Milton Hirsch

The Shadow of Justice Milton Hirsch

Judge Clark N. Addison spends his days swimming contentedly, perhaps complacently, at the bottom of the judicial food chain. Above his chair, in the courtroom he commands with sardonic detachment, it says "We who labor here seek only truth." The truth is, though, that these days Addison is little more than a spectator, watching while others - like his friends, trial lawyer "Blackjack" Sheridan and homicide cop Ed Barber - do the real truth-seeking, teasing out what passes for justice in a South Florida landscape where crime and corruption lie over the town like the humid tropical air. But when Addison's quiet, book-bound world of legal abstraction is shattered by a violent loss, and he finds himself deep inside a mystery he didn't even notice entering, figuring out the truth will be hard enough - and figuring out what truths really matter may be impossible. The Shadow of Justice introduces Judge Addison (also the hero of Hirsch's sequel, Laredo Slider) amidst a roiling cast of Miami courthouse players who would be utterly improbable if they weren't all so authentic. And Hirsch should know: He's a former prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer and now a judge in the same building, with a courtroom on the same floor, where Addison sits. With characters drawn in deep detail wrangling over the highest stakes possible, The Shadow of Justice is a courtroom drama, a compelling mystery and book that demands its readers seek truths of their own. The Shadow of Justice was awarded first place in the mystery/suspense category by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association, and earned its author the Benjamin Franklin award as best new voice in American fiction.