Penance For Jerry Kennedy

A fast-paced, witty and authentic novel that transports the reader into the exhilarating world of crime and chicanery that defines the life of Boston lawyer, Jerry Kennedy. Heretofore successful lawyer Jerry Kennedy, our classy yet sleazy protagonist, finds himself grasping at straws when his world begins to crumble around him. His accountant jailed, his wife giving him the silent treatment, his mentor and friend, Frank McDonald, curiously unresponsive, Jerry grapples with public slander dealt him by an unjust judge as well as the prospect of being investigated by the IRS. Cut off from his usual sources of support, Jerry finds himself in the grasp of tough, opaque, and demanding attorney, Bertram Magazu. At a loss for what to expect, Jerry Kennedy senses it’s definitely trouble time. With crackling dialogue and biting humor, Penance for Jerry Kennedy paints a picture of the Boston underworld in which risk is the name of the game.

A masterwork of crime and black comedy, George V. Higgins is in his element as he spell-bindingly recounts lawyer Jerry Kennedy’s more fragrant cases. Keen to take some time off, Jerry Kennedy plans a short holiday en famille at Green Harbor, his eclectic clients don’t get the memo however. His drive-by clientele, the car thieves, pimps, drug dealers and boatyard mechanics are diverse in all respects but one, persistence. Matters come to a head when a midnight intruder breaks into Kennedy’s home, knife drawn and determination blaring in his eyes. In deciphering the imposter’s intentions, Jerry’s qualities of honesty, responsibility and downright hard work are seriously put to the test. Brimming with a bevy of bimbos, bent cops and bad actors, Kennedy for the Defense shows us the Boston crooks-and-cops world through an attorney’s eyes.

Best known for his popular crime fiction, Boston novelist George V. Higgins (1939-1999) should stand among the top ranks of the American literary canon. In his 26 novels and dozens of short stories, Higgins chronicled the lives of Boston's Irish with his trademark hard-boiled dialog, exploring the criminal underworld, American democracy, Boston politics, personal redemption and New England life in the tradition of Hawthorne and Thoreau. This intimate biography explores his turbulent life and career, including his working-class Irish Catholic roots, his two stormy marriages, his ambivalence toward the city of his birth, his passion for the limelight, and his drinking, which disrupted his family life and led to his early death at age 59. Discussions of Higgins's individual works and excerpts from his correspondence, writings, and thoughts on literature complete this revealing portrait.

This book offers a critically informed yet relaxed historical overview of the legal thriller, a unique contribution to crime fiction where most of the titles have been written by professionals such as lawyers and judges. The legal thriller typically uses court trials as the suspense-creating background for presenting legal issues reflecting a wide range of concerns, from corporate conflicts to private concerns, all in a dramatic but highly informed manner. With authors primarily from the USA and the UK, the genre is one which nonetheless enjoys a global reading audience. As well as providing a survey of the legal thriller, this book takes a gender–focused approach to analyzing recently published titles within the field. It also argues for the fascination of the legal thriller both in the way its narrative pattern parallels that of an actual court trial, and by the way it reflects, frequently quite critically, the concerns of contemporary society.

As members of a syndicate strive for recognition in the underworld, they learn to distrust their closest associates.

Havoc in the Hub brings to light the long-neglected work of George V. Higgins, revealing the wealth of intellectual, social, literary, and religious thought that underlies his 25 novels and numerous other works. Higgins's writing, fed by equal parts wit and sorrow, touches our senses, emotions, and minds. Peter Wolfe makes a resounding contribution to the study of this writer. Wolfe places Higgins's work in its geographical context and outlines the many sources from which Higgins drew during his highly productive career. The first in-depth examination of George V. Higgins, Havoc in the Hub will interest scholars, graduate students, and lovers of Higgins's work alike.

A thrilling account of the ins and outs of the Suffolk County Superior Court, this novel is vintage George V. Higgins. The third installment in the Jerry Kennedy series finds the Boston lawyer defending his toughest client yet, Billy Ryan. But it’s a few years on and battered Boston lawyers don’t look so hot under strong white light. Seemingly not the man he was, Jerry has to dig deep to come out on top in discrediting the prosecution. He looks to the likes of Bad-eye Mulvey, Cadillac Teddy and Carlo (a heavy-hitter) for assistance. Will the drama that ensues reveal that Billy Ryan has cut one shady deal too many? Jerry Kennedy leaves no source unprobed in Defending Billy Ryan, a work of stylish, racing prose.

100 American Crime Writers features discussion and analysis of the lives of crime writers and their key works, examining the developments in American crime writing from the Golden Age to hardboiled detective fiction. This study is essential to scholars and an ideal introduction to crime fiction for anyone who enjoys this fascinating genre.