The D.A.: A True Story - Hardcover

Taylor, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688117317 ISBN 13: 9780688117313

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1996

Synopsis

A "year in the life" chronicle of Los Angeles District Attorney Larry Longo follows the D.A. through the justice system and into a headline murder case. Taylor (a former Los Angeles District Attorney) documents the deals, pressures, and frustrations of handling cases that are as notorious as the OJ Simpson trial, but never make it to CNN. The volume supplies a real charge for readers who are strung out since the Simpson trial conclusion, or for those interested in seeing a "slice of life" from an attorney's point of view. Lacks an index or bibliography. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

A former deputy district attorney in Los Angeles, Taylor (To Honor and Obey) here follows a year in the life of a successor, Larry Longo, and the problems of the legal system in the "capital of the third world." The problems, as he shows, are manifold. The DA, an elected official, has a staff of 1000. Some, like Longo, are idealistic straight arrows; others claw their way to the top, seeking high-profile cases. Meanwhile, those who supervise them seem ready to lop off the heads of subordinates who become media favorites. Most of the book is given over to such a case, in which Japanese American entrepreneur Kazuhiko Yamaguchi killed his wife's lover and hired a shrewd lawyer depicted by Taylor as interested more in winning than in seeing justice done. Against the backdrop of the Rodney King, Menendez brothers and Charles Keating cases, Taylor depicts an organization reeling under an all but insurmountable burden. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this nonfiction page-turner, Taylor (To Honor and Obey, Morrow, 1992), chronicles a year in the professional life of a mid-level Los Angeles prosecutor, Larry Longo. Longo is rough-edged, plain-spoken, highly respected, and very effective. He doesn't get the high-profile cases (Rodney King or O. J. Simpson), but he does draw the occasional murder case. Taylor's book focuses on one of them?a seeming crime of passion in the Japanese community that pits Longo against a super-smooth defense attorney who mounts a clever defense involving the effects of the drug Halcion. Taylor vividly captures the drama of the courtroom and the thrust and counterthrust of the two expert trial tacticians. But what makes his book memorable is Longo himself?brash, tough, subtle, and likable. This book reads like an Elmore Leonard novel. Recommended for all popular true- crime collections.?Ben R. Harrison, East Orange P.L.,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0688117317
• ISBN 13: 9780688117313
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 410