Loose Among the Lambs

Mark Blackwell #2

by Jay Brandon

Hoping the resolution of a child molestation case will further his reelection campaign, District Attorney Mark Blackwell is discouraged when the confessed perpetrator recants and the victims cannot identify him

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller

389 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story revolves around the trial of a man accused of being a pedophile by a young boy who earlier made the same accusation falsely about a neighbor who had treated him harshly, but not sexually. The main character, District Attorney Mark Blackwell is trying the case himself while running for re-election. Not only that, but the accused is a friend of his. His fellow prosecutor, Becky Schirhart, begs to speak out in the trial to help him. This is an unsavory subject which is handled rather well.

[Paula Galvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Blackwell, known to his old friends as Blackie, is the District Attorney of San Antonio, TX. With his reelection campaign looming in the background, Mark quickly focuses on catching a child molester preying on the children of his town. When his mentor and former DA, Elliot Quinn, approaches with the offender in tow, Mark offers this monster a plea deal to bolster his voters. What appears to be an uncomplicated arrest quickly morphs into a nightmare when a new victim, ten-year-old Tommy Algren, comes forward and identifies the accused molester’s attorney, Austin Paley, as the actual offender.

The story is quickly immersed in politics as the connected Austin calls in favors from his rich and powerful friends in high places to pressure Mark and his ADA, Becky, to drop the charges. But this only strengthens Mark’s determination to bring a child rapist to justice for his obscene crimes. The tense courtroom drama that follows is a study of the many complicated layers of the victim’s guilt and the psychological motivations of child abusers, who are often victims themselves. Jay Brandon has created solid, multi-sided characters with a fascinating story that uncovers bone-chilling evil and broken children in this complex legal thriller.

[The_Old_Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting with 5 stars...

-1/2 star
* The author needs to learn how to use 1) a comma after an introductory phrase at the start of a sentence and 2) commas before and after a non-restrictive phrase in the middle of a sentence. I was occasionally forced to reread a sentence multiple times to place missing commas mentally so I could grasp the intended meaning.

* Especially in the first half of the book, whitespace or a divider was often missing to indicate a scene change within a chapter.

-1 star As other reviewers have stated, the book reads a little slowly. That problem is balanced by the fact that the book is a page-turner. More dialog, less narrative would have helped the tempo.

+ 1/2 star The author had four opportunities to take a cheap, hackneyed approach to a situation. In three cases, the author put in the effort to produce an unexpected result.

[Jane Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

A page turner I couldn't put down, but more than that, a truly humane, inspiring story of good triumphing over evil. Riveting courtroom scenes, well written complex characters, highly recommended. A tough subject handled extremely well.

[Lesly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Jill Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good book. Just when you think you have it figured out, there's another twist. Although the crime is awful, the characters are well-described and very believable. Good dialog and good storyline - keeps you moving right along without getting bogged down in legalese (which can happen easily with legal thrillers/mysteries). It's a tragic story, but one that offers hope. I'll be reading more of Jay Brandon's books. By the way, he wrote the book, not Bill Grose. Not sure why Goodreads has Grose as the author; he was just someone who read the manuscript. Brandon's name is on the book itself.

[Susan Okeefe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow to get into. A district attorney's case against a fellow lawyer for molesting children.

[Christine]

Jay Brandon

[Donna Humble · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, the plot is a little predictable bt, in a good way.

[Jim Moffett · Rating 4 out of 5]

03-99

[Curlyhair · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read years ago. Good courtroom stuff.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

8

[Toesnorth's mom]

good!

[Jackie Simons]

Read 12/95

[Milothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great local flavor, writing style dry. Okay plot. Will try him again.