Product Description
Nothing so changed nineteenth-century America as did the railroad. Growing up together, the iron horse and the young nation developed a fast friendship. Railroad Crossing is the story of what happened to that friendship, particularly in California, and it illuminates the chaos that was industrial America from the middle of the nineteenth century through the first decade of the twentieth.
Americans clamored for the progress and prosperity that railroads would surely bring, and no railroad was more crucial for California than the transcontinental line linking East to West. With Gold Rush prosperity fading, Californians looked to the railroad as the state's new savior. But social upheaval and economic disruption came down the tracks along with growth and opportunity.
Analyzing the changes wrought by the railroad, William Deverell reveals the contradictory roles that technology and industrial capitalism played in the lives of Americans. That contrast was especially apparent in California, where the gigantic corporate "Octopus"--the Southern Pacific Railroad--held near-monopoly status. The state's largest employer and biggest corporation, the S.P. was a key provider of jobs and transportation--and wielder of tremendous political and financial clout.
Deverell's lively study is peopled by a rich and disparate cast: railroad barons, newspaper editors, novelists, union activists, feminists, farmers, and the railroad workers themselves. Together, their lives reflect the many tensions--political, social, and economic--that accompanied the industrial transition of turn-of-the-century America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

first-rate
In looking at the Southern Pacific railroad from the perspective of the various people who resisted or opposed it, Deverell tells an intriguing story. Rather than the triumphalist approach of so much railroad history (along with their mixture of both admiring and condemming the "robber barons"), Deverell lets us see and evaluate the changes the railroad brought to California-both physically and mentally. Along the way, he takes a fresh look at the Progressives' anti-railroad politics, and the confrontation at Mussel Slough-the violent incident around with Frank Norris wrote his masterful, sweeping "Novel of California," The Octopus. This is first-rate California history.

For Specialist's and Grad Students Only
Reads like a dissertation (which it is).Aside from the exhaustive bibliography, I can think of a reason for recommending this book (unless you are a graduate student working in the area of the history of California 1850-1910, which I'm not).

Deverell didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, which is a little dissapointing since I have only a light background in this area (i.e. The first three volumes of Kevin Starr's history of California, Fragmented Metropolis by Fogelson and The Octopus by Frank Norris).

It's a suprisingly short book with only six chapters.The first chapter handles early reactions to the coming of the transcontiential railroad (Mostly positive).The second chapter covers slightly later reaction to the railroad (mostly positive, some negative).The third chapter discusses the Pullman Strike inCalifonia.In my opinion, this was the stand out chapter of the work.

Chapter four covers the Los Angeles "Free Harbor Fight". This chapter is largely duplicated in "Fragmented Metropolis".Chapter five covers written opposition to the railroad, with a close up of Frank Norris' "The Octopus".Chapter six covers "Progressives and the Railroad"(they didn't like it.)

At this point, I'm ready to never read anything about the California Progressive movement ever again.They are, simply put, a boring, hypocritical bunch.

Again, if you're looking for a book with a good guide to the less accesible literature in within the field (academic journals, etc.) this book does have an excellent bibliography.Otherwise, you might want to just stick to the more well known works in the field of California history and skip this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This bestselling sequel to the award-winning April Fool is a fastpaced, laugh-out-loud story of madness, murder, and mayhem.

Is someone systematically killing the judges of the B.C. bar? At least one has been murdered and several have disappeared. Arthur Beauchamp returns from retirement once again to take on the case, this time defending his former nemesis, backwoods poet Cudworth Brown, and tracking down a mystery novel that Brown’s demented former lawyer has been writing – all this just as his own wife, Margaret, has announced her candidacy for the Green Party in a forthcoming federal by-election.

Complex, madcap, and peopled with some of the most delightfully eccentric characters to be found between two covers, Kill All the Judges more than proves William Deverell’s mastery of the hilarious crime novel.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Superb Read
Brilliant. Brilliant. A superb book that gives its reader many things: laughter, a good, tight mystery and an insider's view of the real - and frequently corrupt - world of lawyers and judges.

