The Guilty

by Gabriel Boutros

Robert Bratt is a lawyer who has always done whatever it took to win his cases. After twenty years of defending the most hardened criminals, many of whom he knew to be guilty, the only thing he can no longer do is look at himself in the mirror. Loosely based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal in the 1990s, this riveting story pulls the reader into the inner workings of a murder trial, and reveals what one lawyer must do when he has to defend "The Guilty."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller

318 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

I spent 24 years working as a defence attorney in Montreal, but I've also been an avid reader and writer for most of my life. To date I've written two full-length novels and several shorter stories.
My first book was "The Guilty" which, I'm proud to say, received very positive reviews, both on GoodReads as well as Amazon.com. The story is loosely based on a multiple-murder that occurred in Montreal in the 1990s, and it takes the reader behind the scenes at a murder trial to reveal what one lawyer must do when he has to defend "The Guilty."
My latest novel is Face/Mask, a dystopian drama about our decaying world in the near future and how the poison in the air is mirrored in the poison in one man's soul. It's a bit dark and grim, but that's just a reflection of the possible future that's in front of us.
You can sample some of my writing here, and all of my short stories are posted on my website.

Reviews

[Jason Reeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a good courtroom drama in many, many years.  I'd read Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent  back in the early Nineties, and gave up before I made it half-way through his next novel.  When John Grisham came along, I made it through three or four of his hollywood-esque legal thrillers, losing interest with each consecutive book.  It is not that they were bad.  They were exciting books that had little to do with the practice of  law.  I never really tried another legal thriller until I saw Gabriel Boutros' first novel The Guilty.  Its promise of a defense attorney who can't look at himself in the mirror as he struggles to defend the guilty caught my attention.  When I saw that Gabriel Boutros had spent twenty-four years as a lawyer in criminal law, I decided I would take a step back into the courtroom and see if it would be worth finding a seat in the juror's box.

  Right away, I liked the opening scene.  The novel is set in Montreal, Quebec, a city that is constantly dealing with its French/English duality.  This added a nice flavor to the novel, though Boutros does a great job of not exploiting it for his plot.  Instead, it is a background layer that provides just the right amount of character.  We hear characters use French phrases now and then, but that's all.  It adds just enough to give the novel a peculiar feel.  As does the winter backdrop.  Snow covers everything, characters must bundle up to brave the outside temperatures.  Add it all together and Boutros has created a cold, slightly alien world.  A perfect setting for the law.

  As the story unfolded, I was quite pleased to see that the plot was going to stick with the courtroom.  Too often a good crime drama ends up with car chases and intricate fist fights.  This is often a sleight-of-hand trick to keep us from seeing the holes in the plot, or even to keep us from realizing there is very little plot at all.  But Boutros pulls no punches as he crafts his story of a defense lawyer who is slowly coming to realize his job is nothing to be proud of.  I wondered if he could keep it up, or if he would succumb to the temptation to splash his pages with blood and gunpowder.

  But there is no need to use cheap theatrics with the reader when you can create characters that carry their weight from one scene to the next without the slightest misstep.  And that is one of the strongest points of The Guilty.  This is no quickly written Law and Order episode that wants to take advantage of some recent headline.  Such fare is full of flat, boring stereotypes whose only role is to fill a spot in a scene or two to keep the story rolling.  Not here.  From the conflicted lawyer Robert Bratt, to smaller roles such as witnesses and court officials, The Guilty is full of interesting characters who infuse this novel with life.

  And let me take a moment to point out two of them.  Bratt's law firm partner, J.P. Leblanc, along with the judge presiding over the main trial, a Judge Green, are the sort of characters that not only stand out in this book, but would stand out in a movie version of this book.  I couldn't help but think that they were the kind of roles that a veteran actor would love to ride to an Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor.  In fact, the whole book reminded me of a Sydney Pollack movie-- the sort that is full of fascinating discussions on law, ethics, and our confusions over our own little roles in this mixed-up world.

