Review: Excellent, but sad commentary on our present day socierty
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2011
Accused, a Kindle Single by Paul Alexander is the story of a Houston Police Officer wrongly accused of murder and of the ensuing trial.An off duty police officer is sitting at a suburban bar having a drink with a friend when he is asked if he would escort one of the bartenders to her car since a patron had been annoying her during the evening. He does, sees the man sitting in his car, but successfully dispatches the young lady. He turns, the man leaves his car and attacks the cop. They struggle and he subdues him with help from his friend who comes out to see why the project is taking so long. They call 911 and while they are waiting the man goes limp and cannot be aroused. The police arrive and eventually medics. No one can revive the `victim' who was an African émigré with no relatives except for an aunt. From here the rest of the story plays out .The action is described along with much of the detail offered by the local newspapers, accompanying trial testimony and the political milieu in which the trial was set. The lack of proper procedures, presence of influence on participants, pre trial determinations, political pressure, lying by witnesses and media participation all set forth a portrayal of the type of  extremely `sloppy' handling of a purported serious offense that can place an innocent person in dire jeopardy.The book is a most interesting read that brings to mind a book I reviewed some time ago. Conspiracy, An innocent priest. It is the true story of a man who had been grossly acussed of abuse in a situation of wrongful distortion of facts that literally destroyed his reputation. Both cases demonstrate quite graphically a tendency that seems to be widely prevalent today - an apparent desire and willingness to vilify anyone accused of abuse or racial discrimination.  A sad commentary on our present day society. Reviewed by John H. Manhold, award winning fiction/non-fiction author.