Alibi
Stephen M. Murphy
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2005 Berkley Publishers
ISBN: 0515139467

A troubled young man with no Alibi is accused of murder. As a favor to a friend, Dutch Francis take the case of a troubled young man accused of killing the local high school football star.

The more this Manchester, New Hampshire lawyer investigates his client's case, the more he is convinced of his innocence -- & the more he gets played.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Alibi is lawyer Stephen M. Murphy's first novel. But this lawyer-writer is no stranger to the connoisseurs of legal fiction & has already won accolades from many of his author brethren including John Grisham, Scott Turow, Steve Martini, John Mortimer & Lisa Scottoline among others. The reason: his passion for reading legal thrillers & in conducting articulate interviews with famed lawyer novelists -- which were later collected & published in a wonderful compilation Their Word Is Law.

When I interviewed Stephen Murphy he revealed he was working on a legal thriller & hoping it would be published. About his passion for legal thrillers I had no doubt, but how well he could convey that passion into writing a legal thriller -- & a good one at that, I had some doubts. Alibi has proven my doubts misplaced -- it is one solid legal thriller & a grand read!

The novel centers around the murder of a local football star, Brian McHugh, the pride of the Manchester Community & a man destined for greatness. The accused is one Raymond Walker, & the evidence against him is nothing but foolproof. Even Walker admits to having threatened McHugh -- but he solidly maintains his innocence. In a community filled with rage, wanting the blood of the killer who struck down their favorite son, Raymond Walker has only one person to turn to -- his friend & benefactor Larry Conway.

Conway realizes that the odds are stacked against Walker, & the trial might just be a perfunctory before the man is sentenced to death. There is only be one person who might be able to help -- topnotch Defense Attorney Dutch Francis.

Conway & Dutch have been friends for most of their lives. After Dutch agrees to defend Raymond Walker he finds that things are not what they seem -- even Conway might be involved in the murder.

What follows is courtroom drama at is best -- & I must say that Stephen Murphy has correctly delineated the courtroom procedure, there is nothing out of the textbook, or courtroom antics & histrionics; just pure, incisive courtroom action, as can be expected in real-life -- culminating in a stunning finish.

That Murphy was inspired by many a legal thriller author, there is no doubt -- there is a touch of Turow & Richard North Patterson in the narration, & fans of those authors will definitely find Alibi a really good read. I look forward to more Dutch Francis cases in the near future.
(09/11/05)

Narayan
2005©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org