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Evangeline
Die Evangeline, eine hochmoderne Segelyacht der Superlative, ist in einem Sturm gesunken. Vierzehn Männer und Frauen konnten sich in ein Boot retten, darunter der Kapitän der Evangeline, Vincent Marlowe. Vincent Marlowe steht vor Gericht. Er ist für den Tod von sechs Menschen verantwortlich. Doch wird nicht die Frage verhandelt, ob er sie getötet hat. Verhandelt wird die Frage, ob er eine Wahl hatte – ob er wirklich tun musste, was er getan hat. Vor den Geschworenen steht ein Mann, der sich in höchster Not gezwungen sah, eine Entscheidung zu treffen: Menschen mussten sterben, damit andere leben konnten. Die erschütternden Aussagen von Marlowe und den anderen, ihm zutiefst dankbaren Überlebenden, bringen im überfüllten Gerichtssaal Stück für Stück eine Wahrheit ans Licht, über die zu richten mit von Menschen gemachten Gesetzen nicht mehr möglich ist.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2005
14 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
D.W. Buffa
34 books68 followersD.W. Buffa (full name: Dudley W. Buffa) was born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area. After graduation from Michigan State University, he studied under Leo Strauss, Joseph Cropsey and Hans J. Morgenthau at the University of Chicago where he earned both an M.A. and a Ph. D. in political science. He received his J.D. degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Buffa was a criminal defense attorney for 10 years and his seven Joseph Antonelli novels strive to reflect, from his own experience, what a courtroom lawyer does, the way he (or she) thinks, and the way he feels about what he does.
Buffa had been writing for pleasure for many years when Henry Holt and Co. decided to publish his first novel, The Defense, in 1997. The week it was published, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, the literary critic of the New York Times, called The Defense ‘an accomplished first novel" which ‘leaves you wanting to go back to the beginning and read it over again."
The Defense was followed by The Prosecution and then The Judgment, which was one of the five books nominated in 2002 for the Edgar Award as best novel of the year. While the first three novels are set in Portland, the author's fourth novel, The Legacy, takes place in San Francisco and is as much a political thriller as it is legal thriller. Star Witness tells the story of Stanley Roth, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, who is charged with murder of his famous movie star wife.
Breach of Trust, published in 2004, was considered by one critic as "one of the few books that fifty years from now will really matter." It offers readers a scintillating look at Washington politics. Buffa's seventh Joseph Antonelli novel, Trial by Fire, was released in 2005; in this latest Antonelli book, the focus is on the media and the role that television "Talking heads" increasingly play in very high profile criminal cases. Publishers Weekly says of Trial by Fire, "In this intelligent, gripping legal thriller... fast moving dialogue and fine sense of characterization keep the reader hanging on for the ride."
The author's last several novels reflect a subtle shift in storyline from D.W. Buffa's original 'judicial' arena into the the broader one of politics. Buffa has built a new series around protagonist Senator Bobby Hart, an Antonelli-type everyday hero of strong moral fiber who is willing to take on "The Establishment" for the betterment of his constituents...
D.W. Buffa lives in Northern California.
Buffa had been writing for pleasure for many years when Henry Holt and Co. decided to publish his first novel, The Defense, in 1997. The week it was published, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, the literary critic of the New York Times, called The Defense ‘an accomplished first novel" which ‘leaves you wanting to go back to the beginning and read it over again."
The Defense was followed by The Prosecution and then The Judgment, which was one of the five books nominated in 2002 for the Edgar Award as best novel of the year. While the first three novels are set in Portland, the author's fourth novel, The Legacy, takes place in San Francisco and is as much a political thriller as it is legal thriller. Star Witness tells the story of Stanley Roth, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, who is charged with murder of his famous movie star wife.
Breach of Trust, published in 2004, was considered by one critic as "one of the few books that fifty years from now will really matter." It offers readers a scintillating look at Washington politics. Buffa's seventh Joseph Antonelli novel, Trial by Fire, was released in 2005; in this latest Antonelli book, the focus is on the media and the role that television "Talking heads" increasingly play in very high profile criminal cases. Publishers Weekly says of Trial by Fire, "In this intelligent, gripping legal thriller... fast moving dialogue and fine sense of characterization keep the reader hanging on for the ride."
The author's last several novels reflect a subtle shift in storyline from D.W. Buffa's original 'judicial' arena into the the broader one of politics. Buffa has built a new series around protagonist Senator Bobby Hart, an Antonelli-type everyday hero of strong moral fiber who is willing to take on "The Establishment" for the betterment of his constituents...