Why William Deverell is not a household name in Canada is somebody's - somewhere- fault. This is very good writing and I strongly recommend it.

Declan Hill ... Read more

Product Description
In bestselling Deverell’s latest hilarious mystery, Arthur Beauchamp moves to Ottawa, and all hell breaks loose

Arthur Beauchamp has followed his wife, the leader and first elected member of the Green Party, to Ottawa. But he hates it there: the cold, the politics, and his place in his wife’s shadow. So when a delegation of government officials from Bhashyistan is blown sky high on Bronson Avenue and the shares of a Calgary-based oil company promptly drop like a stone, Arthur is only too happy to jump to the defence of the missing suspected assassin.

Deverell’s latest Arthur Beauchamp novel cranks the wily old lawyer’s adventures up several notches, and then some. It’s wildly imaginative, utterly Canadian, and irresistibly funny.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Island reading
This book is well written and a fun read.I especially enjoyed the parallels with current day Gulf Island life and Canadian politics. ... Read more

Product Description
An irresistible story of justice heading off the rails.

Arthur Beauchamp, the scholarly, self-doubting legend of the B.C. criminal bar (and one of Deverell’s most amiable — and crafty — protagonists), is enjoying his retirement as a hobbyist farmer on B.C.’s Garibaldi Island when he is dragged back to court to defend an old client. Nick “the Owl” Faloon, once one of the world’s top jewel thieves, has been accused of raping and murdering a psychologist. Beauchamp has scarcely registered how unlikely it is that the diminutive Faloon has hurt anyone when his own personal life takes an abrupt turn. His new wife, Margaret Blake, organic farmer and environmental activist, has taken up residence fifty feet above ground in a tree she is determined to save for the eagles and from the loggers. Beauchamp shuttles between Vancouver and the island, doing what he can to save the tree and get his wife back — and defend Faloon.

Part courtroom thriller, part classic whodunit, April Fool sees Deverell writing at the top of his form as he puts these characters through some entertaining and very surprising twists and turns.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Deverell - an amusing and creative author
if you like the law and a mystery this is the book for you.Deverell breaks down the stuffiness of the law courts with an interesting and amusing look at the characters, judges, felons etc.Great read.

Very enjoyable crime novel with a unique style and nice sense of place
April Fool marks the return of one of Deverell's most beloved characters; Arthur Beauchamp, a Denny Crane-esque legal legend now retired to a hobby farm on one of British Columbia's Gulf Islands. Beauchamp's quiet life is upturned when his environmental activist wife decides to protest logging by living in a tree, at the same time as a roguish ex-client is accused of a heinous rape and murder.

The heroically fallible Beauchamp is forced onto an entertaining rollercoaster combining courtroom thriller with mystery whodunit. For readers, Deverell's unique writing style - melding quirky characters, witty dialogue, contemporary themes, and literary touches into a richly authentic Canadian setting, makes the ride all the more worthwhile. Recommended.

Great follow up
Great follow up book to Trial of Passion. Arthur Beauchamp is again a great pleasure. Another excellent read from Deverell. ... Read more

Product Description
William Deverell’s 11th novel is an adventure thriller layered with startling twists. All that Maggie Schneider, a romance writer from wintry Saskatoon, wants is a glorious holiday in the tropics and maybe a little real romance to reawaken her creative juices. What she gets instead, soon after she arrives in Costa Rica, is a nasty surprise. First she is robbed of most of her money. Then she is kidnapped and held for ransom somewhere in the steamy jungle by self-styled revolutionaries led by a charismatic man with a mysterious background. Kidnapped along with Maggie is the vivacious wife of a U.S. senator who has presidential ambitions.

While the two women learn to deal with their captors, Jacques Cardinal, a jaded eco-tour guide who is desperately seeking to free himself from the demons of his past, undertakes a daring undercover rescue mission.

