Guilty Blood

Burroughville seems like a pleasant town with manors and quiet living. But it’s a town full of gossip and prejudice by many who sit regularly in church. Luke Drake, a police officer, struggles with the town’s love of gossip. He stayed because he believed one can make a difference. It’s a challenge when his sister owns the diner that is gossip headquarters, and his chief mocks his faith at every opportunity. Luke finds himself in turmoil after receiving a call about a disturbance at the Johnson Manor. When he enters the parlor, he sees Elizabeth Johnson with the murder weapon in her hands, her husband lying dead on the floor, and a large clotted gash on the right side of his head. Although this was fodder for gossip, Luke believes things aren’t what they seem to be. Pastor O’Reilly encourages him to trust God, who knows the beginning and ending. But Luke understands that the in-between time can challenge one’s faith. This is a story revealing that steadfastness in faith can make a difference no matter how difficult the obstacle. Through Luke’s endeavor, things are changed, and some of God’s children are blessed!

"Jessica Ames is desperate. Her college-age son, Brandon, has been arrested for murder, and the evidence is stacked against him. His DNA matches the blood and skin found under the victim's fingernails, and the murder weapon was recovered near his apartment. Jessica turns to the only lawyer she knows for help. Nate Daniels is no criminal defense attorney; he's a highly successful corporate litigator. He also has unresolved feelings for Jessica. As her late husband's best friend, Nate takes the case pro bono, knowing he has no choice but to do everything within his power to get Brandon acquitted. As Nate and Jessica work with the public defender to save her son, the loyalty, faith, and love between them grows into something more--even as their investigation is bringing out some very powerful and dangerous enemies..."--Provided by publisher.

Scott Peterson's sister describes her relationship with Scott and Laci, the police investigation following Laci's murder, and her growing suspicions regarding Scott's guilt.

The author of Ill-Gotten Gains uses philosophy and psychology to examine how human behavior can be questioned under criminal law. Henri plans a trek through the desert. Alphonse, intending to kill Henri, puts poison into his canteen. Gaston also intends to kill Henri but has no idea what Alphonse has been up to. He puncture’s Henri’s canteen, and Henri dies of thirst. Who has caused Henri’s death? Was it Alphonse? Gaston? Or neither? Strange conundrums like this one have fascinated lawyers and no lawyers for centuries, raising problems of causation, intention, negligence, necessity, duress, complicity, and attempt. With wit and intelligence, Leo Katz seeks to understand the basic rules and concepts underlying these moral, linguistic, and psychological puzzles that plague the criminal law. Drawing on insights from analytical philosophy and psychology, he brings order into the seemingly endless multiplicity of these puzzles: many of them turn out to be variations of a few basic philosophical problems, making their appearance in different guises. To test his arguments, Katz moves far beyond the traditional body of exemplary criminal law cases. He brings into view the decisions of common law judges in colonial and postcolonial Africa, famous cases such as the Nuremberg trials, Aaron Burr’s treason, and ABSCAM, as well as well-known incidents in fiction. Praise for Bad Acts and Guilty Minds “Bad Acts and Guilty Minds . . . revives the mind, it challenges superficial analyses, it reminds us that underlying the vast body of statutory and case law, there is a rationale founded in basic notions of fairness and reason. . . . It will help lawyers to better serve their clients and the society that permits attorneys to hang out their shingles.” —Edward N. Costikyan, New York Times Book Review “With its novel combination of theoretical and interdisciplinary learning, its refreshingly new approach to old problems, and the easy accessibility made possible by the lightness of its style, Katz’s book should become a classic in the field for years to come. I would recommend it to beginning law students and lay persons interested in an introduction to the field, as well as to criminal law academics interested in furthering their already well-developed understanding of criminal law theory.” —Michael S. Moore, author of Law and Psychiatry: Rethinking the Relationship