The Devil’s Advocates shows us the crimes and trials that have so captivated the public, cases that have also helped to illuminate underlying principals of the American criminal-justice system over the years.
Future President John Adams illustrates the principle that led to the right to a fair trial as he argues on behalf of the British soldier who shot and killed five Americans during the Boston Massacre. The always controversial temporary insanity defense involves a prominent congressman who guns down a district attorney over an extramarital affair. In front of horrified onlookers, Clarence Darrow delivers a ringing defense of a black family charged with the treason trial of Aaron Burr. And perhaps the most famous and significant of precedent-setting cases is that of Ernesto Miranda, an accused rapist who confessed to the crime without having been notified of his Fifth Amendment right and the right to counsel.
Here is your ringside seat to gripping drama, as well as to the shaping of the legal system that we thrill to and curse at today.
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"Great analysis of closing arguments of cases that have changed the face of American criminal law. The law is never what most people think it is. "
— Lise (5 out of 5 stars)
“Makes for unexpectedly engaging reading—not only the arguments themselves (each an example of rhetorical mastery) but also the history provided to give each argument context.”
— American Lawyer“Reads more like a series of great short stories than a compilation of arguments in criminal cases…The use of an ensemble works well…They work well together and seem to relish the passion that transforms mundane cases into Supreme Court rulings.”
— AudioFile" Written to sell. That's a good thing. "
— Sharon, 7/19/2012" Interesting history, but very long winded. "
— Heather, 4/14/2009" Read the last chapter on Aaron Burr, it's awesome! (shameless self-plug...) "
— Chris, 11/7/2008" I’m very weary of nonfiction books that don’t site any sources. "
— Dru, 11/9/2007
Michael S. Lief is a senior deputy district attorney in Ventura, California. A former newspaper editor, he was a submarine driver for the US Navy during the Cold War.
H. Mitchell Caldwell is a professor at Pepperdine University School of Law. A former deputy district attorney, he specializes in death-penalty litigation before the California Supreme Court.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.
Mirron Willis—actor of film, stage, and television—is the winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2012 and a finalist for the Audie in 2015, as well as the winner of four AudioFile Earphones Awards for his audiobook recordings. He has worked extensively in film and television and on stage with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and the Ensemble Theatre, among others. He has recorded some 150 audiobooks, including the Smokey Dalton series by Kris Nelscott and My Song by Harry Belafonte. He resides and records audiobooks on his family’s historic ranch in East Texas.