  There are no legal stunts that leave the reader shaking his head, disappointed that it all came down to a silly technicality or something equivalent to a legal prank.  At no time did I want to jump up from my chair and shout "Objection, Your Honor!  The author is misleading the reader!"  From page one to the last page, the story unfolds with just the right amount of ever increasing tension.  If I had been in the juror's box during the trial, not only would I have had no problem staying awake, I would have been in trouble for laughing out loud a few times, especially at the verbal repartee between Bratt and Judge Green.  And throughout it all, I would have been on the edge of my seat, leaning ever closer to the witness stand, waiting for the next witness to thread his way through the mine field laid down by Robert Bratt.

   I read the Kindle edition of the book, which I was able to borrow for free with Amazon Prime.  I encourage anyone who is interested in reading a courtroom drama to pick up The Guilty.  Gabriel Boutros is one of those rare lawyers you can trust.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining legal thriller. It hit the ground running and started out fascinating. It is about a criminal lawyer, Robert Bratt, who begins to become conscious about his decisions and clientele after 20 years on the job. There is a slight romance woven in as well.

There was, unfortunately, a bit of a lull in the middle of the story as legal issues were explained and the "paperwork" of the case began to unfold, but I had the desire to finish and know the results. The book pulled through for a strong finish, even if it wasn't the ending I was hoping for. This book was well written and you can tell that the author, Gabriel Boutros, is a highly educated man with his word choices.

Overall, I consider this an entertaining read and it has thoroughly earned 4/5 stars from me.

[Pearson Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling Courtroom Drama

Title: The Guilty
Author: Gabriel Boutros
Genre: Courtroom Drama
Length: 318 pages
Reviewer: Pearson Moore
Rating: 5 stars


Summary

An experienced trial attorney reevaluates his profession, his methods, and his family and personal relationships through the lens of three trials: a 'routine' fraud case, a rape trial, and a double homicide. Based on hard-won insights, he chooses a new path for his life.

Review

Of the two dozen or so courtroom dramas I've read, all of them by major authors, The Guilty by Gabriel Boutros stands out. The novel is masterfully written, perfectly paced, and completely engrossing. Those who follow my reviews know I rarely grant five stars to a novel. I'm not an easy reviewer. The Guilty is one of those rare pieces of fiction I've been unable to put down, ranking with Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain and Jack London's The Call of the Wild as books I read from cover to cover in a single sitting.

I suppose, as in any profession, there are elements of courtroom preparation and procedure that become tedious and repetitive. This has been my experience in all the courtroom novels I've read, often occupying long passages in the middle of the novel. Mr. Boutros' book stands as an unexpected but welcome exception. The many legal, personal, and emotional dilemmas in The Guilty seem real and immediate, never contrived or hypothetical. I had the feeling throughout that the self-important Robert Bratt, Avocat, probably for the first time in his life, was being forced to explore ethical and emotional landscapes completely foreign to him. The questions he and others ask have relevance that transcends the limited ethical purview of a 'first year law student', as his colleagues derisively refer to his concerns midway through the novel. I never felt the story dragged. On the contrary, every scene built on previous events, and litigation and personal life became a complex network of ethical revelation and emotional response.

The Guilty is, simply put, the best courtroom novel I've read, and I'm no newcomer to the genre. A good courtroom drama doesn't look at guilt and innocence. This is the realm of shoddy, second-rate fiction. Rather, compelling courtroom novels explore the vast gray area of the law, where ethics, morality, legality, and conscience sometimes meld, sometimes overlap, sometimes work against each other. The Guilty explores this murky, uncomfortable realm fearlessly, plunging Attorney Bratt, his 'Syrian disciple', and a guilt-ravaged interested party into tense, emotionally draining confrontations with questions which probably have no entirely wholesome or universally accepted answers.

I give The Guilty my highest recommendation.

The Guilty contains coarse language, a brief scene of mild sensuality, and brief descriptions of murder and attempted murder. I received a free copy of The Guilty for the purposes of writing a review.

There are a few technical errors in the novel, but these are mild. Possibly unintended or overlooked POV shifts occur at least twice. The Kindle version I received was rife with mild formatting errors that I strongly recommend be thoroughly addressed. The errors were severe enough that I considered docking my review by half a star. These errors include extra spaces between letters in words, extra spaces between words, blank lines, skipped lines, and erratic chapter beginnings with haphazard page breaks and section breaks. I found only two typographical errors, on pp. 13 and 210.

5 stars

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Robert Bratt is a lawyer who has always done whatever it took to win his cases. After twenty years of defending the most hardened criminals, many of whom he knew to be guilty, the only thing he can no longer do is look at himself in the mirror. Loosely based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal in the 1990s, this riveting story pulls the reader into the inner workings of a murder trial, and reveals what one lawyer must do when he has to defend "The Guilty."

My review: The Guilty is a fascinating legal thriller. Even though I instantly disliked the main character Robert Bratt, I found myself hoping he would turn a new leaf. You can tell Boutros has a background in law, as he described the emotions of a defense attorney and the murder case proceedings very well. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Montreal and once the courtroom scenes started, I was hooked!! If you enjoy legal thrillers, I definitely recommend this book to you.

**I received a copy of this book from the For Love of a Book group in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Joe Prentis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always like courtroom dramas, my taste running from Michael Connelly and Steve Martini, to an occasional Jodi Picoult novel thrown in for good measure. I was surprised when I discovered Canadian author Gabriel Boutros’ first novel, The Guilty, which goes a little deeper in plot and character than most courtroom dramas. Not only has Boutros created an engaging plot, he has populated the pages of this book with characters that seem surprisingly real, and will keep you turning the pages with equal parts of dread and expectation. The Guilty is a gutsy book, but Boutros is not afraid to tug at your heartstrings as the plot unfolds. Attorney Bratt’s daughter will seem eerily familiar to any father who has raised a daughter into adulthood. The way in which the attorney wavers between the tug of his ambition and his consciousness is familiar to most of us. If you like legal thrillers that have an engaging plot, real characters, and a moral dilemma, this is the book for you.

[Cherokee Randolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far should a defense attorney go to defend his client? Surely, his job, his role is to do anything legally permissible to defend a client he feels is innocent, to try to prove that innocence. But what if he thinks the client is guilty? Is it even his job to make such a judgment? Isn’t his job to cast all possible doubt on the prosecution’s case? Most arguments have weak points: witnesses are not really reliable, they lie, they can perceive things wrongly, their testimonies are often not consistent, they may have ulterior motives; physical evidence may not mean what it appears to mean, it can be mishandled, covered up, misinterpreted etc. etc. etc. The legal system knows that the conviction of an innocent man is an even more dangerous outcome that the acquittal of a guilty man. The defense attorney is charged with attacking the prosecution’s case in its every weakness, with making sure the guilty verdict is really beyond all reasonable doubt.

But the modern defense attorney does more than look for vulnerabilities in the prosecution’s case. He plea bargains on his behalf, he acts as a counselor who advises his client about how to more favorably impress the jurors, on a temporary basis he becomes his client’s partisan. And very often he is rewarded for all of this by success, both financial and in terms of society’s respect. Society, however, doesn’t regard the successful defense attorney with unmixed admiration. The perception that some truly heinous crimes go unpunished, the sympathy for victims, as well as a serious conviction that there are some lawyers who do cross ethical lines in their own and their clients’ interests is widespread and becomes intense in the case of high-profile and revolting crimes.

The Guilty is the story of Robert Bratt, a successful defense attorney in Montreal. The reader gets the feeling that in the midst of his pride and pleasure in his success, his overt self-satisfaction, there has probably been a degree of malaise for some time about the work he does so well. When a man Bratt has successfully defended against a charge of rape is once more charged with rape and the purported victim this time is Bratt’s daughter’s best friend, he begins to have serious misgivings about his work and about how it is viewed by others. He is more or less forced into taking on the defense in the homicide case of a man he thinks is a scum-bag and who he feels is guilty. He tries to carry on partly on the basis of sympathy for his client’s very religious mother and his own pride in doing the job right. A great many other things crop up which make this increasingly difficult and ultimately impossible.

I found this to be a very enjoyable book. It is realistic, it is has plenty of surprises, and it held my attention. Bratt’s dilemma seems to me to be a fairly common one. I wonder if many people in a number of fields (especially highly paid fields) don’t have some degree of malaise about both the benefit of their work to society and the way it is regarded by society ( high pressure salesmen and some jobs in the financial industry come to mind).