D.W. Buffa lives in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 26, 2019
D.W. Buffa presents this intriguing standalone legal drama, leaving the reader to serve as thirteenth jury member. The Evangeline is a massive cruising sailboat, destined to make a major journey on its inaugural trip from Nice and around the African continent. However, while out at sea, something went terribly wrong and the few survivors turned up off the Brazilian coast forty days later. Among the six survivors is a body, obviously killed and feasted upon by the others. Captain Vincent Marlowe, one of the six who lived, is brought up on murder charges. Marlowe’s defence is that he had to authorise the killing of one to save the others. In a novel told almost exclusively in the courtroom, Buffa presents the case of the Evangeline and how Marlowe played a role in keeping those who were able to flee the boat’s sinking from perishing themselves. Could Marlowe have done anything else and still kept the survivors alive? What of the boat’s owner, who decided at the last minute not to take the voyage? Was the boat seaworthy? Buffa explores these questions and more in this scintillating story that will leave the reader wondering where they find themselves while the trial progresses and eventually awaiting the jury’s verdict. Recommended to those who love a great courtroom drama that has more twists than simple answers, as well as the reader who is a fan of Buffa’s other work.
I did some binge reading of D.W. Buffa not long ago, but held onto this one for a time. I picked it up during a flight home and could not put it down. How a case of murder on the seas could pull me in so readily surprised me, but Buffa’s style is one that tends to do that with ease. With a large cast of characters and some wonderful developments throughout, I could not help but feel as though I were in the front row of the jury box, weighing all the evidence. Marlowe comes across as less than remorseful, though he is calm in his presentation that there were no options other than to turn on one survivor. As the story moves along, new plot twists arrive with the various witnesses who testify, turning what would seem a fairly straightforward case on its head. The narrative moved along with ease and I was energized to see how things would turn out from the outset. Buffa knows how to lure an audience in and uses his legal experience to weave a tale like no other. This is one novel that does not sink, though I wish it had ascended onto my radar sooner!
Kudos, Mr. Buffa, for another wonderful novel. I cannot wait to see what else of yours I have yet to discover.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I did some binge reading of D.W. Buffa not long ago, but held onto this one for a time. I picked it up during a flight home and could not put it down. How a case of murder on the seas could pull me in so readily surprised me, but Buffa’s style is one that tends to do that with ease. With a large cast of characters and some wonderful developments throughout, I could not help but feel as though I were in the front row of the jury box, weighing all the evidence. Marlowe comes across as less than remorseful, though he is calm in his presentation that there were no options other than to turn on one survivor. As the story moves along, new plot twists arrive with the various witnesses who testify, turning what would seem a fairly straightforward case on its head. The narrative moved along with ease and I was energized to see how things would turn out from the outset. Buffa knows how to lure an audience in and uses his legal experience to weave a tale like no other. This is one novel that does not sink, though I wish it had ascended onto my radar sooner!
Kudos, Mr. Buffa, for another wonderful novel. I cannot wait to see what else of yours I have yet to discover.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
March 29, 2020
An interesting and horrific story, revealed to the reader piece by piece in a form of a court case.
It's an easy novel to fly through and it's hard to make a book about this topic not terribly fascinating. However, I wasn't a fan of the ending and some things around the end (even though there was one nice little twist) and don't think the private chapters of the lawyer added a lot for me.
The big draw of the book is forming your own opinion as the jury does: Is Marlowe a murderer or savior? While I was intruiged by the details revealed about what happened on the boat and learning about the characters and their motivations, the author never managed to shake my opinion about Marlowe and the whole situation.
With a book like this, everyone will either start with the believe of "nothing justifies such action" or "it obviously saved people's life, so even if it's unthinkable it it justified" and the novel never made me even so much as question my base opinion. If Marlowe had been more of a polarizing character or there were some more effective twists, this might have been the case, but as it is I was never confused nor worried about him.
I mean it's still a really good story but it never inspired any (emotional) reaction apart from what comes naturally with this topic.
It's an easy novel to fly through and it's hard to make a book about this topic not terribly fascinating. However, I wasn't a fan of the ending and some things around the end (even though there was one nice little twist) and don't think the private chapters of the lawyer added a lot for me.
The big draw of the book is forming your own opinion as the jury does: Is Marlowe a murderer or savior? While I was intruiged by the details revealed about what happened on the boat and learning about the characters and their motivations, the author never managed to shake my opinion about Marlowe and the whole situation.
With a book like this, everyone will either start with the believe of "nothing justifies such action" or "it obviously saved people's life, so even if it's unthinkable it it justified" and the novel never made me even so much as question my base opinion. If Marlowe had been more of a polarizing character or there were some more effective twists, this might have been the case, but as it is I was never confused nor worried about him.
I mean it's still a really good story but it never inspired any (emotional) reaction apart from what comes naturally with this topic.
December 19, 2009
A luxurious boat sunk. A few passengers could save themselves, on a little boat, surviving days without food and water. But how? And how far can one go to stay alive? And whose fault was the accident of the "Evangeline" in the first place?
Gripping, exciting and a very good read. This little book questions ethics and the moral of men, without trying to lecture.
Gripping, exciting and a very good read. This little book questions ethics and the moral of men, without trying to lecture.
December 18, 2024
Für mich eines der besten, wenn nicht sogar das beste Buch meines Lesejahres 2024. Unbedingt lesen!!!!!!
September 7, 2012
Good quick court room thriller.
January 7, 2019
A book told almost exclusively through the court case. A shipwreck and it’s aftermath. The moral dilemmas are raised and who can say what they would do in such a situation.
February 4, 2024
Massive court case based on a large luxury sailing ship sinking.
Lawyers duke it out.
Some gruesome sections are necessary.
Thought provoking.
Lawyers duke it out.
Some gruesome sections are necessary.
Thought provoking.
January 11, 2025
Too much courtroom not enough story
August 12, 2025
While reviewers refer to "Moby Dick", I found more of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" or a dramatization of the ill-fated Donner Party than with Ahab, in D.W. Buffa's extraordinary book, "The Evangeline".
"It was remarkable, what he did, but how many of us are willing to admit it? And perhaps it is better if we do not; better to preserve our own decent illusion that murder and cannibalism can never be right." Despite the startling reference to cannibalism, these words, in the context of Buffa's book, are soothing and clarifying. They are spoken by an aging attorney, William Darnell, to his best friend Dr. Summer Blaine, while they await the jury's decision as to the fate of Darnell's client, Vincent Marlowe.
Marlowe has been tried on the charge of murder, and he insisted on his guilt. But the circumstances and his actions were driven, not with murderous intent, but with the highest of moral principles. Darnell tells us, "What happened out there was, in a way, almost biblical. It was the way things must have happened in the beginning, before there was any law, when everyone did whatever they had to do to stay alive -- until someone had the wisdom to establish a rule and the strength to make everyone follow it. Someone had to fight violence with violence."
Such is the dilemma that Buffa sets out for the reader, as he examines the inherent conflicts between the nature of law, and its applications; between the nature of man, and his actions under unique, believable and unbearable circumstances. "The Evangeline" was published in Europe and Australia, where book publishers appear to have greater respect for the intelligence of their readers, than do those in the United States where it is available on-line but not in print. Not as gruesome or ghoulish as a typical Patterson or Cornwell book, "The Evangeline" has somehow been informally banned in America. A pity, to be sure, as Buffa is an intelligent and sensitive writer, whose references to moral imperatives and justice are deeply rooted in literature, with antecedents in Conrad's iconic Marlow character in "Heart of Darkness", and multiple philosophical challenges.
As a story teller and writer, D.W. Buffa is among the best of the current mix, along with Turow, Leon and Grisham. His sense of irony is supported by an undercurrent of honor and justice. His observations about human nature are evoked through enjoyable and insightful dialogues among several believable, realistic and multifaceted characters. They speak in their own voices, and interact as people do. Not always perfect; often flawed. But always human and true the story.
"The Evangeline" is available to American readers who are diligent enough to search the internet, or in second-hand stores. Though his exceptional Joseph Antonelli character -- known to us from his seven earlier novels -- is nowhere to be seen, the older William Darnell, with weakened heart and shortness of breath, is a sage and attractive hero. Darnell's love for his longtime friend, herself no longer young, is refreshing and brings depth and welcome warmth to this otherwise challenging and highly stimulating book.
"It was remarkable, what he did, but how many of us are willing to admit it? And perhaps it is better if we do not; better to preserve our own decent illusion that murder and cannibalism can never be right." Despite the startling reference to cannibalism, these words, in the context of Buffa's book, are soothing and clarifying. They are spoken by an aging attorney, William Darnell, to his best friend Dr. Summer Blaine, while they await the jury's decision as to the fate of Darnell's client, Vincent Marlowe.
