The Hanging Judge: A Novel

(Paperback)

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From the author of The One-Eyed Judge: A New York Timesbestselling novel about a federal death penalty trial from the perspective of the presiding judge.

When a drive-by shooting in Holyoke, Massachusetts, claims the lives of a drug dealer and a hockey mom volunteering at an inner-city clinic, the police arrest a rival gang member. With no death penalty in Massachusetts, the US attorney shifts the double homicide out of state jurisdiction into federal court so he can seek a death sentence.

The Honorable David S. Norcross, a federal judge with only two years on the bench, now presides over the first death penalty case in the state in decades. He must referee the clash between an ambitious female prosecutor and a brilliant veteran defense attorney in a high-stress environment of community outrage, media pressure, vengeful gang members, and a romantic entanglement that threatens to capsize his trialnot to mention the most dangerous force of all: the unexpected.

Written by judge Michael Ponsor, who presided over Massachusettss first capital case in over fifty years, The Hanging Judge explores the controversial issue of capital punishment in a dramatic and thought-provoking way that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is a crackling court procedural (Anita Shreve) and gripping legal thriller (Booklist) perfect for fans of Scott Turow.

Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hanging Judge.... Among its many virtues, the book will remind many readers that the judicial process is not infallible. Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens

There are plenty of surprises to keep readers turning pages. Ponsor gives readers a unique look into the workings of a courtroom. But more than that, he demonstrates a feel for how ordinary families are affected by the legal system.Ponsors debut would make a great movie. Kirkus Reviews, starred review

That rare gem: a crackling court procedural with authentic characters and beautiful prose. Anita Shreve, author of The Pilots Wife

A masterful work that took me inside the courtroom, behind the bench, and into the hearts and minds of a cast of unforgettable characters.... Thrilling, perfectly paced, beautifully written, witty, so very smart and so satisfying. Elinor Lipman, author of Then She Found Me

A marvelous entertainment, a page-turning mystery full of romance and humor, which takes us inside the fraught and rather secretive world of a judges chambers. In the best waythat is, indirectlyPonsor informs us about the facts that ought to inform debate on the death penalty. What impressed me most of all was the books authority; it has the heft of authenticity. Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Mountains Beyond Mountains

Novels have shown us what its like to be a juror, an attorney, even the defendant, but this is the first Ive read that puts us up on the bencha knowing, nuanced portrait of a judge and the often imperfect system he watches over. Joseph Kanon, author of Istanbul Passage

A compelling tale, with a cast of vividly drawn characters and a plot that twists and turnsit entertains, as a good novel should, but even better, it also informs, as only the best ones do. Jonathan Harr, author of A Civil Action

A debut that reads like the work of an accomplished master. A suspenseful page-turner written from the unique perspective not of a lawyer or defendant, but of the judge. Ive never before read a bookeither fiction or non-fictionthat conveys the dilemma of the death penalty with such a combination of sophistication and humanity. Joe McGinniss, author of Fatal Vision

Written with precision and heartfelt passion for the law, this riveting courtroom thriller brings the legal system to life. Filled with memorable characters, infused with a deep understanding of the death penalty and the complex interchange between crime, the police and the justice system, The Hanging Judge is an electric story, well told. John Katzenbach, author of Harts War

Both an ode to the law in all its glory and a reflection on its sometimes tragic limitations, Michael Ponsors The Hanging Judge will appeal to courtroom insiders as well as readers more generally drawn to a taut story well told. Set in western Massachusetts, at the center of the action is a series of trials, historic, present-day, and of the heart. The verdict: this debut authora federal judge in his other lifeis guilty of a tour de force and, we can only hope, the start of a rich new career. Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle

Ponsor is a talent to watch.... The Hanging Judge is that rarity: a story that grips the reader even as it teaches some fine points of criminal procedure. The Washington Post

Author Bio

Michael Ponsor graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School.In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him a life-tenured US district judge.From 2000 to 2001, he presided over a five-month death penalty trial, the first in Massachusetts in over fifty years. Judge Ponsor continues to serve as a senior US district judge in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Western Division.The Hanging Judge, his first novel, is the winner of Massachusetts Bays 2015 OneBook Prize.