I read this book that was published the year I was born for a book challenge. I am glad that I did. John D. Voelker was a Michigan Supreme Court Justice. he wrote Anatomy of a Murder based on a 1952 murder case under his pen name Robert Traver.
In the novel, Paul Biegler is a lawyer who had failed to be re-elected as prosecuting attorney. He takes the case of an army lieutenant who shoots a bartender accused of raping his wife. After committing the murder he goes back to his trailor park and turns the gun over to the park attendant and waits for the police. The problem Biegler has is how to defend a man who commits a murder in front of a bar full of witnesses and then admits it to the police. The courtroom drama makes you feel as if you were sitting there watching it first hand. Since I had never heard of this my mother was pleased to inform me that there is a movie of this and so now I must try to find it. I definately enjoyed the well thought out plot and well developed characters. ( )

Paul (Polly to his friends) Biegler is an ex-D.A. turned public defender set out to prove his client, Frederic Manion, murdered a bartender in a moment of insanity. Proving the insanity isn’t the only challenge of the case. Biegler must also prove Manion’s wife was raped by the bartender (and thus creating the moment of insanity) when all evidence surrounding Mrs. Manion's attack is not admissible in her husband's trial. The entire story is so well written you never want it to end. ( )

A classic - tells the story of how a defense attorney got an unpleasant client off with an insanity defense. The defense itself is a triumph, but the defendant is clearly guilty. Sets up a nicely uncomfortable depiction of the law as a game with winners and losers, but justice isn't the aim.

Based on a true story, this novel is the first of its kind in the genre of legal thrillers. It is set in a resort town in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan near Lake Superior, and the protagonist is Paul Bieglar (Polly), a former D.A. who is struggling to find his place in life with regards to his career and personal life. He is approached by Lt. Frederic Manion, who hires him to defend him against the charge of murder. Frederic admitted killing Barney Quill after Barney brutally raped and beat his wife, Laura. Since he had already admitted his guilt, Polly's only avenue to pursue is a not guilty by insanity verdict. Polly is assisted in the case by Parnell, an older attorney who still loves the law. While the book is a bit wordy and dated, it provides lots of courtroom drama, heated exchanges, and interesting behind the scenes strategy. "A Time to Kill" by John Grisham shares many similarities to this book. ( )

Not the finest prose, but a very good story, and excellent attention to detail. Perhaps too detailed for some, but a true novel for lawyers and law buffs. If you interested in the law, or the courtroom drama, this is a must read. I only gave it three stars because the auther is a lawyer first and foremost, and not a great writer. Three stars is for it's overall place in literary history, and not a reflection of what a fun read it really was. I would recomend this book. ( )