Critical Evidence: A Courtroom Suspense Novel

By Laurance Priddy

When a tanker truck crashes and explodes, down-at-the-heels lawyer Jim McSpadden hopes to represent some of the victims, but big-time attorney Rolly Sullivan gets to them first. The only client Jim can muster is Laura, widow of Danny Marcus, the truck driver whose drunken driving allegedly caused the accident.As Jim struggles to prove that a defect in the truck steering made Danny lose control, trial tactics lock Jim and Rolly in an unwelcome relationship: if one wins, the other loses, yet they must cooperate on common problems of proof.Jim's accumulation of evidence through industrial espionage provokes a violent response, escalating the game to a lethal level. Now, it's not just a matter of win or lose. His life is part of the stakes."With high-energy courtroom scenes and plenty of cunning legal manipulations, Priddy shows that you don't have to be a high-profile author (Grisham, Turow, et al) to write a high-quality legal thriller."--BOOKLIST

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865343659
• ISBN13: 9780865343658
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Sunstone Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Legal Thriller - fast-paced with unexpected twists

The book opens with a horrifying accident on the interstate - a multi-vehicle pileup is then the target of a tractor-trailer with a load of fuel. The plot turns to the resultant search for justice for the injured parties, and the tortuous path of the legal system. The situation rapidly becomes quite complex, and Mr. Priddy does a great job of detailing the unexpected turns the case takes as evidence is accumulated.Mr. Priddy uses his knowledge and experience with personal injury suits to great effect - the story has the ring of credibility as written by someone who has actually been there.I found the book to be a fast read. As the plot develops, there are foreshadowings of things to come which lead the reader on and on. I hated to put it down, and kept reading "just one more chapter". I was almost sorry to finish it. Great book. I recommend it without reservation.

A Literary Masterpiece

I enjoy reading the good ones . . . Rainmaker, White Oleander, All The Pretty Horses, Snow Falling On Cedars, Bridges of Madison County. I like John Grisham, Robin Cook, Stephen King, Jack Bickham, Danielle Steel. The thing I like about CRITICAL EVIDENCE is the choice of words Priddy uses. He not only paints a living picture for the reader, there is sound with it. You can hear their voices, feel their emotions, their excitement, their fear. You want the little guy, Jim McSpadden, to figure out the problem and win over the bigger, more powerful and influential attorneys. His client will either win a little or lose a lot. You share his pain, his hopes, his anticipation. You get to know each character as they are introduced and immediately like or dislike them. The thing that separates CRITICAL EVIDENCE from the others is, I read it in three sittings. I've never done that before. I missed supper and four hours sleep because I couldn't put it down. Saying I can't wait until his next book comes out is an understatement.