A Novel
In his thrilling novels of suspense, William Bernhardt takes us into the fault lines of the criminal justice system, where one mistake, a twist of fate, or an explosive secret can mean the difference between justice and its cataclysmic undoing. In Capital Offense, attorney Ben Kincaid stands amid the chaos of a violent collision between vengeance and deathand its up to him to discover where the truth lies.
Professor Dennis Thomas arrives at the law office of Ben Kincaid with a bizarre request: Thomas wants to know if Kincaid can help him beat a murder charge of a killing yet to happen. The professors intended victim: a Tulsa cop who had refused to authorize a search for Thomass missing wife. For seven days, Joslyn Thomas had lain in the twisted wreckage of her car, dying a horrifically slow death in an isolated ravine. Now, insane with grief, Thomas wants to kill Detective Christopher Sentz. Kincaid warns him not to, but that very same day someone fires seven bullets into the police officer.
Suddenly Kincaids conversation with Thomas is privileged and Thomas is begging Kincaid to defend him. Thomas claims he didnt shoot Sentzeven though hed wanted to. Something about the bookish, addled Dennis Thomas tugs on Kincaids conscience, and against all advice, he decides to represent this troubled man in the center of a media and political firestorm.
But the trial doesnt go Kincaids way, and a verdict of capital murder is bearing down on Dennis Thomas. Thats when Kincaids personal private detective, Loving, starts prying loose pieces of a shocking secret. Working in the shadows of the law, using every trick that works, Loving risks his life to construct an entirely new narrative about Detective Sentz, Joslyn Thomas, and madness in another guise: the kind that every citizen should fear, and no one will recognize until it is too late.
"Series fans will be happy with the legal and romantic byplay, but those who expect a complete resolution to the case will be disappointed." - Publishers Weekly
"The dots are connected efficiently here, but perhaps Bernhardt needs to find better, fresher stories to tell." - Booklist
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
William Berhardt had his first novel published (by Ballantine, a division of Random House) when he was thirty-one. That year his first son, Harry, was born in August, and his first book, Primary Justice, was born in December. The book, introducing lawyer Ben Kincaid, surprised everyone. The follow-up, Blind Justice, did even better. He has been writing ever since. Bernhardt has written more than twenty novels, edited two anthologies, done two books for children, and published numerous stories, essays, puzzles, and poems. He has three children now.
Bernhardt also enjoys teaching, which has led to the William Bernhardt Writing Programs and The Fundamentals of Fiction DVDs, as well as many speaking and teaching engagements throughout the years. His interest in mentoring aspiring writers led ...
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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