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Coming December from Open Road Media Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. Based on the experience of the author, a federal judge who in 2000 presided over the first capital case in Massachusetts in more than fifty years, this extraordinary debut thriller offers an unprecedented inside view of a federal death penalty trial. Well what an intriguing and fascinating read this was. Starting with a bang so to speak, as we get an overview of the crime and meet some of the players, this was immediately involving. I loved Judge Norcross instantly as the author cleverly shows us his human side very early on and from that point you are right there with him.Following the case as it progresses and with a cast of appealing characters, the investigation, case and courtroom scenes all felt highly authentic – to be expected considering that the author is himself a federal judge, but still, very well done. As a behind the scenes look at such a trial and the events leading up to it, I found it captivating throughout.With a dose of reality when it comes to the very real world we live in (the public outraged at the death of a clean cut Hockey Mom and out for blood, the pragmatic look at gang related culture and of course, those both for and against the Death Penalty) this was a down to earth yet endlessly absorbing bite of real life via fiction.Overall a terrific first novel and I will be very interested to see what Michael Ponsor brings us next. If you like legal drama’s with a healthy dose of perception, then this one is for you.Happy Reading Folks!