Comical and fast-paced – and drawn from true events – The Laughing Falcon transports readers to the lush rainforest of Costa Rica, where the author himself has lived for much of the last 20 years.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Laughing Falcon
Initially I picked this book up only because it's set in Costa Rica, a country that I'm interested in.it is outside of my usual genre but I did enjoy it.

A group of strangers comes together in Costa Rica as a result of the kidnappings of Gloria-May Walker, wife of a Senator, and Maggie Schneider, Canadian writer.Will they survive their ordeal?Who's on which side?There are many plot twists in this book to keep the reader entertained until the end.

The Laughing Falcon
I was a bit disappointed with Bill Deverell this time. The Laughing Falcon came across as a bit of a romance novel rather than an adventure and it seemed as though it was written by a woman rather than a man. I found it drippy and boring in parts. Not enough action for me. It's still worth 3 stars if only because its written by Deverell. ... Read more

Product Description
Award-winner William Deverell proves that when you mess with a psychiatrist’s mind, anything can happen

Psychiatrist Dr. Tim Dare’s life is falling apart: his wife has just left him, he’s being hauled before a disciplinary committee, and now someone’s threatening to kill him

In his gripping new novel, Mind Games, William Deverell returns to the intriguing territory of the law and lawyers and of human psychology and motivation, and he does so in familiar Deverell surroundings: the streets, courtrooms, and waters of Vancouver.

Dr. Tim Dare is a forensic psychiatrist whose life is in a mess: his wife has just left him to find herself; his mother is being sued for libel by a small-town mayor over a mystery novel; he’s been made the monitor of a man just out of psychiatric hospital, a man he considers a psychopathic murderer; he’s being hauled before a disciplinary committee for “misplacing” a file; one of his patients is “transferring” feelings to him rather too romantically; and now someone’s threatening to kill him. He can’t even get into an elevator without falling apart. No wonder he thinks he needs to see a shrink himself. Under the guidance of fellow psychiatrist Dr. Allison Epstein, Dare gradually learns how to face the demons within – and those in the real world that are really out to get him.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Unusual Technique to Tell a Mystery
Forensic psychiatrist, Timothy Dare, is quietly unraveling from personal and professional problems. His wife has left him, he's under investigation for professional misconduct, his mother's being sued, a newly divorced woman is obsessed with him, he has unresolved father issues, and one of his patients might be killing gay men. So I guess we can forgive his endless self-pitying journals and angst in therapy sessions with psychiatrist Allison Epstein.

When I picked up this book, I expected a complicated, well-written mystery, which is what I got, but not right away. The many pages of psychological turmoil detracted from the murders so much that I was wondering if I was reading a mystery at all. The first murder appeared on page 112 (although earlier crimes were referred to), the second occurred on page 150 of this 297-page novel, and that's when the murder mystery began to take center stage.

Using the turmoil of a protagonist and his dreams to provide Dare with clues about catching the killer was a technique that didn't quite work for me; yet once Dare put his own troubles aside to start some serious investigating, things became more intriguing. For readers interested in a closer look at the ups and downs of psychiatrist/patient relationships, though, Mind Games is a good choice.

Debra
{[ASIN:096992111X Fatal Encryption (Alex Bellamy mystery)]]
Taxed to Death (1st in Alex Bellamy Series)

An outstanding psychological drama!
Dr Timothy Dare is a forensic psychiatrist working as a consultant for the criminal courts in Vancouver. His wife, unquestionably the light of his life, has just left him and is having an affair with a man he is certain is a pedophile. His mother is being sued for libel over her portrayal of a serial killer in a novel. As if that isn't bad enough, Dare becomes convinced there's a real homophobic copycat killer on the loose taking his cues from her novel and targeting homosexual men in Vancouver. He's been appointed to closely monitor a man recently released from prison who makes no bones about having murdered his previous psychiatrist. Last but not least, a gorgeous nymphomaniac is stalking him. She's got more baggage than the Grand Trunk Railway and when Dare rejects her advances, she hauls him up before a disciplinary committee for "inappropriate conduct". Now he's receiving notes from somebody who "knows where he lives" and is threatening to kill him. Little wonder then that he recognizes he's a mental wreck and could use a little psychiatric couch time himself!

I read the editorial reviews expecting a fast-paced heavy duty psychological thriller but was quite surprised to find that, much like Jonathan Kellerman's "Silent Partner", the murder and violence takes second place to the narration of the internal turmoil of Dr Dare and his analyst, Allison Epstein. The story unfolds primarily through first person narration and conversation as Dr Dare is poked and prodded into revealing his inner demons in the warm, quiet environment of Dr Epstein's office. As opposed to a Hollywood thriller, Deverell treats us to a warm, compelling human drama driven by an exciting set of plots and sub-plots that are kept well under control and come to their resolution in an entirely credible fashion.

By the way, while I am biased about this, I'll add that the whole thing had a distinctly ... well ... understated Canadian flavour to it! Even if I was pressed, I don't think I could identify where it came from but I'm quite certain it was there and it certainly added considerably to my enjoyment. Well done, Mr Deverell! One more notch on your belt and another title in an ever expanding collection of terrific novels! My thanks to you.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

High Crimes on the High Seas
High Crimes is the best of William Deverell's books, and they're all great. This one follows a couple of Newfoundlanders on a drug deal, and the flavour and personality of the true Newf comes straight through the text. Highly entertaining, exciting, funny and, I suspect, more accurate than most of us realize. A book to be read again and again. ... Read more

Product Description
Lawyer Foster Cobb prosecutes the mysterious Dr. Au, the West Coast's primary drug trafficker. But Cobb-under pressure of a failing practice and a disintegrating marriage-has himself taken up a long-abandoned heroin habit. With a racing plot and dramatic flip-flops, this literary page-turner takes the reader into the seedy underground of crooked cops, drug lords, and a supercharged courtroom scene. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

gripping tense good ending
a sad loner who finds things running away from himtense and gripping ... Read more

Product Description
Galka Scheyer, Walter and Louise Arensberg, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Will Connell, Lloyd Wright, Norman Bel Geddes, Edward Weston, John Cage, Anais Nin, Jake Zeitlin, Merle Armitage, Harriet and Sam Freeman, and several dozen other artists and designers--this was a circle, not just a loose network of acquaintances. The modernist pioneers of Los Angeles art and architecture made statements in their work and legacies, but they were every bit as much a community as they were individual satellites of expression. These people gathered in solidarity, they met as friends and lovers, and they shared excitement over their important breaks with tradition. In modest but lasting ways, they changed Los Angeles forever. There is history in that, and there is inspiration as well. This book is about a secret Los Angeles, a Los Angeles filled with optimism about a different kind of "city of the future." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a Scene!
The Los Angeles story has many parts, some better known than others. Writers have carefully detailed the city's social and environmental challenges, and Hollywood has never lacked for attention. But this book tells a fresher story about a relatively small but energetic group of Los Angeles painters, architects, and photographers whose early 20th-century modernism retains an extraordinary vitality.With its copious photos and illustrations (many in color), this book documents the lives and work of that scene's major figures (Edward Weston, Will Connell, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, etc.) along with dozens of others who made significant contributions to the modernist project. USC historian William Deverell provides a trenchant introduction. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Los Angeles came of age in the 1920s. The great boom of that decade gave shape to the L.A. of today: its vast suburban sprawl and reliance on the automobile, its prominence as a financial and industrial center, and the rise of Hollywood as the film capital of the world. This collection of original essays explores the making of the Los Angeles metropolis during this remarkable decade. The authors examine the city's racial, political, cultural, and industrial dynamics, making this volume an essential guide to understanding the rise of Los Angeles as one of the most important cities in the world.

