Misconception - Hardcover

Shapiro, Robert; Becker, Walt W

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688176852 ISBN 13: 9780688176853

Publisher: William Morrow, 2001

Synopsis

Small-town Louisiana doctor Daniel Wyatt has everything: a solid marriage, a successful practice, and a prestigious nomination to the post of Surgeon General of the United States. That is, until one weekend of infidelity and a pregnancy threaten to shatter it all. Accused of murdering his own unborn child by slipping the mother the controversial abortion pill, RU-486, Wyatt's case goes far beyond jeopardizing his own life and career.

With his trial imminent, a national scandal is underway, pitting eager pro-choice and pro-life proponents against one another, each side awarethat the verdict will have national implications. The small town of Lafayette becomes the latest hot spot in the debate about abortion, and thousands of people congregate to shout their is support for either side. One, in particular, a deadly terrorist who has been killing "abortion doctors" across the country. Inspired by the national media's attention, this killer now has the perfect opportunity to teach the country a vicious lesson.

In an electrifying trial that reverberates with the media frenzy and high emotions of a case that could set the stage for overturning Roe v. Wade, Wyatt faces the fight of his life -- not only in the courtroom, but also against a madman who is targeting him on behalf of the unborn.

About this title

About the Authors

Robert Shapiro is a nationally known trial attorney and partner in the law firm of Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil, and Shapiro. His cases have included People v. Christian Brando and People v. 0. J. Simpson. A frequent lecturer and writer, he is also the author of The Search for Justice.

Walt Becker is an author, director, and screenwriter for film and television. A native of Pasadena, California, he received a B.A. in communications from UCLA and his master's degree from the USC School of Film and Television. He wrote and directed the feature film comedy Buying the Cow for Destination Films and Sony Pictures, and his first book, Link, was published in 1998.

From the Back Cover

Small-town Louisiana doctor Daniel Wyatt has everything: a solid marriage, a successful practice, and a prestigious nomination to the post of Surgeon General of the United States. That is, until one weekend of infidelity and a pregnancy threaten to shatter it all. Accused of murdering his own unborn child by slipping the mother the controversial abortion pill, RU-486, Wyatt's case goes far beyond jeopardizing his own life and career.

With his trial imminent, a national scandal is underway, pitting eager pro-choice and pro-life proponents against one another, each side awarethat the verdict will have national implications. The small town of Lafayette becomes the latest hot spot in the debate about abortion, and thousands of people congregate to shout their is support for either side. One, in particular, a deadly terrorist who has been killing "abortion doctors" across the country. Inspired by the national media's attention, this killer now has the perfect opportunity to teach the country a vicious lesson.

In an electrifying trial that reverberates with the media frenzy and high emotions of a case that could set the stage for overturning Roe v. Wade, Wyatt faces the fight of his life -- not only in the courtroom, but also against a madman who is targeting him on behalf of the unborn.

Reviews

Best known as a member of O.J.'s Dream Team, attorney Shapiro now teams up with fiction writer Becker (Link) for this issue-driven legal thriller. Though the plot bears a general resemblance to the Simpson case (national figure on trial in a televised courtroom), readers looking for dish not supplied in Shapiro's nonfiction account The Search for Justice will be disappointed. The action centers around Dr. Daniel Wyatt, "a southern white male, courtly, handsome and pro-choice," just nominated for U.S. surgeon general. Everyone considers him a shoo-in for the post, especially his colleague at a women's health clinic in Lafayette, La., Claire Davis, "a strong-willed lawyer" exuding a "powerful sexuality." But just as he steps up to the podium to accept the nomination, Wyatt is paged by Sarah Corbett, an unstable beauty with whom he recently had a fling. Sarah tells him she's pregnant, and though she professes no desire to derail Wyatt's nomination or his marriage to explosively jealous Ellen, she hesitates to get an abortion. Wyatt panics, until Claire procures some RU-486 to give to Sarah. Sarah's sudden miscarriage exposes the affair, and Wyatt finds himself accused of slipping her the abortion drug, thereby "murdering" the unborn child. Meanwhile, Peter O'Keefe, an antiabortion extremist already responsible for the deaths of several ob-gyns in Canada, plots to assassinate Wyatt, and is tracked down by handsome Latino FBI agent Eduardo Costilla. Despite the authors' musings about choice, religion, "human hubris" and destiny, this is pedestrian stuff. The characters are dull-witted and monotonously attractive, and the plot twists might be cribbed from Presumed Innocent and Fatal Attraction. Of course, the courtroom scenes are expertly rendered, but they're nothing we haven't seen on TV. Agent, David Vigliano. National ad/promo; 4-city author tour. (May 21) Forecast: The publisher plans national ad/promo and a four-city author tour, but word of mouth on this novel will be weak, and sales will drop off after a brisk kick-off.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Dr. Daniel Wyatt is at the peak of his career. His successful practice is booming, and he is in line to become the next surgeon general. All he has to do is survive the confirmation hearings. But there is a skeleton in his closet that would surely sink the nomination, wreck his career, break up his wonderful marriage, and cost him the comradeship of his trusted attorney and friend, Claire Davis. His mistress is pregnant, and she is convinced that keeping the baby is the only way to keep them together. The good doctor, however, has another plan, encouraged by Claire, whose own future depends on Daniel's success. Just when it seems as though Daniel might sail right through the hearings, the Senate inexplicably delays its vote. That's when the real circus begins, culminating in a trial for the ages--and that's a topic that Shapiro, of O. J. Simpson fame, knows a little something about. Shapiro's keen courtroom knowledge and coauthor Becker's sharp prose combine for a powerful, fast-paced political thriller. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0688176852
• ISBN 13: 9780688176853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352