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Jaywalker #5
Guilty as Sin
Did career criminal Alonzo Barnett, in and out of prison since age fifteen, commit the latest drug deal he's accused of? Yup, he's guilty as charged. But is he guilty as sin? That's the question criminal defence attorney Harrison J. Walker, the maverick known as Jaywalker, has to answer as he takes the court-appointed case.
As Jaywalker is well aware, one wrong move, even for the right reason, can derail your life — and land an otherwise redeemed ex-con back in the slammer for years.
Up against a team of prosecutors — one a talented, ethical newcomer, the other a sleazy, tight-fisted veteran — Jaywalker has almost nothing on his side. Except his unshakable belief in his client and the very real possibility of redemption for them both.
As Jaywalker is well aware, one wrong move, even for the right reason, can derail your life — and land an otherwise redeemed ex-con back in the slammer for years.
Up against a team of prosecutors — one a talented, ethical newcomer, the other a sleazy, tight-fisted veteran — Jaywalker has almost nothing on his side. Except his unshakable belief in his client and the very real possibility of redemption for them both.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Teller
7 books29 followersJoseph Teller is a pen name of Joseph Teller Klempner, and he is also published as
Joseph T. Klempner
Joseph Teller was born and raised in New York City. He graduated in 1961 from the College of Wooster in Ohio and from the University of Michigan Law School in 1964. He returned to New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1965, but spent three years as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (the precursor of the Drug Enforcement Administration), doing undercover work. For the next 35 years, he worked as a criminal defense attorney, representing murderers, drug dealers, thieves and at least one serial killer. When New York State restored the death penalty in the nineties, Teller was one of a select group of lawyers given special training to represent capital defendants, which he did on several occasions, including winning an acquittal for a man accused of committing a double murder.
Not too long ago, Teller decided to "run from the law," and began writing fiction. He lives and writes in rural upstate New York with his wife, Sandy, an antiques dealer.
Joseph Teller was born and raised in New York City. He graduated in 1961 from the College of Wooster in Ohio and from the University of Michigan Law School in 1964. He returned to New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1965, but spent three years as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (the precursor of the Drug Enforcement Administration), doing undercover work. For the next 35 years, he worked as a criminal defense attorney, representing murderers, drug dealers, thieves and at least one serial killer. When New York State restored the death penalty in the nineties, Teller was one of a select group of lawyers given special training to represent capital defendants, which he did on several occasions, including winning an acquittal for a man accused of committing a double murder.
Not too long ago, Teller decided to "run from the law," and began writing fiction. He lives and writes in rural upstate New York with his wife, Sandy, an antiques dealer.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 10, 2019
This one took me by surprise. Well-written with real courtroom dialogue which adds a nice touch for the reader. Jaywalker is a criminal defense attorney who really shines in this series. I'm looking forward to reading more books.
June 11, 2011
Jaywalker, of course, is different.”
I have to admit to really enjoying the Jaywalker series. They have a certain insouciance and impertinence toward the legal system that’s refreshing. At the same time, Jaywalker’s tenacity and effort on behalf of his clients, often indigent, is admirable. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t speak to the courtroom authenticity, but given other books I have read about the legal system and especially public defenders, they appear authentic. Jaywalker‘s respect for his clients is admirable and his tenacity in their defense makes us wish all lawyers were like him.
Jaywalker is one of those defense attorneys one wishes were ubiquitous instead of being the exception. He actually works on each case and this book is his rationale for why even the guilty need the best defense. He’s also a nice guy. “Jaywalker extended a hand, and they shook. In the age of AIDS, hepatitis C and drug-resistant TB, his fellow defense lawyers had long abandoned the practice. For Jaywalker, that was just one more reason to adhere to it.”
Barnett has been arrested for selling a controlled substance to an undercover officer within school boundaries. (In New York, the legislature’s 2500 foot line from a school demarcating what constituted a school area, meant that every place within ten blocks of a school fell into that category, or virtually the entire city.) Barnett admits he’s guilty, but then reveals why he did what he did. It was to do a favor. And that remark leads Jaywalker to one of the most interesting legal defenses.
According to an afterward, the author, himself a defense attorney and former DEA agent-- Joseph Teller is a pseudonym, tells us that all the characters in this story, based on one of his cases, is real. They all existed under their real names. That makes this wonderful story even more remarkable.
Fascinating look at the justice system, well-written with humor and sensitivity, and a real page-turner. Highly recommended. “Vive la difference”
I was privileged to get this book as a free advanced reader copy. That influenced my review not one bit.
Recommended supplemental reading:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I have to admit to really enjoying the Jaywalker series. They have a certain insouciance and impertinence toward the legal system that’s refreshing. At the same time, Jaywalker’s tenacity and effort on behalf of his clients, often indigent, is admirable. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t speak to the courtroom authenticity, but given other books I have read about the legal system and especially public defenders, they appear authentic. Jaywalker‘s respect for his clients is admirable and his tenacity in their defense makes us wish all lawyers were like him.
Jaywalker is one of those defense attorneys one wishes were ubiquitous instead of being the exception. He actually works on each case and this book is his rationale for why even the guilty need the best defense. He’s also a nice guy. “Jaywalker extended a hand, and they shook. In the age of AIDS, hepatitis C and drug-resistant TB, his fellow defense lawyers had long abandoned the practice. For Jaywalker, that was just one more reason to adhere to it.”
Barnett has been arrested for selling a controlled substance to an undercover officer within school boundaries. (In New York, the legislature’s 2500 foot line from a school demarcating what constituted a school area, meant that every place within ten blocks of a school fell into that category, or virtually the entire city.) Barnett admits he’s guilty, but then reveals why he did what he did. It was to do a favor. And that remark leads Jaywalker to one of the most interesting legal defenses.
According to an afterward, the author, himself a defense attorney and former DEA agent-- Joseph Teller is a pseudonym, tells us that all the characters in this story, based on one of his cases, is real. They all existed under their real names. That makes this wonderful story even more remarkable.
Fascinating look at the justice system, well-written with humor and sensitivity, and a real page-turner. Highly recommended. “Vive la difference”
I was privileged to get this book as a free advanced reader copy. That influenced my review not one bit.
Recommended supplemental reading:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
July 17, 2011
Most of the time I shy away from courtroom dramas but I saw that this book received good reviews so I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed. The main character, Jaywalker was appealing, the defendant and judge were likable, and the main prosecutor was an ass. This made you cheer for the main character as you should but this book wasn't mainly about guilty or not guilty. It was about the process which I enjoyed.
March 12, 2022
Slow Moving.
This is Book 4 of the Jaywalker series by this author. Jaywalker is a criminal defense attorney in New York City. He has a reputation for being a flamboyant and tricky lawyer who has many courtroom tricks as well as a thorough knowledge of the law. In this story, he reminisces about one of his early cases back in 1986. He has been assigned to defend a guilty drug dealer who has confessed to what he did, but who refuses to take a plea deal. Alonzo Barnett has multiple convictions for drug dealing, and has been in prison several times. The most recent of his incarcerations found him the target of a contract to kill him. Then, he converted to Islam, and went to work in the prison barbershop, where the barber protected him from the murder that had been contracted.
After his release from prison. Barnett changes his life. He stops drinking and using drugs. He gets and holds a steady job in a restaurant. He reestablishes contact with his two daughters, and he tries to be a good father.
Then, one day the barber comes calling. He has been released from prison and he wants Alonzo to make a heroin buy for him. Six times he comes to Barnett's house to ask, and six time Alonzo refuses. On the seventh request, however, the barber reminds him that it was the barber who saved his life in prison, and it is time to return the favor. It is a setup, of course. The barber is secretly working with the police, and Alonzo is caught red-handed and arrested. This story is about the case and the subsequent trial.
Reading some portions of the novel is like watching paint dry. There is a lot of uninteresting trivia that seems more aimed at filling pages with text than telling a story. I haven't given up on this author, yet, but I am not very impressed, so far. I award three of the five available stars and recommend this novel only if you are a big fan of legal stories and courtroom dramas without lot of drama.
This is Book 4 of the Jaywalker series by this author. Jaywalker is a criminal defense attorney in New York City. He has a reputation for being a flamboyant and tricky lawyer who has many courtroom tricks as well as a thorough knowledge of the law. In this story, he reminisces about one of his early cases back in 1986. He has been assigned to defend a guilty drug dealer who has confessed to what he did, but who refuses to take a plea deal. Alonzo Barnett has multiple convictions for drug dealing, and has been in prison several times. The most recent of his incarcerations found him the target of a contract to kill him. Then, he converted to Islam, and went to work in the prison barbershop, where the barber protected him from the murder that had been contracted.
After his release from prison. Barnett changes his life. He stops drinking and using drugs. He gets and holds a steady job in a restaurant. He reestablishes contact with his two daughters, and he tries to be a good father.
Then, one day the barber comes calling. He has been released from prison and he wants Alonzo to make a heroin buy for him. Six times he comes to Barnett's house to ask, and six time Alonzo refuses. On the seventh request, however, the barber reminds him that it was the barber who saved his life in prison, and it is time to return the favor. It is a setup, of course. The barber is secretly working with the police, and Alonzo is caught red-handed and arrested. This story is about the case and the subsequent trial.
Reading some portions of the novel is like watching paint dry. There is a lot of uninteresting trivia that seems more aimed at filling pages with text than telling a story. I haven't given up on this author, yet, but I am not very impressed, so far. I award three of the five available stars and recommend this novel only if you are a big fan of legal stories and courtroom dramas without lot of drama.
September 20, 2021
Very good quick read. So nice to not only get the dialogue but also what the Maine character Jaywalker, the lawyer is thinking, or rather thought, as the book is written as a remembered time of his live. I really recommend it! Will read more of Teller’s books.
July 19, 2012
This novel was okay, but I kept feeling like it would have been better as a novella or Kindle single. Although well written, for me, the story went on much too long. It had a simple premise. The criminal defense attorney, Harrison J. Walker aka Jaywalker tells this story, how in the late 1980s, he defended in court a man named Alonzo Barnett who admitted he was “guilty” for buying and selling drugs. But, Jaywalker wondered if he was “guilty as sin.” Even a man admitting his own guilt deserved a jury trial.
Barnett told Jaywalker that while he was in jail in the past for drug crimes, a follower prisoner named Clarence Hightower offered to help Barnett out, to “save his life,” but told him that if he did, one day Barnett would owe him a debt. Barnett agreed to this as he really thought he might get killed in prison. Hightower gets him a job and thus he ends up getting some respect and passes his sentenced time with no major problems.
When Barnett gets out of jail, he manages to get his life together, and is doing okay, until one day, years later there is a knock on his door. Hightower wants Barnett to pay his debt.
Although Barnett is reluctant, he knows that this is something he must do. He sells drugs for Hightower, and when he gets caught, he knows that it will be back to prison and back to a life that he had so purposely tried to avoid.
There is a jury trial and I won't spoil what happens, but it was not suspenseful for me enough to hold my interest. But, I give this novel, three stars instead of two, since it was well written and perhaps others might feel differently than I did.
Barnett told Jaywalker that while he was in jail in the past for drug crimes, a follower prisoner named Clarence Hightower offered to help Barnett out, to “save his life,” but told him that if he did, one day Barnett would owe him a debt. Barnett agreed to this as he really thought he might get killed in prison. Hightower gets him a job and thus he ends up getting some respect and passes his sentenced time with no major problems.
When Barnett gets out of jail, he manages to get his life together, and is doing okay, until one day, years later there is a knock on his door. Hightower wants Barnett to pay his debt.
Although Barnett is reluctant, he knows that this is something he must do. He sells drugs for Hightower, and when he gets caught, he knows that it will be back to prison and back to a life that he had so purposely tried to avoid.
There is a jury trial and I won't spoil what happens, but it was not suspenseful for me enough to hold my interest. But, I give this novel, three stars instead of two, since it was well written and perhaps others might feel differently than I did.
August 8, 2011
I have always liked Teller's books. Jaywalker has a great sense of humour and usually gets me very excited to keep reading. I admit, though, some of these 'toss back' books, where the narration is not in the present, really get to me. I prefer the action of the present, the shock of what will happen. This one seemed more like a legal fable, or a life lesson for us all.
The story is decent, the characters are ok, but we don't really get anywhere with them, save the 'Charlie Brown-esque' wife who is in the background (possibly mumbling in a way only he can hear). No real connections with the ADA or anything... which is so Jaywalker, in my opinion.
I wish I had something more concrete to say... but I don't' I love the 'court transcript' style of direct and cross in his books... makes it all the more real.
So yeah, another book done!
The story is decent, the characters are ok, but we don't really get anywhere with them, save the 'Charlie Brown-esque' wife who is in the background (possibly mumbling in a way only he can hear). No real connections with the ADA or anything... which is so Jaywalker, in my opinion.
I wish I had something more concrete to say... but I don't' I love the 'court transcript' style of direct and cross in his books... makes it all the more real.
So yeah, another book done!
August 7, 2013
Redemption. That's the theme of the book. The message and the motive. But there's something else about this book. Don't get all excited, it's not something extraordinary at all. The book necessary isn't rich in plot as I hoped, but I "guess" the characters are. I'm going to keep this review short and end it in a few sentences. I kept hoping throughout the book there would be that certain plot twist or that "oh my god what just happened" moment. But there was none of that. I didn't like the way the author kept boasting the perfectness and praised Jay. We soon find out why (spoiler ish) that Jay is Joseph (the author). So I guess the story was okay. More about the journey. A good read but certainly not the best. Leaves you satisfied.
April 23, 2012
I'm sort of grading on a curve here, because this book is MUCH better written than anything else I've picked up at a rest stop on the PA Turnpike. It's a fast, enjoyable read, with a fun, basically plausible legal plot. (At least, it seemed pretty plausible to me. I'd be interested to know what my lawyer relatives think.) Also, I'm really glad that the hero was unapologetically trying to get his client off, and we're supposed to want him to get off, not because he didn't sell heroin (he did), but because it was sort-of-maybe entrapment, and the cops are trying some shady stuff, and he's not a bad guy. I'll have to try some more "Jaywalker cases."
March 25, 2016
A good courtroom drama as Jaywalker, criminal defense attorney, must defend a gentleman who is obviously guilty and admits it. Remarkably enough this is based on a true case that the author was involved with. Whenever I read these Jaywalker novels I can picture no one but Jeff Goldblum playing the part if it ever comes to film. Recommended.
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December 24, 2014Miniseries: A Jaywalker Case
April 16, 2013
Wonderful book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews