Writing from Middlesex University, London. His short fiction has been featured at the North London Story Festival and in magazines including Turnpike, Twist in Time and Fiction Kitchen Berlin. Before moving to the United States, he worked for the British government on matters of national security. When not writing or reading, he can be found in the boxing gym.
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This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Jonathan Payne & CamCat Books. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
Grace And The Golden Rule is a book that teaches children how to treat other people.
Title: Grace and the Golden Rule Author: Negrita Smart Publisher: C Black Expressions LLC Publication Date: February 4, 2023 Pages: 34 Genre: Children’s Book (Ages 3 – 11)
Grace
loves the Winter season. It is her favorite of all seasons because she
loves to play in the snow with her friends. Winter is also Grace’s
favorite season because she can wear her favorite purple scarf. Grace
wears it every day until she meets Ruth. After meeting Ruth as school,
Grace feels differently about playing in the snow and wearing her
favorite purple scarf. This is because Grace learns a valuable lesson
about how to treat other people.
Negrita Smart is a small-town girl from Dadeville, Alabama. She is a wife, sister, believer, and teacher at heart.
The
first of her family to graduate from college, Negrita holds a Masters
in Business Administration and the insurance designation of Chartered
Property & Casualty Underwriters and holds insurance licenses in
Property and Casualty and Life and Health. She credits and shares her
accomplishments with her supportive family.
Negrita
loves spending time with her family and has happily taken on the
official role of Event Planner bringing family members together through
fun and love.
In
her professional life, Negrita utilizes her talent for sharing
knowledge and information as a new-hire trainer creating user-friendly
webinars, courses, tests, and gauge learning within business areas such
as auto, property, and agriculture.
As
an author, Negrita is a member of the Society of Children’s Book
Writers and Illustrators always looking to connect, share and grow with
fellow writers.
An
active supporter of her local church ministry, Negrita is driven to
share life lessons with children through story-telling and relatable
characters.
In the English language, there are a few, very special words that can function as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. One word goes further, creating new words from old.
That word is JACK.
The brandy distilled from hard cider was the first applejack, the word now synonymous with a children’s cereal. There is the nefarious one-eyed jack of playing card fame. Animals from the jackdaw to the jackrabbit to the elusive jackalope roam all the ranges. There are the ever growing number of people named Jack, birth named or nicknamed, heroes to villains. The way the word “jack” is used in the English language is truly unique, inventive, and too numerous for us to count.
For your puzzle solving pleasure, Mysteries to Die For presents: Things That Go Jack in the Night.
Pepper jack cheese. Lumberjack. Wolfman Jack. Jack be Nimble. One-eyed Jack. Jackass. Jacking Off. Jackalope. Jack-in-the-box. Jackknife. Jackpot. Audio jack.
Twelve stories arranged for you to deduce the truth. Twelve “jacks” that should definitely not be taken at face value. It’s a race between you and the detective to find the killer amid the jack in the night.
TG Wolff and Jack Wolff co-host the podcast Mysteries to Die For. This storytelling podcast combines with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. Each season, authors craft whodunnit mysteries around a theme.
Season 6: Things that Go Jack in the Night features: KM Rockwood, Chuck Brownman, Nikki Knight, Ed Teja, Erica Obey, Kyra Jacobs, Ken Harris, Susan Wingate, TG Wolff, and Jack Wolff.
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Book Title: A Beautiful Story: Jesus & St. Nick by Sarah French Category: Children’s Non-Fiction (ages 3 to 8), 32 pages Genre: Children’s Book Publisher: Sarah French Release date: Sep 2023 Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.
Book Description:
The Christmas season is here, and you once again have to juggle the story of Jesus with good Ole St. Nick…
…but what if you didn’t have to?
This beautifully illustrated bedtime story teaches children the story behind St. Nick and how he was a follower of Jesus too! Children will learn about the birth of Jesus, the importance of giving, and the reason for many of our holiday traditions.
A Beautiful Story: Jesus & St. Nick will quickly become a family favorite. Parents love the values it teaches, and kids love the way it brings the real Christmas story to life! Make this book a Christmas tradition in your household so your kids will grow up understanding why we celebrate Christmas with certain traditions today. And don’t worry! We don’t give away any holiday secrets!
