D. W. Buffa

The death of President Robert Constable occurred in a hotel room where he was meeting with a woman. The public story is that he died peacefully . . . and alone.
But First Lady Hillary Constable demanding answers and asks Senator Bobby Hart, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to find out what happened . . . and why.

With its sharp dialogue, tantalizing plot, believable characters, there is much to appreciate in this political thriller. And there’s an explosive, unexpected twist show more at the end that readers simply won’t see coming to ramp up the tension.

Recommended. show less

I don't normally go for courtroom dramas, but this was definitely an exception. Written in an easy to read style, this books was nonetheless gripping from beginning to end. It is easy to make a moral judgement in the beginning. One either thinks Marlowe did the right thing - the only thing he could have done in the circumstances - or that he did the wrong thing, committing murder.

However, as we read further, progressing through the court case, more and more details emerge and the line show more between right and wrong becomes blurred. In the end we are left with the question of what we would have done in the same circumstances.

I highly recommend this book. show less

It begins with an innocent enough conversation. Arthur Morrison, lawyer extraordinaire, has been invited on a yacht by Nelson St. James and his beautiful wife for the weekend. A strange thing happens when Danielle, St, James’s wife kisses him and wonders why he doesn’t remember her. It’s only after a visit with an old friend from college, Terry Larson, an ex-prosecutor in Los Angeles, who had been investigating St. James, that Terry tells him Danielle is actually Janine Llewelyn, the show more little sister of a girl Morrison had wanted to marry, but who had turned down his proposal (much to her later consternation.)

Terry had left the US Attorney’s office in frustration. He had been building a case against St. James. He had evidence that the manipulative billionaire had swindled many people. He was sure St. James was soon to be indicted and urged Morrison not to take his case if asked. Sure enough the indictment is handed up, but St. James disappears on his boat. Then, several months later the boat arrives in San Francisco. St. James is dead, murdered by his wife the cops insist, and Danielle wants Morrison to defend her against the murder charge.

The charges are all based on circumstantial evidence. The body had gone overboard, the gun had the prints of both husband and wife, no one saw the killing, and Morrison did a wonderful job of planting all sorts of doubt in the minds of the jurors. Even the monetary motive disappeared when Morrison got St. James’s attorney to reveal the will had been changed so that if he died his wife would get nothing, whereas if he divorced her, the prenuptial would have left her comfortable indeed. He rests the defense but then Danielle drops a bombshell. She has told Morrison over and over that she had indeed killed her husband and now she insists, against his counsel, she wants to testify. “I know what I’m doing,” she says.

Buffa has written a fine tale that draws you in. Just remember the title is in the plural. show less

If you are interested in the roots of civilization or challenging ethical dilemmas, you should read D.W. Buffa's "The Dark Backward". His most recent work, "The Dark Backward", provides courtroom drama and moral challenges by presenting a valid defense for the charges of incest, rape and child-murder. Buffa does not advocate these heinous crimes, nor take them lightly; but he does present a scenario where the common interpretation is absolutely wrong. He cites Aristotle in a discussion of show more Roe V. Wade, recalling that the Greek philosopher endorsed both abortion and infanticide under certain conditions.

As with his prior book, "The Evangeline", Buffa has chosen a cultural taboo and put it into a believable, totally unexpected light. While his characters have mellowed, the fire and Don Quixote quests of Buffa's work continue to shine. His new hero is a senior San Francisco defense attorney, William Darnell. "No-one was supposed to do what he did at his age. Trial work was too strenuous, too intense; there was too much pressure, too many demands....no-one did it when he was in his seventies, and Darnell was at least as old as that."

Darnell is also in love, and his deep feelings for Dr. Summer Blaine, who is nearly his age, are presented with pure and gentle affection. When she quotes Rousseau to Darnell, describing the 'noble savage' that he is defending against charges of rape, incest and child-murder, she helps Darnell realize that his client is not a backward savage, but possibly the most enlightened man he has ever met.

"The Dark Backward" is one of Buffa's most thoughtful books. As always, his characters are real and recognizable. A learned judge who takes takes no lip from the attorneys; an arrogant and ambitious prosecutor, who is fully aware of her physical beauty, and who projects her all-American values on everyone else; U.S. civil servants whose preconceived notions about underprivileged nations give them the right to push them further down the social ladder; guides and mentors, who help William Darnell to reach the best possible resolution. As an avid reader, I find this to be one of D.W. Buffa's finest books. show less