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A Good Conviction
Imagine yourself if Sing Sing prison, convicted of a murder you did not commit. How do you survive? How do you keep hope alive that your life will ever again be anything but terror and pain? Then it gets worse.you begin to suspect that the Manhattan prosecutor who tried your case knew you were actually innocent.
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2007
About the author
Lewis M. Weinstein
10 books511 followersReading the reviews of my GR friends, and sometimes adding a comment, is a great way for me to start my day in a literary frame of mind. Then I turn to my own research and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2012
Well written book about a young man accused of a murder he did not commmit, and an out of control assistant district attorney determined to find him guilty, even though the evidence points to someone else. The story grabbed me right at the beginning and the tension kept building. Evidence was not turned over to the defense which crippled their case and Josh (the protagonist) was sentenced to 20 to life. Interesting characters, from Josh's attorneys, detectives, friends, and fellow inmates, who all work to free him from prison -- and the DA's office fighting to keep him there.
Prosecutorial abuse happened in Ft. Collins, Colorado (I'm from Denver). Tim Masters was accused of murder, gets life sentence, nine years into his sentence an attorney who believed in him kept pushing, new evidence, and it is discovered that the lead detective held back evidence which could have helped Masters at trial. Lucky for Masters, he was released, but he lost nine years of his life. Unfortunately, this type of prosecutorial abuse goes on all over our country. Rarely, if ever, are the DA's or detectives held accountable -- but in Master's case, the detective has been indicted.
I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it.
Prosecutorial abuse happened in Ft. Collins, Colorado (I'm from Denver). Tim Masters was accused of murder, gets life sentence, nine years into his sentence an attorney who believed in him kept pushing, new evidence, and it is discovered that the lead detective held back evidence which could have helped Masters at trial. Lucky for Masters, he was released, but he lost nine years of his life. Unfortunately, this type of prosecutorial abuse goes on all over our country. Rarely, if ever, are the DA's or detectives held accountable -- but in Master's case, the detective has been indicted.
I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it.
August 20, 2012
An article by Angela Davis in the NYT (8/20/12) picks up the theme of my novel. A few excerpts ...
... Prosecutors are the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system. They decide whether criminal charges should be brought and what those charges should be, and they exercise almost boundless discretion in making those crucial decisions.
... Unchecked power in the hands of prosecutors is as much a threat to our democracy as it is with any other government official.
... Equally problematic is the fact that the charging and plea bargaining decisions are made behind closed doors, and prosecutors are not required to justify or explain these decisions to anyone.
... The lack of transparency in the prosecution function also leads to misconduct, like the failure to turn over exculpatory evidence -- a common occurrence made famous by the prosecutors in the Duke lacrosse and Senator Ted Stevens cases.
Angela J. Davis is a professor of law at American University. She is a former director of the D.C. Public Defender Service and the author of "Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor."
In my novel "A Good Conviction," a young man is convicted of a murder he did not commit by a NYC prosecutor who hid the evidence of his innocence. The story begins in Sing Sing prison where Joshua Blake wakes up and desperately grabs at a memory he hopes will help him return to his once promising life.
... "Deep in the murky water, the man’s face reappears, staring at me intently, a puzzled expression in his eyes. And – finally – I know the face."
You can read the prologue of "A Good Conviction" at ... http://lewweinsteinauthorblog.com/201...
... Prosecutors are the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system. They decide whether criminal charges should be brought and what those charges should be, and they exercise almost boundless discretion in making those crucial decisions.
... Unchecked power in the hands of prosecutors is as much a threat to our democracy as it is with any other government official.
... Equally problematic is the fact that the charging and plea bargaining decisions are made behind closed doors, and prosecutors are not required to justify or explain these decisions to anyone.
... The lack of transparency in the prosecution function also leads to misconduct, like the failure to turn over exculpatory evidence -- a common occurrence made famous by the prosecutors in the Duke lacrosse and Senator Ted Stevens cases.
Angela J. Davis is a professor of law at American University. She is a former director of the D.C. Public Defender Service and the author of "Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor."
In my novel "A Good Conviction," a young man is convicted of a murder he did not commit by a NYC prosecutor who hid the evidence of his innocence. The story begins in Sing Sing prison where Joshua Blake wakes up and desperately grabs at a memory he hopes will help him return to his once promising life.
... "Deep in the murky water, the man’s face reappears, staring at me intently, a puzzled expression in his eyes. And – finally – I know the face."
You can read the prologue of "A Good Conviction" at ... http://lewweinsteinauthorblog.com/201...
May 18, 2013
Poor Josh Blake. He just moved to NYC from Baltimore to begin law school at NYU. Before he has a chance to settle in, he is arrested for the Central Park murder of an elderly woman. He is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Sing Sing. Needless to say, he is completely innocent, but no one seems to care and it looks like he will spend the rest of his life in prison. However, a detective, a reporter, a lawyer and a prostitute take his pleas of innocent seriously and set out to overturn his conviction. It is no easy task because the judges, the prosecutors and the police consider the case closed and just want to move onto the next case. What happens to Josh? Read the book and find out, and learn something about the American criminal justice system at the same time. The book is face-paced and well-researched. It is a good read in every sense of the term.
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April 24, 2016I found myself not wanting to put the book down. The theme of the book feels like it was taken right out of today’s headlines. Joshua Blake has graduated university and will be starting law school in the fall. He has come to Manhattan to work in a law firm for the summer. Suddenly Joshua finds himself arrested, convicted and in Sing Sing all for a crime he did not commit nor was he near the area of the crime. We follow “Team Blake” as they try to prove Joshua innocent.
The book is well written and researched. I began to hate the pompous ADA Claiborne. Weinstein can create a great bad guy. The character development is excellent and the plot development is good. The pace is fast but did slow down a bit in the middle of the book. The ending left me feeling good. The book is 400 pages long. I read this as an e-book from Amazon.
The book is well written and researched. I began to hate the pompous ADA Claiborne. Weinstein can create a great bad guy. The character development is excellent and the plot development is good. The pace is fast but did slow down a bit in the middle of the book. The ending left me feeling good. The book is 400 pages long. I read this as an e-book from Amazon.
December 6, 2012
A GOOD CONVICTION tells the story of a young man who comes to New York City, expecting to start law school. Instead, he is arrested and convicted of a murder he did not commit by a prosecutor who knew he was innocent. The story opens in SIng Sing prison.
I invite you to read more reviews at ... http://www.amazon.com/Good-Conviction...
A good Conviction is available in paper (at amazon) and on KINDLE/NOOK ($5.99)
I invite you to read more reviews at ... http://www.amazon.com/Good-Conviction...
A good Conviction is available in paper (at amazon) and on KINDLE/NOOK ($5.99)
October 31, 2017
Once again Lewis Weinstein does not disappoint. He is one of my favorite authors!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews