Running with the Dead

By Jay Brandon

Book Overview

Sexual politics, corruption in high-school athletics, revenge, and a mysterious stalker combine for an explosive new legal thriller by lawyer/author Jay Brandon. Four years ago, San Antonio District Attorney Chris Sinclair faced his first and biggest case as a defense attorney. His friend, teacher Henry Claremont had been accused of rape. Chris won the case, but had to reveal a love affair Henry had with another teacher. Then Henry's body was found, beaten to death. Fast-forward to the present, when Chris Sinclair receives word that Henry's murder has been solved. The man accused, Hike Grimason, is a high ranking school administrator and high school basketball coach who, Chris discovers, took bribes from parents of his basketball players. During this trial, Chris and his daughter Clarissa are threatened by a man identical to the convicted multiple-murder Malachi Reese. As events rush to a furious climax, Chris must succeed in the most high-pressure courtroom performance of his career, if he is to save Clarissa and to feel he's brought justice to his unfairly accused friend Henry, whose death can be avenged only through Grimason's conviction.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765308932
• ISBN13: 9780765308931
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 365 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

One plotline too many.

Henry Claremont was a dedicated and well-liked high school history teacher. Four years ago former defense attorney and now San Antonio District Attorney Chris Sinclair won an acquittal for defendant Henry Claremont from sexual abuse charges. Unfortunately, Henry was brutally killed just a week after his acquittal. Chris has always been haunted by the death of the sensitive high school teacher. Now Horace "Hike" Grimason is on trial for Henry's murder. Hike, the high school varsity basketball coach at the time is now a deputy superintendent of schools. Fours years ago Henry was trying to prove along with his lover, Vice-Principal Charlotte Moore, that Hike was taking bribes from the parents of basketball players. In a concurrent story, Malachi Reese a murderer that Chris put on death row is petitioning the court for a new trial. He is claiming a lookalike is responsible for the deaths of which he has been convicted. The lookalike is terrorizing Clarissa, Chris's college student daughter. Luckily Clarissa does not scare easily, and helps her father in his quest to keep a murderer behind bars. I really enjoyed the storyline that involved the Grimason case. I felt engaged in the outcome of the case. Henry was a sympathetic and wronged character. You want justice for him. There is even romance brewing between Chris and his co-counsel. The Reese storyline was less successful because it was a backburner story. It really wasn't well-developed. Every time the plot veered toward Reese it just felt like filler material. The story involving Reese did not feel compelling though I did like Clarissa and her part in it. I'd give the Claremont storyline 5 stars and the Reese storyline 3 stars.