We, the Jury

August 27, 2018
The execution of this novel from Rotstein (The Bomb Maker’s Son) falls short of its high concept—a trial told from the viewpoints of some two dozen characters. Held in Sepulveda County Superior Court, David Sullinger’s trial for murdering his wife, Amanda, has just wrapped up, and everyone thinks his self-defense claims will win the day. But from the moment the judge—Natalie Quinn-Gilbert, a still-grieving widow—accidentally gives the jury incorrect instructions, things start taking interesting turns. The various jurors, identified only by their professions, give their thoughts on occurrences as the deliberation unfolds, as do the judge, her staff, the lawyers, and a blogger covering the case. Unfortunately, most of the characters speak in similar tones and are prone to making glib statements (“I have a flexible moral compass when it comes to lying,” the blogger says). The key question of whether Amanda abused David gets lost amid the welter of voices and the author’s stylistic tricks. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

September 15, 2018
No mystery about what happened. David Sullinger killed his wife. Took an ax to her. The mystery is what happened just before. Horrible things, David claims. He was defending himself. The prosecutors see it differently, and we join members of the jury after the lawyer wrangling is over and these eight people must decide whom they believe. Banish thoughts of Grisham's Runaway Jury. These scenes deal with gnarly matters of perception and interpretation, and both can be so manipulated by artful courtroom performers that the truth becomes unknowable. One of the eight is a jury consultant, and she delights in deconstructing every witness' performance. Why did this one look at the questioner, not the jury. We drum that technique into witnesses, the consultant says, thus undermining the testimony. Another juror, a minister, so hated the dead woman that he joins the jury to sway the others against her, to hell with the holes in the argument. The drama is played out on this abstract level, making it a natural for thoughtful mystery readers who have served on a jury.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)