Sarah French is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist. She is a broadcast news anchor for the NBC affiliate, WCNC Charlotte.
Sarah joined WCNC from WHDH in Boston, MA. She was the morning anchor there and joined the team in 2011. She was also the host of What’s Cooking, How to Help, and Backstage in Boston. Prior to WHDH, Sarah was the morning anchor at WTIC in Hartford, CT. Sarah began her career as a reporter for KOMU in Columbia, MO.
Sarah brings rich experience covering major world events. She was on the ground covering the Boston Marathon bombing, the destructive aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She holds three prestigious Emmy Awards. She also received the “Speak for Thyself Award” honoring community advocates and non-profit leaders, as well as Boston’s Most Exceptional Women Honoree.
Sarah is an inspirational champion for several notable causes, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She is also an advocate for domestic violence victims. After the tragic death of her friend and colleague, Alice Morrin, Sarah worked tirelessly with Connecticut legislators to pass a 911 texting bill after Alice’s death.
Sarah is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 2021, she went back to school and earned her Master of Journalism degree. After covering the Boston Marathon bombing, Sarah decided her research would focus on how to help journalists who cover traumatic events.
Sarah is a member of Cherokee nation. She grew up in Arkansas and lives in Charlotte with her husband and two kids. They also have two dogs, Buddy and Teddy! Sarah is a huge fan of the theater and enjoys spending her free time with family. Sarah also volunteers in the children’s ministry of her church.
Book Title: Return to the Garden: Discovering God’s Original Design for Women by Rebecca Mann Kelly Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 224 pages Genre: Christian Living, Spiritual Growth, Christian Women Living Publisher: Throne Publishing Group Release date: February 2023 Content Rating: This Christian book is rated G.
“Get ready for a fascinating story to grip your heart! Rebecca Mann Kelly has written a powerful book about how God will deliver you from abuse, shame, rejection, and self-condemnation. Read it and be set free!”— Dr. Brian Simmons, Passion & Fire Ministries, lead translator of The Passion Translation
“These life-giving Words will greatly empower and awaken women from all races and status to find their design and true identity in God.”— Paul Yadao, Senior Pastor, Destiny Ministries International, Philippines
“There is no greater time in history for Rebecca Mann Kelly to tell her story, confront archaic lies, and release God’s incredible revelation than right now.”— Annie Byrne, Lead Pastor, Kingdom Culture Church
“Turning your unhealed pain into your greatest strength is the story of the author. My prayer is that this book will bring wholeness to all of his daughters as they experience the truth of God’s character and the beauty of His love.” — Dr. Leif Hetland, President and Founder of Global Mission Awareness, Author ofCalled to Reign and Healing the Orphan Spirit
Book Description:
God formed women in His own image, giving them joint dominion over the earth. Only when sin and the curse entered did they fall into the disastrous path of inequality that has repeated itself in every generation since the garden. Through the telling of her own story, Rebecca Mann Kelly untangles the deceptions that have kept women in places of bondage and captivity, offering a powerful invitation for every woman to Return to the Garden through the power of Jesus.
The reader will discover:
God’s original Biblical design for women, to have joint dominion and authority over the earth
How to identify places the curse has manifested in personal life, in society, and in the church
Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth – to free the captives, and to free women living in captivity to the curse
How to “open the sails” of the heart, give God hidden heart pain, and learn to feel again
How to identify patterns of people-pleasing, emotional abuse, and narcissism, and how to get free and remove the yoke
How to remove the hooks of the manipulation and control of others
An understanding of how the enemy uses strategies of pride and religion to keep men and women from operating in their original design
The role of the Holy Spirit in living a victorious life aligned to God’s plan
How to avoid the trap of the victim and the trap of self-justification, and the role of forgiveness in finding freedom
The overcoming power of the cross to Return to the Garden
Rebecca is a follower of Jesus, a business executive, a mom of two energetic boys and was recently married to a wonderful man from Boise. In her 20-year business career, she has led business lines that generated few hundred million dollars of annual revenue, was recognized in Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and has traveled all over the world leading strategic projects. Her kingdom pursuits include a love for God’s presence (wherever it can be found) and serving on the worship team and prayer team at her home church Oceans Church in Orange County, California. Her loves include walks in the hills, any opportunity for karaoke, and when someone else cooks.
Feisty and passionate. He’ll enjoy making her fall in love with him…or die trying.
In the shadowy depths of London, Lady Euphemia Brandt, a renowned concert pianist, is mistaken by an English nobleman for his intended rendezvous. She defends herself, losing her reticule in the process. Reluctantly, she takes coins from her attacker and secures a carriage home. Their eyes lock, and they share a searing kiss, altering their lives forever.
At an affair honoring the Prime Minister, Euphemia discovers that the rogue who accosted her is a much sought-after, wealthy member of society. Struggling to resist his attraction, she battles memories of their kiss.
Cayden Whitford, the Duke of Thornton, seeking a woman with vital information, mistakes Euphemia for his contact and is surprised by her swift blow and the ensuing kiss. Intrigued, he vows to find her. At a dinner party, Thornton leans she is the daughter of a trusted advisor and masquerades as a suitor to discover her allegiance.
As Thornton unravels Euphemia’s wit, logic, and passion, his initial mission falters. He’s fallen in love with her.
About the Author
RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author of historical swashbuckling action-adventures and contemporary romance with enough action to keep you turning pages. Her stories feature strong women and the men who deserve them, endearing flaws and all. She lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at an international bank where she was a product/marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now-writing romance. She hopes her stories become your favorite adventures.
I must confess, it was the tropical cover that made me pause and check out the book. Then, the blurb mentions that it is based ‘somewhat on bizarrely true events’, I had to read it.
I have not read any of the previous books in the series and I don’t feel like it impacted my enjoyment of Tropical Scandal, though I always recommend beginning at the beginning, if you can. It helps to keep from stumbling over references to earlier books.
The descriptive writing made it easy to visualize the intriguing characters. The storyline is in depth, convoluted, twisting and turning, keeping me reading, because there was no way this was going to be an easy mystery for me to solve. I don’t read a lot of legal thrillers, but David Myles Robinson led me through the investigation and court proceedings, step by step.
Greed runs rampant. Flawed characters abound. Some I cared for, others I think get their just desserts. All in all, I enjoyed my time in Hawaii and would love to visit again.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tropical Scandal by David Myles Robinson.
3 Stars
BOOK BLURB
When Pancho McMartin, Honolulu’s top criminal defense attorney, takes on the case of Dayton Kalama, a young drug dealer accused of murdering his grandmother (tutu), Pancho is faced with a daunting amount of evidence pointing squarely at Dayton. But as Pancho, together with his private investigator, Drew Tulafono, gradually pull back the layers of deceit, they begin to uncover hints at what is beginning to look like the biggest scandal ever to hit Hawaii’s legal community. This book is pure fiction, but is inspired by true, scandalous events which shook Honolulu’s legal community to its core.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/482xd4X
Book Excerpt
I was surprised when my current lover, Padma Dasari, asked me to meet with Isaac Goldblum, a legendary Hawaii trial attorney who, now in his eighties, was an alcoholic still representing clients. I had made known my intolerance for those attorneys who fell prey to addiction
yet refused help—all while still accepting clients. They were walking malpractice cases who risked everything they’d worked for in their own lives—not to mention the lives of their
clients—by living and working as functional drunks or addicts.
Being a trial attorney was stressful. Being a criminal defense trial attorney was particularly stressful. Aside from the relatively rare innocent defendant, our customer base was composed of criminals who, generally speaking, were not the warmest and fuzziest people to deal with day in and day out.
Whether they were guilty or innocent, their lives were in our hands—a situation only the most jaded and burned-out counsel didn’t find stressful.
My surprise didn’t arise from the fact that Padma knew Goldblum. She was the former medical examiner for the city and county of Honolulu, and just as I had cross-examined her many times in her capacity as coroner, so had Goldblum. My surprise arose from the fact that Padma knew Goldblum had been one of my early heroes. He was most famous for having won an acquittal for two Hawaiian teenagers who had been charged with the murder of a prominent haole (Caucasian) businessman. The public outcry against the Hawaiian kids had been reminiscent of the uproar in the Deep South when young black men were charged with the rape of white women. It was scary. Goldblum was vilified for taking the case.
As he later said in an interview for the Honolulu Advertiser, he knew that anything short of proving who the real killer was would fall on deaf ears. His cross-examination of the
businessman’s administrative assistant, who’d been having an affair with the dead man’s wife and who ultimately confessed to the murder, was nothing short of brilliant.
I had shared my early hero worship of Goldblum with Padma, but I had also made it clear that I now harbored a healthy dose of contempt for the man, who seemed intent on destroying his own legacy. At the time, Padma had not tried to defend Goldblum.
We were enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon at Padma’s Kahala Beach condo when she broached the subject of my meeting with Goldblum. “He lives here, in the next building,”
she said. “He’s invited us to stop by for a cocktail at about four.”
I stared out from her oceanfront lanai at the tranquil ocean.
The palm fronds on the coconut trees fronting the beach barely twitched. One lone puff of a cumulous cloud hovered in the bright blue sky.
“Why?” I asked. “Why would I want to go have a drink with a drunk who should have put himself on inactive status years ago?”
Padma stared back at me with her piercing dark eyes. I half expected her to admonish me for being too judgmental—a trait I seemed to have developed in recent years. “Isaac asked to
meet with you. We know each other from court, and he knows I live in this building, and he knows we’re in a relationship. I think he came to me rather than you because he knows—or at
least suspects—that you aren’t much of an admirer of his.”
Padma had been born in India and had done volunteer work as a doctor in Bangladesh, but she had lived and worked in the United States for most of her adult life. Nonetheless, she
still retained the remnants of an accent, which was melodic and soothing. No doubt she was a calming influence on many people grieving the loss of a loved one. She had been instrumental in
helping my mother in New Mexico get through the early stages of the loss of my father. Just the tone of her voice seemed to take the wind out of my judgmental sails.
“Okay, but do you know why he wants to meet?”
She gave a small shake of her head. “Something about a case. That’s all I know.” She paused for a beat. “Look, I know he’s a drunk and you hate the fact that he’s still going to court, but you have to admit: drunk or sober, the man knows the law and probably still has pretty good instincts. I doubt he would ask to meet with you if he didn’t think it was important.”
I resisted the temptation to make a snide remark and instead looked at my watch. It was three-thirty in the afternoon. “Why’d you wait until now to tell me about this?”
Padma’s beautiful brown face broke into a mischievous grin. “So you wouldn’t have time to obsess about it.”
I laughed. “Jesus, Padma. We’re not even married and you play me like a fiddle.”
“I love the fiddle,” was her only retort.
About the Author
David Myles Robinson has always had a passion for writing. During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, while in college, Robinson worked as a free-lance writer for several magazines and was a staff writer for a weekly minority newspaper in Pasadena, California. Upon graduating from San Francisco State University, he attended the University of San Francisco School of Law. It was there that he met his wife, Marcia Waldorf. In 1975 the two moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and began practicing law. Robinson became a trial lawyer and Waldorf eventually became a Circuit Court judge.
Upon retiring in 2010, Robinson completed his first novel, Unplayable Lie. He has since published eight more novels.
Book Title: Lifeline to a Soul / The Life-Changing Perspective I Gained While Teaching Entrepreneurship to Prisoners by John K. McLaughlin Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 234 pages Genre: Memoir Publisher: Lifeline Education Connection Release date: April 2023 Content Rating: PG: A handful of expletives.
Book Description:
2023 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Spring Competition. Winner in the Non-Fiction – Autobiography genre
Lifeline to a Soul takes the reader inside the fence and chronicles the victories and challenges one man faced as a first-time teacher in the strange world of prison life.
John McLaughlin spent half his life bootstrapping his start-up business to an industry leader. His desire to teach what he spent his career learning led him on a remarkable journey through the gates of a minimum-security prison where he taught entrepreneurship for almost three years. John has an MBA, a teaching certificate, and a marketing management certificate from Harvard Extension University. John enjoys riding a tandem bicycle with his wonderful wife, Reba on the greenways of Charlotte, North Carolina where they live with two extremely spoiled cats, Moe and Joe. You can learn more about John’s current teaching program at: https://www.lifelinetoasoul.com/
