The Penalty
by J. Michael Shea
Category: Fiction

This gripping legal thriller illustrates the ambiguity of justice, where an innocent man dangles fourteen years on death row before gaining his hard-won freedom. Based on the true story of Joe Brown and his young, court-appointed defense attorney, this book examines the illusion of a neutral or impartial jury, particularly in a capital murder trial of a young black man in the South. The attorney’s insight into the lengthy appeals process causes one to question the ultimate sentence of society—the death penalty—and the fight for life that ensues once it has been mandated. In broad strokes, this legal thriller paints a picture of the U.S. criminal justice system. Upon closer inspection, individual brush strokes reveal the underlying themes of racial and socio-economic prejudice, the concept of a “neutral” jury in capital murder trials, and the “good old boy” brand of justice so prevalent, still, in law enforcement agencies, courtrooms and judges’ chambers, not just in Florida, where this story takes place, but throughout the United States. Although this is a work of fiction, and some of the names and places have been changed, the details of this story closely reflect the original case history and trial circumstances.