• This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
  • Front Page
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • EXTRA
WESTVIEW NEWS
Menu
  • This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
 › Arts and Culture › Briefly Noted › People › Legal Thriller Explores the Gritty World of Brooklyn’s Criminal Justice System

Legal Thriller Explores the Gritty World of Brooklyn’s Criminal Justice System

Web admin 10/08/2017     Arts and Culture, Briefly Noted, People

Woken in the middle of the night by a call from a panicked woman whose husband had just been arrested, Ken Williams, an African-American attorney based in Brooklyn, is drawn into a murder case that turns out to be more complex and dangerous than he bargained for. Powerful political forces are at work, sending innocent people to prison.Williams’ client may be next.

In his provocative debut novel, Race to Judgement, Frederic Block, a longtime federal court judge, provides readers with a gripping legal thriller that takes a hard look at racial tensions and corruption in New York’s largest borough.

According to Block, Race to Judgement is “reality fiction,” loosely based on several high-profile cases he handled during his 23 years on the bench.

These include the Crown Heights riots and the trial of mafia boss Peter Gotti. The character of Ken Williams is based on real-life lawyer Ken Thompson who, in his meteoric rise to Brooklyn District Attorney, unseated the long-term incumbent who was involved in a spate of false convictions.

As the story progresses, Williams takes on additional clients, including the falsely accused JoJo Jones who has languished behind bars for years, as well as Deborah Hyman, a young Hasidic woman, an unfortunate victim of sexual abuse. Each step of the way, Williams discovers more and more evidence of corruption leading straight to the DA’s office. Williams soon begins to receive death threats, his office is firebombed, and he is arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge for disobeying a police officer.

With Race to Judgement, Frederic Block has not only created an exciting novel, but also provides an insider’s look at the New York criminal justice system—from the deplorable conditions at Rikers Island, to the mistreatment of African-American prisoners, to the practice of stop-and-frisk, which has disproportionately targeted minorities.

Block has also created a stellar array of characters whose quirks, ambitions, and hobbies add comic relief to the novel. Ken Williams, for example, is more than just a lawyer. He’s an accomplished piano player who composes country music and performs in local bars. The actual songs were written by Block himself, and the sheet music is included in the book. (Recordings are also available for download, adding a special twist to the novel.)

Reed Farrel Coleman, the New York Times bestselling author of What You Break, said, “Block’s Race to Judgement is the inside skinny on the justice system from a man who lives it every day, but it’s the story that shines. Read and enjoy.” It’s a book that will grab readers’ attention from the very first page and keep them enthralled to the end.
—Jane Wesman


Judge Frederic Block was appointed United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York in 1994 and assumed senior status in 2005. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University and an LL.B. from Cornell Law School. He is the author of the bestselling book, DISROBED: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge, and has published articles on a variety of legal topics. He also co-authored the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Professionally Speaking (music and lyrics). Formore information, visit fredericblock.com.

 Previous Post

Thoughts on the Skeletal Remains of the City’s Abandoned Bikes

Next Post 

Obituary: Bernadyne M. Pape

Related Articles

Billy Hart Quartet at the Village Vanguard June 13-14, 2010
The Village Vanguard Reopens Virtually with Live Streaming
West Village Exile
Canine Cali
Canine Cali Reviews Karen Rempel’s Shadow Play Art Exhibit
Karen’s Quirky Style
Horton Foote: American Master Playwright
Movie Review: The Report
West Village Original: John Gilman
The Jefferson Market Library Presents: Anne Bronte: A Woman of Courage
A Parisian Preschool Expands in the Village
Andrew Cruz and Andrew Chen on their way to a holiday party
Style on the Street: Keeping Winter Bright
Westbeth Winter Exhibit Heat Zone
Want More in the Roaring Twenties?
My Date with Jimi Hendrix and Mrs. Maisel
Collective Conviction Is a Brand of Truth
Waning
Make 2020 the Year to Cure AIDS
“ACT UP! Fight Back! Fight AIDS!”
Palestinian Human Rights
American Greed, Starring Steve Croman
561 Greenwich Street and 100 Vandam Street Add to “Hudson Square”
16 East 16th Street: An Illusion of Stone and Old Lace
Mount Sinai’s ER Is a War Zone
Guests at Sally Sommer's Retirement Party at Casa La Femme on Dec 8 2019
West Villager Sally Sommer Retires from Dance Program
Survivors of the Lost Village: James Drougas
Johnathan Blake’s Explosive Debut as Bandleader at the Village Vanguard
The Irishman
Soho Johnny: “The Passion of Music”
Johnathan Blake at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola with Tom Harrell's Infinity Band
Johnathan Blake’s Explosive Debut as Bandleader at the Village Vanguard
Centennial for Uta and Ellen
Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
Dusty Berke Joins the Ranks of Award-Winning Artists at the Salmagundi Club’s Village Preservation Exhibit
West Village Original: Denise Marsa
November Means Thanksgiving in the West Village
Harvest Home in October at St. John’s in the Village featuring Farm to People.
Hi, Mr. G. Capsis: This is Lily. I am in third grade at PS340.
Presidential Candidates Pledge to Cure AIDS
Classical Music in Review
Piano Lessons: The Life and Art of German Diez

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

January 2020

Subscribe Now

January 2020

Donate Now

Read the Archives

Sign up for WestView News EXTRA

Copyright © WestView News