On the day before his twenty-first wedding anniversary, David Sullinger buried an ax in his wife’s skull. Now, eight jurors must retire to the deliberation room and decide whether David committed premeditated murder-or whether he was a battered spouse who killed his wife in self-defense.Told from the perspective of over a dozen participants in a murder trial, We, the Jury examines how public … examines how public perception can mask the ghastliest nightmares. As the jurors stagger toward a verdict, they must sift through contradictory testimony from the Sullingers’ children, who disagree on which parent was Satan; sort out conflicting allegations of severe physical abuse, adultery, and incest; and overcome personal animosities and biases that threaten a fair and just verdict. Ultimately, the central figures in We, the Jury must navigate the blurred boundaries between bias and objectivity, fiction and truth.
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We, the Jury has what most legal thrillers lack — total authenticity, which is spellbinding.
Who says the legal thriller is gone? Obviously someone who has not read this little gem. Cleverly told, with a different kind of ticking clock, the drama is tough as nails, the chemistry enticing. It’s both believable and evocative. You must read it.
The best legal thriller this year. Rotstein’s insight into the insidious nature of jurors and jury trials blew me away. A masterpiece of voice, character and points of view. Get it. Buy it. And become part of We The Jury.
As someone who works in the court system, I found it an interesting exercise. Well written, well-drawn characters. The “Rashomon” format gets a little tedious with so many points of view, but the story was interesting and kept my attention.
Maybe because of the relationship between crime, mystery, and legal thrillers, I am attracted to titles like We, The Jury by Robert Rotstein. Years ago, I was spoiled as far as legal thrillers by John Grisham. His appeal has not faded with his recent works such as the The Whistler. Rotstein does not compare to Grisham; he is different in many ways and that is what makes this novel an exceptional one. It is pleasing in its organization. It is clever in the observations offered on the travails of everyday life, some, but not all, in a legal sphere. It is entertaining in its examination of spousal abuse in which the husband is the abused … or maybe not. That is why we are in the courtroom. Abused or not, should there be incidents in which murder is justified? Self-defense? Perhaps. That is why readers are invited to examine the court proceedings presented here.
Readers should look at the Table of Contents (TOC) to get an idea of the very cool organization of this novel. I won’t even attempt to count the number of different points of view. Just to name a few: there is the Judge, a Court Shorthand Recorder (CSR), a Bailiff, eight Jurors, a Tabloid Reporter/Blogger, a Defendant with an ambitious Defense Attorney, a Plaintiff (the State) represented by a second-tier Prosecutor, and any number of witnesses the author decides to describe in detail. This type of organization appeals to my German sense of order, admittedly a stereotype but I like to live up to it.
The novel begins with a summation by the Courtroom Clerk in a memorandum to the Judge. The summation has thirteen bullet points for the Judge to consider. Bullet point thirteen is the hook that should draw any reader in. The Clerk apologized for the point to the Judge. The next chapter begins with the Judge and her background and a recent tragedy in her personal life which caused an important mistake she will make. In Chapter One, aside from the mistake, the Judge, in preparing instructions for the jury recalls advice from her trial lawyer husband about giving jury instructions. “When you instruct a jury, don’t read to them; speak to them. It’s human interaction, not dry, legalistic recitation, that fosters justice.” (Kindle location 40). After reading a few more chapters, this quote came back to me paraphrased for a different audience: {Don’t tell them, show them, it’s writer-reader interaction that creates good stories}. And that is what Rotstein has done very well.
There are many principal characters in this novel and all tell their stories in the first person. Because this is a page-turner in many places, readers may have to go back to the chapter titles to be sure of whose point of view is being expressed. This was true for me … several times. In addition to the judge and principal court officers, there are eight jurors. Most of the story will center on the jurors and their widely different backgrounds. There is a clergyman who may have been in disgrace, an architect who feels unappreciated and undervalued, a student who has returned to school late in life, a retired 78-year-old teacher and grandmother, an insurance secretary (file clerk) who glories in her role as jury foreperson, a failed actor who is currently a messenger but will do anything until the next acting opportunity, a garrulous housewife who will not shut up and a jury consultant. I have no idea why that last one could serve as a juror. Much of the action takes place in the jury room as personalities clash and prejudices that are due to different age and education backgrounds contribute to discord rather than agreement in attempting to reach a verdict.
External to the jury are the court officers. To put it mildly, the judge seems to be having a memory problem. The Bailiff is a sheriff’s deputy who has been exiled to courtroom duty because no one wants to work with him in regular police work
The Court Clerk is protective of the judge and her reputation but doesn’t know how much longer he can do it. The judge’s married boss, a senior judge, wants to go out with her. And there are other conflicts which include a blogger.
I am in awe of Rotstein’s ability to so skillfully juggle all these characters. And then there is the story. David Sullinger killed his wife Amanda Sullinger. No doubt. But David said it was self- defense; David claimed he was a long-term sufferer of spousal abuse and things had finally escalated to the point where he had no choice but to kill during one of their violent arguments. One problem with this is that Lacey, their daughter will testify that Dad was never violent, it was Mommy Amanda who was at fault. Son Dillon tells a completely opposite story; Dad was the abuser. When Amanda and David were first married; she was twenty-eight, he was nineteen. She had been his high school history teacher. She remained the principal source of income for the family. David couldn’t find his career or employment niche.
I highly recommend this legal thriller of 304 pages and gave it five Amazon stars. It sells on Amazon for USD 0.99. I read it in one session in about three hours. Some sections of the novel are in the form of court documents and these sections read very fast; I am not a speed reader. This is almost like reading a collection of short stories where each character would have one story. Rotstein weaves unifying threads very skillfully to make this a tightly organized thriller.
And the entire story is told without sex and violence (except for the murder). Who would’a thought.
We, the Jury is an exceptional legal thriller that is told from multiple viewpoints during jury deliberations in a major murder case. I found myself changing my opinion on the defendant’s guilt or innocence until the surprise ending.
very good book – I could not put it down!
The anonymous “names” of the Jurors (“Juror No. 11 The Student”) and their assorted perspectives added a layer of originality and intrigue to this twisty, thought-provoking tale of a murder trial. Very well done.
Interesting novel of perceptions trumping truth in a jury trial. The case is told from the perspectives of each juror, the judge, the prosecutor, the bailiff, the court clerk, et. al. Much like many a Grisham novel I’ve read, it doesn’t particularly give you confidence in the legal system, but it is what it is, and people are people. I just hope I’m never an accused nor a victim!
This was a very enjoyable book to read. It kept me engaged up until the very end.
Very informative! I learned a lot!
Very interesting in the study of the individual jurers. unexpected twists. It took me awhile to see where the story was going.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt as if I were in the courtroom as the transcripts were read and the Judge, her Clerk, prosecutor and Defence Attorney were introduced and strutted their stuff. Couldn’t put it down and won’t spoil the ending. Very realist trial! Made me realise that the Justice System is run by human beings who do the best they can.
This book was extraordinary good. I could not put the book down. Totally enjoyed reading this perspective of a jury trial through the life of each individual participate. GREAT BOOK- one of the best books I have ever read.
The small jury(7) perspective unfolds through each of their individual eyes. Good believable personalities. A fun easy read.
I enjoyed the mutli-viewpoints in this book and the great storyline. It kept me guessing and hoping that the book wouldn’t end any time soon!
Loved the characters and courtroom drama.
Wasn’t the best book but I enjoyed the characters. Scary how our justice system works during a murder trial.
Really good book
I posted a review on Amazon and Goodreads.