These essays showcase the work of a new generation of scholars who are turning their attention to the history of the City of Angels to create a richer, more detailed picture of our urban past. The essays provide a fascinating look at life in the new suburbs, in the oil fields, in the movie studios, at church, and at the polling place as they reconceptualize the origins of contemporary urban problems and promise in Los Angeles and beyond. Adding to its interest, the volume is illustrated with period photography, much of which has not been published before. ... Read more

Product Description
Arthur Beauchamp, a heralded criminal lawyer, has moved to a quiet island off the British Columbia coast. While trying to recover from a marriage gone sour, his retirement is interrupted by his former law partners-they want Arthur to take charge of the defense trial of Jonathan O'Donnell, the acting dean of a law school. O'Donnell has been accused of rape by one of the students, Kimberley Martin, a smart but arrogant woman who is engaged to a rich businessman. After much pleading, Beauchamp agrees to handle the case. He is drawn into complex legal situations dealing with gender and sex, while his personal life takes a provocative turn as well. A courtroom drama ensues, with unpredictable twists and bizarre events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Read!
What a great read. Arthur Beauchamp is an very interesting character and so are all his island friends. Wild ending. Another must read!

Delightful!
Well, I shoved the rest of my life aside for this one.What a treasure!Charming, witty, with hilarious portrayals of Arthur Beauchamp's island neighbours....On the other hand, an extremely intelligent and surprisingexamination of sexual passion gone awry -- with a courtroom trial thatended in a way that I'd never have suspected.A thoroughly engrossingstory, written with depth and compassion for every character.A sumptuousfeast -- read it!

An award winning novel and a fine book
Trial of Passion has just been awarded the Hammett Prize from the NorthAmerican Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers, honoringa work of literary excellence in the crime writing field. If you like aintelligent, literate, and witty novel, this one's for you. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

MKUltra, the Mafia and an enjoyable plot
The novel is set in a lovingly described Montreal of the 80s, where Kellen O'Reilly is a detective with a buried past. He has been subject to mind control experiments carried out in the name of the CIA in the 60s and the psychological consequences of this experience are coming back to haunt him - or are they? The doctor responsible for the programme is being taken to court, but evidence is strangely sparse; O'Reilly is not willing to become a witness, partly for fear of losing his job and partly because the only memories he has of the crucial three months in question are the terrifying, fragmented flashbacks he suffers with increasing frequency. The tension continues to build as mafia involvement in the funding of experiments come clear and the Family take an interest in hushing up witnesses.

The plot background draws on actual CIA research in their MKUltra project, though the specifics remain a secret; the context is well used in the novel without being overused as a plot device. Enjoyable, fast-paced and with strong characterisations, this is a recommended read.

the development of torture in the USA
This is not a thriller but a real story with documented archives that can be found in Montreal.
Are you surprised by what is happening in Irak? Read this book and you will understand how the USA has been developping torture, in this case, in psychiatric hospitals and with prisonners since the beginning of the century. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published as Fatal Cruise — now in trade paperback, with a new foreword by the author.

This is the true story of a bizarre murder and the controversial trial that took place in Victoria, B.C., and made headlines across Canada. It is also the story of Robert Frisbee, who, after a scarred early life, became the secretary and friend of Muriel and Philip Barnett. Then, on board the Royal Viking Star cruise ship, Muriel was murdered – and Robert Frisbee stood accused. With penetrating insight, William Deverell probes the mind of the accused and explores the legal system that tried him. His superb writing skills combine brilliantly with an insider’s knowledge of the courtroom, and the result is a seamlessly constructed, gripping narrative whose suspense never lets up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a book not to be trusted
AMERICAN WEST CHRONICLE: Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International, Ltd., 2007.448 pp.Illustrations, Index.Cloth, $24.98.Order from Publications International, Ltd., 7373 North Cicero Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60712; (800) 595-8484; pilbooks.com.
The term "American West: conjures images of endless plains, Native Americans, cowboys, cattle, prospectors, farmers, wagon trains, railroads--all in epic size, demanding wide-screen movies and coffee-table books.Time-Life did a marvelous series on the West a few decades ago, and American Heritage has published some notable pictorial histories.American West Chronicle offers almost a thousand photographs and a scope that encompasses the period 1800-1950.Former U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Native American, wrote the Foreword, and the title page lists two prominent historians, Walter Nugent and William Deverell, as consultants.Nugent and Deverell are included in a list of ten writers, also on the title page.Four have Ph.D.s, and one has an M.A.The Introduction claims that the book "attempts what no other heavily illustrated, single-volume history has done to cover a great and ever-expanding portion of the American landscape from 1800 to 1950..."
The Introduction makes other claims for its coverage--words such as lively, insightful, fascinating, compelling--along with hyperbolic definitions of the West such as its being "Cinco de Mayo and an Italian cowboy movie filmed in Spain" (p. 9).Although the book conceptualizes the West as starting with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the first chapter provides a review of Native American presence, Spanish exploration and settlement, the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the advance of settlement west of the Appalachians, all before 1800.The chapters follow a similar format.They march chronologically across Western history, from the Lewis and Clark expedition through the fur trade, Manifest Destiny, Gold Rush, railroads, cattle industry, and on into the twentieth century.Despite the introductory claim of taking Western history to1950, the final chapter goes to 2006.
Each chapter begins with an introductory essay about five pages in length.Most of the rest of the pages in a chapter have a running timeline covering events in the chapter's time period; this is on the left-hand side of the even-numbered pages.There are around a dozen mini-essays that run between 400-800 words.The bulk of each chapter consists of illustrations--historical drawings and photographs, and an occasional map--and commentary on the illustrations, each running around a hundred or so words.
People who expect nothing more than a pleasurable trip through Western history by looking at the illustrations will probably be satisfied with this book.Anyone who reads the test critically, however, will soon be raising eyebrows.Who wrote the essays?The mini-essays?The photo caption/commentaries?The answers are not easily forthcoming.None of the written material is credited.The consultants and writers listed on the title page are not given any bylines.In short, you don't know who wrote what.And this becomes a serious matter since the book offers no notes or bibliography that might support statements made in the text.There is an Editor-in-Chief--David J. Hogan, and an Editor--David Aretha--whose names appear behind the title page, but their biographies don't appear on the Contributors page where the Consultants and Essayists and Contributing Writers and Factual Verification and Research people are all briefly profiled.
The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words gets short shrift here, since the illustrations, which make up most of the book, get only about a tenth of that.Such compression inevitably forces the captions to be summarized and generalized rather than providing details.Here are three examples of the book's problems in organization, fact-checking, interpretation, and accuracy:
John Wesley Powell is noted in two Timeline entries and briefly mentioned in the caption about a Thomas Moran painting of the Grand Canyon and an essay about Francis E. Newlands, sponsor of the 1902 Reclamation Act.A 73-word commentary on p. 168 states that he led "a series of exploratory expeditions throughout the West from 1867 through 1875," but omits mentioning that the Colorado River and Grand Canyon trips were his most famous exploits.These are briefly noted in a 448-word essay on Powell on p. 207.Readers don't get a clear picture of Powell until forty pages after the photo caption, and there only brief mention in an essay that merits more coverage on his life.
William Mulholland is mentioned briefly in an essay on the Metropolitan Water District and another on the growth of Los Angeles in the 1900-1930 period.On p. 282 he is mentioned in a Timeline sentence on completion of the 200-mile (sic) Los Angeles Aqueduct.The familiar picture of Mulholland posing with a tripod appears on p. 284 along with a caption commentary (113 words) that is almost entirely either factually incorrect or of very questionable interpretation.The title of the caption is "Mulholland's shenanigans."" Mulholland is said to have "encouraged business cronies to buy land in the nearby San Fernando Valley." Although historians do not always agree on the motivations and outcome of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles water controversy, no one worth his/her academic credentials would claim that Mulholland personally profited from construction of the aqueduct.I corresponded with William Deverell, one of the consultants on the book, and he said that the entry had been done "in house" without his knowledge."It is an unfortunate portrayal and repeats a good deal of the old chestnuts that portray William Mulholland in a false light," said Deverell.
Mexican Deportation is the title of the mini-essay on p. 337.This essay conflates repatriation with deportation, more than a semantic distinction since the latter term requires a formal hearing and the former a voluntary (itself a disputable term) departure from the United States.The anonymous author of this essay uses the term Latino interchangeably with Mexicans and claims "60 to 75 percent of deportees" were "believed to have been children born in the United States (no citation on who did the believing).He states the federal government was behind the movement to remove the Mexicans who did leave, and that Dust Bowl refugees (seeking work in California agriculture in 1935) displaced Mexican immigrant labor (the departure peaked in 1931).Any of these statements could have been fact-checked in the published research on the topic of Mexican repatriation and deportation during the Great Depression.The Contributors page lists a fact-checker that clearly didn't earn his money.
Space limitations here preclude other examples.Given the anonymity of the writers who contributed essays, and the very likely possibility that much of the work was done by in-house staff and not vetted by the consultants, this is a book that is not to be trusted.Ben Nighthorse Campbell, William Deverell, and Walter Nugent should be more careful in future about putting their names on a work of such questionable value.
... Read more

Product Description
This legal thriller exposes the seedy underside of the music business through the tale of Oliver Gulliver, a small-town lawyer in northern California who never tested his legal prowess in a major trial. His daughter returns home from San Francisco with her new addict rock star boyfriend, C. C. Gilley, who Oliver finds repulsive. But a quirky friendship develops between the men when Gilley accepts Oliver's dare to go cold turkey and begins writing songs for his comeback album. After the tune of one of Gilley's love songs airs on the radio, performed by a new band, Oliver sues a billion-dollar record company in Los Angeles for plagiarism. His success in capturing the admiration of the court wins him a restraining order against the band and confidence in his abilities as a lawyer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

No Blues reading this, just a Platinum read
When I first spotted this book in a book shop's bargain bin, I didn't have any high hopes or inclination that I was about to read a classic legal thriller.

The story twists and turns like a roller coaster and then when you think your equilibrium is nearing a state of normal, another twist throws it up in the air again.

Small town lawyer Oliver Gulliver is down on his luck and feeling sorry for himself, until his daughter returns home. His joy is short lived as he discovers she is now dating a fading rock star with an drug addiction, CC Gilley.

A strange friendship between the two men blossoms; Gilley is persuaded to go cold turkey and returns to writing songs for a comeback album.

Gulliver is quickly drawn into the tale, when he called upon to test his advocacy skills after one of Gilley's songs is plagiarised by another band.

His success starts him on a road to recovery, or so he thinks...

A stunning read and which prompted me to devour the rest of the William Deverell canon like a starving man. In fact, it was the first book I have ever read, where I sent the author an e-mail to praise him on his work.

Anxious lawyer has his chance for glory... Great book!
Oliver Gulliver is a small-town lawyer beset with problems and worries. He's just turned fifty, old enough to know that he's never going to be a hot-shot lawyer , but now he's even losing his bread-and-butter work to a dubious competitor.

Family life is also fraught with anxieties. Oliver is a widower, having lost his wife eight years earlier to cancer. He's has sex once since then , and might never have it again. Just being a lone parent to two teenage girls is wearing him out.

Things seem to get even worse when his eldest daughter Elora finds a new boyfriend - C.C. Gilley , a wreck of a rock star, almost destroyed by booze and drugs. Oliver is horrified, but gradually accepts that they are a genuine loving couple, especially when Gilley writes a new ballad "Small-Town Girl", in honour of Elora.

When another band suddenly has a big hit with "Goin' Down for the Last Time", a track with very similar music and sleazy lyrics, Gilley is outraged and wants to sue for plagiarism. Oliver finally has his big lawsuit, his one chance for legal glory, his opportunity to sort out his life.

The plot flows smoothly , it has the right legal and rock-music details and there are twists all the way. The sex scene, when it comes, is funny and touching.

Buy this book, settle down with Springsteen, Tom Petty or Bachmann Turner Overdrive in the background, and enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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In this legal drama, Liz Finnegan, a women's rights lawyer who defends abortion clinics and abused women, publicly denounces Judge Vandergraaf for giving a slap-on-the-wrist sentence to a white-collar rapist. The tension between these two legal powerhouses increases when a woman studying law comes forward with an accusation that she was raped by the judge many years ago but never reported it. Blocked in her efforts to open up the case, Finnegan holds an impromptu press conference during which she lays out the accusations and dares the judge to sue for slander in order to bring the case before a jury. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A riveting courtroom drama
Elizabeth Finnegan is a brash, young, opinionated and outspoken beautiful young women living an outrageously off-the-wall, outré lifestyle. A talented and busy litigation lawyer in a well-respected downtown law firm, she's also not afraid to loudly voice her liberal, left-leaning political views. When Hugh Vandergraaf, a charismatic senior judge with aspirations to the US Supreme Court, hands down a slap-in-the-wrist sentence on a rape conviction, Finnegan goes ballistic. She holds a press conference liberally dispensing with vicious sound bites in which she criticizes the judge as a brainless "ego-testic1e" member of some old boy's club. Of course, this earns her a trip to the proverbial judiciary woodshed in which she is soundly spanked and given a warning by Judge Vandergraaf to conduct herself with greater decorum lest she be hauled up before the bench on charges of contempt.

Still seething from the very public dressing down she had received at Vandergraaf's hands, Finnegan is appalled when, a few days later, a woman arrives in her office with a story that Vandergraaf had raped her when she was attending university more than twenty-five years earlier. Although the rape is statute barred in the state of Washington because of the elapsed number of years, Finnegan is told that the act was actually committed on a sailing trip in Canadian waters. When she undertakes to charge Vandergraaf in Canada and extradite him to face a Canadian justice system (which has no such statute of limitations on sexual assault or rape), she is sued for slander in Washington. If she loses, she faces a lifetime crippling $4 million in punitive damages and the certain loss of her career.

"Slander" is a riveting courtroom drama that is at once witty and humourous, gritty and compelling, emotionally moving and thought-provoking. It touches upon important timely issues such as pro-choice vs the right to life anti-abortion movements, custody of children by gay parents and when free speech crosses the line into hate and the advocacy of criminal activity. Ultimately, Finnegan receives much more than she ever bargained for in an unforeseen twist ending that would do the likes of Jodi Picoult very proud.

I've been a long time fan of Canadian author William Deverell since his spectacular 1979 debut thriller "Needles" that dealt with the violent drug trade in Vancouver, then touted as the heroin capital of North America. Thirty years later, "Slander" certainly does nothing to diminish my enthusiasm for the skills of this fine author. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

WOW!
What a fantastic book. Lots of great twists. A must read!Deverell is one of the best!

Review of Slander
A great, thrilling courtroom drama about a little known law - the law on slander.A very surprising twist to the story.Women liberationists will love it!Even though it was written by a man it is definately a woman's story.Should be better known and better reviewed in this country.Definately a hidden gem.I hope that a good U.S. publisher picks it up and promotes/sells it like it deserves. ... Read more

Product Description
This legal thriller follows the lives of three young, ambitious lawyers in 1980 as they are setting up their own practice. The fledgling firm is rocked when partner Carrie Barr, the successful legal defense of the notorious Midnight Strangler, takes on the case of a suave, handsome accused hit man. The new client proves far more dangerous—and alluring—than she imagined, and soon she is drawn into a web of terror involving a rogue police operation, a ruthless drug lord, and a series of brutal murders that threatens to destroy the firm. A breathtaking courtroom scene dramatically rounds out this fast-paced mystery. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume of original essays by leading scholars is an innovative, thorough introduction to the history and culture of California.

• Includes 30 essays by leading scholars in the field
• Essays range widely across perspectives, including political, social, economic, and environmental history
• Essays with similar approaches are paired and grouped to work as individual pieces and as companions to each other throughout the text
• Produced in association with the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West