Guilty as Charged

by Scott Turow (Editor), Sarah Shankman, Jay Brandon

New York Times bestselling author Scott Turow edits this collection of stories that delivers gripping drama and masterfully pays homage to today's gritty legal thrillers. This book also includes an introduction by Turow, as its team of top-notch authors take unique perspectives on our criminal justice system with crackling courtroom cases and whodunit suspense.

Contents:

Introduction by Scott Turow
"Dogs and Fleas" by John Lutz
"Lou Monahan, County Prosecutor" by Andrew Klavan
"Real Life" by Sarah Shankman
"Knives at Midnight" by Marcia Muller
"Justice" by Stuart M. Kaminsky
"Cruel and Unusual" by Carolyn Wheat
"Grip" by Jay Brandon
"Beat Routine" by Stan Washburn
"Last Licks" by Valerie Frankel
"Turning the Witness" by Jeremiah Healy
"That Day at Eagle's Point" by Ed Gorman
"Celebrity and Justice for All" by John Jakes
"For the Good of the Firm" by Maynard F. Thomson
"Dead Drunk" by Lia Matera
"Court of Celestial Appeals" by Susan Dunlap
"Boobytrap" by Bill Pronzini

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery, Anthologies, Legal Thriller

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Scott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including IDENTICAL, INNOCENT, PRESUMED INNOCENT, and THE BURDEN OF PROOF, and two nonfiction books, including ONE L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good collection of short crime stories. The style of crime writing featured in this collection are mostly very contemporary, with one of the short stories, 'Last Licks' by Valerie Frankel, featuring a lot of sexual terminology as the story is based on the life of a sexual predator and killer. However, this anthology is certainly a mixed bag as there's a huge range of genres all related to crime writing.
The last story, as another example, 'Boobytrap' by Bill Pronzini has a rather humorous and ironic ending.

Recommended for readers of crime fiction.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONTENTS


▪️"Introduction" - Scott Turow

▪️"Dogs and Fleas" - John Lutz
▪️"Lou Monahan, County Prosecutor" - Andrew Klavan
▪️"Real Life" - Sarah Shankman
▪️"Knives at Midnight" - Marcia Muller
▪️"Justice" - Stuart M. Kaminsky
▪️"Cruel and Unusual" - Carolyn Wheat
▪️"The Grip" - Jay Brandon
▪️"Beat Routine" - Stan Washburn
▪️"Last Licks" - Valerie Frankel
▪️"Turning the Witness" - Jeremiah Healy
▪️"That Day at Eagle's Point" - Ed Gorman
▪️"Celebrity and Justice for All" - John Jakes
▪️"For the Good of the Firm" - Maynard F. Thomson
▪️"Dead Drunk" - Lia Matera
▪️"The Court of Celestial Appeals" - Susan Dunlap
▪️"Boobytrap" - Bill Pronzini


This is one of the Mystery Writers of America's more-or-less annual anthologies. The theme is stories about courts. The only story here that totally ignores that is "Beat Routine" by Stan Washburn.

I like most of these stories, with just a couple of exceptions. Susan Dunlap's "The Court of Celestial Appeals" is about a court for souls after death. This is not a topic that generally appeals to me; besides, it's been done much better in the past. (For example, "Conscience, Ltd." by Jack Williamson [Unknown Worlds, August, 1943].)

I think "Last Licks" by Valerie Frankel is in poor taste. Pun intended. This is about serial murders by cunnilingus. I have no idea if there is any validity to this murder method.

Some of these stories are extremely cynical, which I suspect is not inappropriate when considering the court system. The only story that is flat-out comical (well, almost) is "Real Life" by Sarah Shankman.

My favorite stories here are "Lou Monahan, County Prosecutor" by Andrew Klavan, "Cruel and Unusual" by Carolyn Wheat, "Turning the Witness" by Jeremiah Healy, and "That Day at Eagle's Point" by Ed Gorman. As I said before, though, I think most of the stories in this anthology are good.

BTW: Despite the information given above, this book is not just 10 pages long; it is 312 pages.

[Ella87 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audio today and didn't realize it was a tape of four different stories. I found the first story fascinating. I loved how the story took a turn in the end and the left you with the "aww" factor.
The other stories didn't do to much for me, but I kept listening just to see how the drama unfolded.

[Ronn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with short story collections, this is a mixed bag quality-wise. Enjoyable overall, but nothing compelling.