[Bill Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriel Boutros paints a wonderful fictional account of Robert Bratt, a longtime and renowned defence lawyer in Montreal, Canada. He's always been able to separate his work life and home life. Successful win-at-all costs lawyer in court; successful widower and single parent for eight years, raising his seventeen-year-old daughter.
For twenty years he's worked the high profile court cases in Montreal; and he has an aggressive attitude. He sees everything as black or white.
For Bratt, everything changes when an old case comes back to haunt him. A man who he successfully defended on rape charges, is convicted of raping his daughter's best friend. He can't defend either party for conflict of interest; and his daughter blames him for previously defending and supporting a sex offender who's still on the street. In the courthouse corrider she yells at him, "You're a heartless bastard, just like him! You don't give a shit who's telling the truth as long as you come out on top!" Later she moves out to live with friends.
Bratt needs a break from the courtroom grind, but his legal partner asks him to take one last case before taking a holiday. It's a high-profile case of two suspected gang-bangers killing two and injuring one. One of the suspects plea bargained; the other is for Bratt to defend.
As this case starts, Bratt is informed he's on the short-list for judge's robes. It's what he's always wanted, and it could be the culmination of his law career. But he's told that a successful conclusion of this case will probably make it a lock.
Now Bratt's starting to second guess himself in this one. He doesn't like this unkempt, disrespectul gang banger; he thinks he's guilty. Everything was black and white, now gray predominates. The banger's conservative religious mother is convinced of his innocence. The banger's alibi witnesses look and sound disreputable. And at the behest of our hero, replacement alibis seem too good to be true.
For the first time in his career, Bratt is conflicted. He now empathizes with the victims of his past case, the rape victims; and the dead and injured in his current case.
Will he do the right thing? Ultimately, he comes to a conclusion that will change his life: with judgeship; disbarment; or something else.
Again, Boutros has a background as a lawyer - and it shows. The characters are real, and the situations believable. All in all, a wonderful story on criminal law, the realities of legal process,and how challenging it must really be.
The author provided me with this book for an unbiased review.

[Marc Secchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book which bristles with authenticity. The Guilty by Gabriel Boutros clearly showcases the author's real-life experience and this for me was its most outstanding feature. While not endearing me to Montreal in the winter, the setting was a suitably chilly - or chilling - backdrop to the drama that develops in this well-paced and well presented courtroom drama.

There are two dramas in one here - firstly in the main character Robert Bratt's professional life (interesting choice of surname, because he is portrayed as a brat, at least to start with) and one in his personal life, in the breakdown of relationship with his daughter that ultimately leads him to question just how far he will bend the truth to defend a client. Bratt at the beginning of the story is a hard-bitten and successful defence lawyer with an excellent reputation and great prospects of becoming a judge, his life's ambition. All he has to do is win a case he doesn't want, and can't easily win, which he takes on at the last minute. A case in which he's convinced the client is guilty. But how far is he prepared to go to ensure his client is not convicted?

What I enjoyed: The characterisation is solid and realistic throughout. Even the minor characters are drawn to a suitable depth; no caricatures here. The story moves at a good pace and there is little padding. The plot twists and turns, and is well supported by the minor plots involving Bratt's love life and the relationship with his daughter, which is soured when her best friend is raped and subsequently humiliated by a lawyer in court. Bratt defended the rapist successfully several years before; now the past comes back to haunt him as the rapist is once more acquitted. As I said above, the story is deeply authentic and well-written. The editing is sound throughout.

I found the ending a little abrupt and would have preferred a little more resolution to the different threads in this novel. However this is a personal preference and for me did not detract from what is a solid and satisfying novel that plumbs the depths of its characters. It is not just a cut-and-thrust courtroom drama, but a human drama where the reader is drawn into caring about and believing in the characters.

I'd recommend this novel highly to anyone who enjoys a good legal / courtroom drama. For disclosure I received a free review copy in exchange for my honest, non-reciprocal review.

[Lana Axe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

My first reaction to main character Robert Bratt was instant dislike. Well, that is probably the same reaction I have to most lawyers. This guy, though, has certainly earned all the ugly names that go along with being a criminal attorney. This is the kind of character that crawls under your skin and makes you hope that a piano falls on him at the end. For this frank and honest portrayal of a lawyer who manages to help a criminal walk free, I commend Mr. Boutros. I do love a good villain, but this guy takes the cake.

It isn't easy to see what is inside the mind of a despicable person, but this story gives us just such a view. Indeed, Bratt isn't quite as bad as I first thought. He actually does harbor some regrets and wrestles with a lot of inner turmoil, making him human after all. In our lives, it's so easy to brand a person as good or bad and forget that they may be struggling themselves. Again, I applaud the author for making me come around to his main character. I still do not like him, but I felt that by the end of the book I could certainly understand him much better than at first.

The narrative flows nicely, and the author doesn't dwell too much on complicated legal wording. That helped me tremendously, as I have a tendency to switch off when presented with an information overload. There was no such problem here, and I was able to follow the story easily. Though I don't read many crime dramas, this book was difficult to put down. I truly couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The ending came as a bit of a surprise, but I will not spoil it. Pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

[Bella Roccaforte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guilty was my first court room drama. While many of the events take place in the courtroom, I would say that many of us face the same sort of internal conflict that Robert Bratt was dealing with, making this book very human. I enjoyed the personification of the court system and how all the players have to deal with one another.

The problems with performance for Bratt was never in the courtroom it was when he was trying to justify is professional life to the people who matter most. He watched as important relationships crumbled solely because he did his job too well. Being one of the best attorneys and able to walk the fine line of ethics v. law was a balancing act he had been able to manage for a long time. But as life changed so did his ability to walk that line.

The emotional conflict felt so real, the events felt real and the overall story was genuine in how people behave. I was able to appreciate the juxtaposition of his family life and professional life that made him dig really deep within himself to figure out which part of his life was going to win. He recognized that he was unable to continue as he was.

There were some times when the book was a little slow, but waiting for the reveal was worth it. The book was well-written and edited which I always appreciate.

For folks that like legal dramas I recommend this book. I think you will enjoy it. I certainly did.

[Gabriel Boutros]

As the author of The Guilty, it would be wrong to blow my own horn about the novel. Besides, I'm nothing if not excessively humble (Really!). However, I thought it might be acceptable if I referred to a couple of quite positive editorial reviews that my book got on some other sites.
topbookreviewers.com called The Guilty: "An absolute winner of a debut novel." You can read the whole review at http://www.topbookreviewers.com/autho...
And theindietribe.com said The Guilty "represents a brilliant courtroom drama." That review can be found at http://www.theindietribe.com/?p=4284 (Scroll down, it's the fifth book listed on the page).
Last, but not least, bookpleasures.com says "The Guilty is completely captivating, sometimes hysterically funny, sometimes heartbreaking, ultimately heart healing." The review is at http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitep...
Have a lovely day.

[Rose Bechara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The lawyer's inner conflict combined with the murder trial to make it very dramatic and suspenseful. There are many realistic, behind the scenes details, which lets you know that the writer knows the world that he's writing about. I highly recommend it.

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect balance of description and events made this very easy to read – and hard to put down.

Generally, I don't like lawyers, though I do like the occasional legal thriller. I reached 16% on my Kindle when I decided that I hoped something horrible happened to Bratt, because I felt he was an incredibly conceited individual. I thought Nancy was far too nice to him at the time and I felt he thoroughly deserved his internal turmoil. Of course, then I read on in the hope that something horrible would happen. No, I don't do spoilers, so you'll have to read the book yourself if you wish to know if it did.

Every character is carefully constructed so they seem absolutely real. Perhaps that's why I felt a real urge to deflate Bratt when he seemed a little too full of himself.

The murder trial was the highlight of the book for me – reminding me why I read legal thrillers, for this one definitely delivered.

As in any good thriller, the end came as an unexpected surprise. For anyone who's fond of a legal thriller, I highly recommend it.

I would happily buy another book by this author – though I'd prefer it if the main character isn't Bratt.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

[Todd Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked "Courtroom Drama" books. This one was a little different for me because it takes place in Canada and not just Canada but Quebec. So, the legal procedure was a little different than I was used to and I did not completely understand all of the French phrases. It was still very enjoyable however.

The theme of the book is how far will a lawyer go and how far should a lawyer go in zealously representing his client. The Lawyer in this case is a criminal lawyer but the same type of questions can come up in a civil practice as well.

I actually think that most lawyers do not get as close to the line as the main character in this book does, but I can see a tendency to lean that way. I think everyone wants justice to be served but we do have an adversarial system where each lawyer's ultimate duty is to his or her own client not the other side. I liked how this "problem" was ultimately solved in the book but I can see that some might not. One character at one point says that ultimately it is the Lord's judgement that matters and that men just do the best they can. I am sure that justice is not always 100% served in legal matters. How close do we need to get to have "enough justice"?

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: THE GUILTY by Gabriel Boutros

In an ironic example of life imitating art, the day prior to reading THE GUILTY, I pondered the description of "The Devil's Defender," the autobiography of John Henry Browne, the defense attorney who represented Ted Bundy and many others accused of heinous crimes. As I considered the ramifications of defending such individuals, I read THE GUILTY, in which a Montreal defense attorney finds himself pondering similarly. A man who self-admittedly cared nothing about witnesses (they're the prosecution's lookout) and lived only for triumph, yet eventually he enters into circumstances which impel him to reconsider his profession and his [lack of] principles.

Robert Bratt is not a character for whom I could develop any empathy. An arrogant egotist, he defended accused to acquittal, freeing some to reoffend. Of course, for Bratt, those clients (white-collar crime as well as rape and murder) paid him well "to do what he loved to do," which I guess made his clients only well-paying tools.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially for the aspects related to the work defense attorneys have to do in jury trials, especially when they know the clients are guilty. All the work behind the scenes was quite fascinating, especially considering the background of the author. The story was interesting and the characters were quite good for the most part (some were a bit stereotypical - the teenage daughter that opposes the parent, the innocent but competent newie). I also like the moral conflict of the main character, even if it was a bit preachy. The ending was quite weak in my view, but the rest was very interesting and engaging, so I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in this topic and not only.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guilty was an interesting read I really enjoyed it! Gabriel Boutros is a wonderful writer I hope to read more of his books.

[Joyce Rigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this picture of a very successful defence lawyer towards the end of his career. A lot of these reviews have said that they didn't like him and I can understand that. He has a reputation for being ruthless in the defence of his clients. Now, after his daughter's friend is raped and is then taken apart in court, he is forced to look at his work from her point of view. So in the middle of a murder case he is struggling to come to terms with his choices. I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end.

[Terry Ikoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting . .

But not great. I found the book to drag in a couple of places but once I start a book I feel I have to finish it.

[Steve Smy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guilty by Gabriel Boutros

I received the ebook version of this novel from the author.  This has not influenced my judgement in any way with regard to this review.

I have to start this review by saying what a remarkable novel this is.  It  is in a genre I have never read before, and it has left me wondering what I may have missed.  Gabriel Boutros demonstrates a true gift for his craft as a writer, right from the beginning, and manages to draw you into the story with consummate skill.  At the outset, his protagonist is anything but likeable.  He’s arrogant, self-satisfied, ready to declare his personal genius to all and sundry with or without prompting.  Yes, in the beginning, his relationship with his daughter is shaking him, but not in the ways it should.  He belongs very firmly in that subspecies: homo sapiens lawyerensis.  There is only the vaguest hint of humanity about the man.  So how come you carry on reading about this undesirable?  Because you want to see his fall!  You are drawn along waiting to witness his utter ruin.  There’s a part of you, sparked into existence by the brief sentence on the cover, which is also waiting to see just when and how this reprehensible person will meet his personal epiphany and explode into a Fury of Retribution.  And that’s part of Mr Boutros’ skill.  He has lived the life and knows it intimately.  Not that he bears any resemblance to his protagonist, of course, but he must surely have encountered those who shared at least elements of the character’s personality.

I mentioned the main character meeting his personal epiphany.  Well, it demonstrates Mr Boutros’ skill that he so easily handles the fact that very few truly  experience an epiphany!  Our awakening is rarely one of those single, dramatic, life-changing moments.  In fact, it can be, and usually is, a slow, painful, confusing process.  As a reader coming from books which require episodes of intense action, The Guilty proved to be a remarkable experience for me.  There were, very definitely, events, but none were exactly describable as action.  I was amazed to find that I had been drawn along with such excellent writing that action sequences really weren’t required.  Indeed, they may well have turned an excellent novel into something far more ordinary.  Like a patient angler, with a prize fish (you) on the line, Mr Boutros allows you to twist and turn on the line, your mind darting off down  side alleyways of possibilities, but always, inescapably, you are drawn ever closer to the waiting net – the conclusion.  And I will say only this: the conclusion is very satisfying – though the characters are, by then, so a part of you that you’d love to hear more about them.  I genuinely regretted the book ending.

If you’re looking for a Perry Mason or other similar fictional lawyer, then you’ll be disappointed.  There’s a disturbing ring of honesty about the portrayed lawyers’ defects.  You’ll find those you can happily despise, but you’ll also be confused by those who exhibit more humanity than you would expect.  They are complex people.  They have lives.  You could, with little effort, imagine how they live their lives away from the spotlight of the  story.  There’s everything from the ‘wet behind the ears idealist’ youngster, just beginning their lives, to the jaded veteran who simply does what they’ve always done, without ever considering the consequences because they live only with the Law – not real people.  And of course the full spectrum  in between the extremes.  I haven’t read anything with such strong, real characters before.  Everything else, I could always take refuge in the underlying knowledge that I was reading fiction, even when it got a little too uncomfortable for my liking – or especially then.

I’m not going to include details of the plot or the events even in broad terms.  This book is too good a read to spoil with anything beyond general observations about its worth.  I do , however, have a request: when you’ve read The Guilty, come back and tell me whether you’re pleased that I recommended it to you, or not!

My rating?  A very definite 5 stars !  Who would I  recommend this book to?  Anybody who enjoys reading!

[Cate's Book Nut Hut · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a debut novel by this Author, and the first courtroom drama that I have read in a very long time after becoming jaded by Baldacci and Grisham who seem to churn out cookie cutter books by the dozen now. However, after reading this, I am sure I’ve rediscovered my love for this genre and, if this Author keeps up this level of writing, he will be knocking the aforementioned two off their very high pedestal.

Right from the opening of this novel, the main male lead is anything but likeable; think of all those Lawyer jokes you’ve heard or told, and they all apply to him. He is the one that would give the shark a stomach ache. This ‘man’ is arrogant, has no humanity about him whatsoever, and is not afraid to let anyone within earshot know that it’s his way or the highway. He knows he is a clever and skilled Lawyer, and wants everyone to know this, whether they like it or not. As unlikable as he is, the reader is drawn to him to see why he became this way, if he will be redeemable and, if not, to have a ringside view when his demise and total ruin take place. This character does not have any Perry Mason or Ben Matlock qualities about him at all, and that is just fine; this is a gritty and disturbingly honest view of one reprehensible human being. The remaining cast of characters in this novel have just as much time invested in their development; there are those that you will love and those that really renew your faith in the human race; and then there are those like our lead who you would like to see locked away for a very long time.

Unlike some courtroom drama novels, this one doesn’t have any episodes of high velocity action, and that works really well with the writing style of the Author; things definitely do happen in the book but nothing that would have you gripping the edge of your seat. Because of the writing skill and style of the Author these action sequences are not needed, and their absence only serve to make the reader more aware that they are taking a glimpse into a world the Author has personal knowledge of; although not in the guise of our despicable lead we hope. It is apparent from the way in which the courtroom scenes are described, and the way the justice machine in this part of the country moves along, that the Author has pulled from his own experiences in the legal arena and this makes the book more genuine and believable.

In this novel, the reader will find all the trappings of an epic courtroom drama that is also loosely based on actual events that took place in Montreal in the 1990’s; it is gritty, gripping and makes you want to keep reading on to the stunning conclusion. However, readers need to be aware this is not a novel you will be able to pick up and dip into for a few chapters. Due to the writing skill demonstrated and authenticity brought about by the experiences of the Author, the reader will find themselves being immersed totally into the story line, and needing to carry on reading regardless. This book made me neglect things I needed to do, and stay up far too late so I could finish it, which in my opinion is the hallmark of a truly outstanding book.

At its core, it is so simple. Courtroom dramas are about the battle between good and evil, justice and injustice, right and wrong. Sometimes the case deals with an unimaginable crime. Sometimes it takes a look at the complexity of the human mind. Whatever the case, a person’s life is on the line. And with the help of complex characters and a great storyline, this novel has it all; it deals with extremes... and that makes for an intense story.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of Baldacci and Grisham, also to those who have never picked up a courtroom drama before. I am looking forward to seeing what this Author produces in the future.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/...


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[Laurie Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guilty by Gabriel Boutros is a phenomenal novel by an up and coming author that centers around Attorney Robert Bratt, a criminal defense lawyer who has a reputation of being one of the best at getting his clients off free and clear of their charges. When a man he once successfully defended is now brought up on charges of raping a young lady named Claire who is a family friend, and his daughter Jeannie's childhood best friend, he begins to question what he does and how he does it. As the defense attorney picks apart Claire's story and turns it all around on her, his daughter begins blaming him, since not only did he help the accused rapist remain free, he trained the attorney that was tearing her friends story apart. He realizes that his profession is not all that he thought it was once the plaintiff is more than just a face.

After he gets his latest client off on fraud charges, Robert is ready for a well deserved break and hopes to mend fences with his daughter. Unfortunately for him, his partner in the law firm presents him with a double murder homicide defendant that he is unable to turn down. Literally. As Bratt struggles with his own ethics, his assistant Peter isn't much help. His client, Marlon Small, is a wonderfully hateful person with a mother that just absolutely adores her son and will do anything to get him out of prison. As the book twists and turns through a stressful trial, and Robert tries to mend the bridges that have broken down between he and his daughter he is on the verge of a complete meltdown. The twists and turns are absolutely amazing!
Based loosely on actual events that occurred in Montreal in the '90's this is a book that will draw you in and keep you completely engrossed until the very last page. Mr. Boutros can easily join the ranks of Grisham and Baldacci if he keeps up the great work. Highly enjoyable, and definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys legal thrillers or is just looking for a fabulous new author to try! Five stars all the way for The Guilty by Gabriel Boutros!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Bratt once defended a man on rape charges and gets him off. Now that same man rapes Claire, a friend of the family and his daughters best friend. Robert watches as the Claire is painted as a bad person, someone who asked for this to happen. And as the man once again gets off Roberts daughter turns on him saying this is his fault and moves out. Now Robert struggles with what he does for a living and questions how far will he go to defend those he knows to be guilty. But then he gets a case that could further his career but only if he wins.

This is an exciting, fast paced legal thriller that gets you from the first page and holds you till the last. The characters are well written and I really like Robert Bratt. You watch him struggle with his inner self trying to come to terms with what he does for a living, his pain on his daughter moving out and not knowing where she is. And then there is the guilt about Claire because he defended the man years before. The courtroom scenes will have you on the edge of your seat and towards the end I could not read fast enough. The ending will leave you satisfied and with a smile on your face. I would definitely read another book about Robert Bratt. This is the kind of book that when you are done it's hard to start another because you keep thinking how good this one is. Even if you are not a fan of legal thrillers you should read this book. It will be worth it.

[Anupama Sarkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the story begins, we are introduced to Robert Bratt in an agitated state as his daughter has placed the blame for her friend’s pains squarely on his shoulders, belying all his excuses of being a puppet in the mighty hands of Law.

And, to make matters even worse, Bratt himself is unable to silence his protesting soul and is on the verge of a guilt trip.

At this point of time, I found the story touching, but it did not even remotely looked like a Courtroom Drama, I had expected from an ex-lawyer writer. It appeared more as an emotional rant by a man in distress. Add to that, the unsavory questions Claire was made to suffer in the Court made it harder for me to pursue the story any further.

But, thank God, I persisted in my endeavor

Read more at http://scribblesofsoul.com/guilty-gab...

[Mark Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the author's bio, I've come to realize how the main character is him (in many ways). This gives this novel a personal, realistic feel that kept me turning the pages for days on end. In this day and age, it's rare to find a courtroom drama that offers anything new, but Mr. Boutros was able to give enough detail to be informative but not too much so that you're lost in the descriptions. The pace was strong and I will definitely be reading the next novel that this author releases!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Guilty-Mr-G...

[A.J. Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Guilty. Readers might find the first couple chapters an info dump, with a lot of backstory and characters in a short space of time, but by chapter 3 Boutros hits his straps and the story finds its pace and develops into an excellent courtroom drama. Although for me personally the court room scenes are never my favorite in these books (and I'd say that about Grisham et al too), but I liked the development of Robert Bratt, the main character. He's not the most likable guy in the beginning, but his internal debates about his professional and life, and his flaws give him an enjoyable human edge. Worth a read.