Marlowe has been tried on the charge of murder, and he insisted on his guilt. But the circumstances and his actions were driven, not with murderous intent, but with the highest of moral principles. Darnell tells us, "What happened out there was, in a way, almost biblical. It was the way things must have happened in the beginning, before there was any law, when everyone did whatever they had to do to stay alive -- until someone had the wisdom to establish a rule and the strength to make everyone follow it. Someone had to fight violence with violence."
Such is the dilemma that Buffa sets out for the reader, as he examines the inherent conflicts between the nature of law, and its applications; between the nature of man, and his actions under unique, believable and unbearable circumstances. "The Evangeline" was published in Europe and Australia, where book publishers appear to have greater respect for the intelligence of their readers, than do those in the United States where it is available on-line but not in print. Not as gruesome or ghoulish as a typical Patterson or Cornwell book, "The Evangeline" has somehow been informally banned in America. A pity, to be sure, as Buffa is an intelligent and sensitive writer, whose references to moral imperatives and justice are deeply rooted in literature, with antecedents in Conrad's iconic Marlow character in "Heart of Darkness", and multiple philosophical challenges.
As a story teller and writer, D.W. Buffa is among the best of the current mix, along with Turow, Leon and Grisham. His sense of irony is supported by an undercurrent of honor and justice. His observations about human nature are evoked through enjoyable and insightful dialogues among several believable, realistic and multifaceted characters. They speak in their own voices, and interact as people do. Not always perfect; often flawed. But always human and true the story.
"The Evangeline" is available to American readers who are diligent enough to search the internet, or in second-hand stores. Though his exceptional Joseph Antonelli character -- known to us from his seven earlier novels -- is nowhere to be seen, the older William Darnell, with weakened heart and shortness of breath, is a sage and attractive hero. Darnell's love for his longtime friend, herself no longer young, is refreshing and brings depth and welcome warmth to this otherwise challenging and highly stimulating book.
May 7, 2010
This book is devastating, but fascinating. It makes you feel like a voyeur of the worst kind, and at the same time makes you thankful that you're not really taking part in any of it. As a reader, you spend almost the whole story in a courtroom as details about past events, for which the defendant is charged with murder, unfold... and I was literally up all night because I couldn't tear myself away from the story. It's tragic, it's shocking, it's gruesome, it's heroic... how can a situation be all those things at once? But Buffa pulls it off. He has a way with twists and turns that leave you always surprised. This was my second time reading it and it was just as heart wrenching as the first, but still just as excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2012
Evangeline, the finest ship of her kind, built to sail anywhere in the world, sinks in a ferocious storm off the coast of Africa. A single lifeboat with fourteen people crowded into it gets away. Forty days later, a thousand miles from South America, six survivors are rescued from the sea. One of them, the captain Vincent Marlowe, is charged with murder. His only defense is that it was necessary to kill some to save the others.
I really enjoyed this story, especially in light of the recent sinking of the Costa Concordia of the coast of Tuscan, Italy. The dilema that Marlowe and the other survivors struggled with in setting up a lottery of whom would be killed next made the story.
I really enjoyed this story, especially in light of the recent sinking of the Costa Concordia of the coast of Tuscan, Italy. The dilema that Marlowe and the other survivors struggled with in setting up a lottery of whom would be killed next made the story.
February 23, 2011
I was surprised at how caught up in this I became. Ostensibly a courtroom drama, a murder trial, told from POV of defense attorney. Raises, and handles, many interesting moral/ethical questions regarding murder "of necessity". Brilliant.
August 5, 2014
Amazing!
Amazing!
Well written. The moral and ethical dilemma is hard to wrap your mind around. All anyone can say is they hope to never have to find out what they would do.
Amazing!
Well written. The moral and ethical dilemma is hard to wrap your mind around. All anyone can say is they hope to never have to find out what they would do.
November 18, 2014
Great book that kept me on the edge of my seat. VERY repetitive though. I'm not sure why the author felt the need to repeat the details of the boat accident ad nauseam. Quite a moral dilemma and I couldn't wait to read the outcome.
September 10, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much, great story. If it hadn't been for so many repetitions I would have loved it.
May 1, 2014
A good read
September 6, 2014
The book was captivating from the very beginning although it got a bit repetitive. But the ending was riveting and it was a great read overall.
January 29, 2015
Mamma mia!
August 11, 2016
Powerful! And we'll told.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews