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I always feel strange in revealing an
author's pseudonym, because a writer who uses one does so for a
reason. I read David Cray's last novel 'Little Girl Blue', which I
enjoyed immensely. It's publication was surrounded by considerable
hullabaloo as it came from Otto Penzler's Mysterious Press/Carroll
& Graf stable. It is very interesting to see the power that
the Penzler name has within crime-fiction even over this side of
the Atlantic.
His 'debut' novel was 'Keeplock', of which
the NY Times review of books said, 'This gripping novel has the
grit of the city under its fingernails' - fighting talk indeed.
After 'Bad Lawyer' came 'Little Girl Blue', a tale not for the
feint of heart, about the search for the past of a naked little
girl found in NY's Central Park. It looks under a lot of rocks and
uncovers pedophilia, snuff, and the darker side of human nature.
His next book is due out in December in the USA and is called
'What you wish for'.
I feel that sufficient people in the US
know that David Cray is, in fact, Stephen Solomita. He was
originally a cop and then a City Prosecutor in NYC, His name maybe
unfamiliar in the UK, but his background made 'Bad Lawyer' much
more interesting, especially as I am not a huge fan of court-room
drama's. He has written a number of novels during the 1980's and
1990's and I attach a bibliography for those of you who maybe
interested. In my opinion David Cray will become a very well-known
name.
- A TWIST OF THE KNIFE 1988
FORCE OF NATURE 1989
FORCED ENTRY 1990
BAD TO THE BONE 1991
A PIECE OF THE ACTION 1992
A GOOD DAY TO DIE 1993
LAST CHANCE FOR GLORY 1994
DAMAGED GOODS 1996
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'Bad Lawyer' starts like most court-room
dramas these days: Sid Kaplan is a criminal lawyer on the skids,
with few friends due to his arrogance when he was a high-flyer in
his halcyon days. Coke and alcohol fuelled his Icarus-like fall.
He, like most heroes, gets one shot at redemption by a high
profile media-friendly case falling on his desk. This could return
him to the heights of his former glory. He agrees to take the case
of Priscilla a young and attractive woman charged with the murder
of her husband, who just happens to be black, and had been
allegedly abusing her.
The girl's mother, Thelma Barrow can't
afford to pay much for Sid's services, but the neon glow of the
media's cathode tube seem sufficient compensation for Sid. Kaplan
as a lead character was interesting, as were the seedy supporting
roles. The case turns bizarre with the drug-dealer sub-plot
involving Priscilla not being what she seems. Then the murders
start and I warmed to Cray's cold cynical eye. The book does
become a little confusing, but the pace slackens in the middle
like most court-bound books especially when Sid gets caught up in
this mess, all under the gaze of a hungry media and his own team.
The conclusion is well worth the trawl and
came as a surprise to me. Fans of Grisham and Turrow are gonna
have ball with this book. Highly recommended for courtroom buffs,
and a good read for general crime fans.
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