The One-Eyed Judge

April 3, 2017
At the start of Ponsor’s melodramatic sequel to 2013’s The Hanging Judge, the FBI busts Amherst College professor Sidney Cranmer after he accepts delivery of a DVD containing child pornography. Cranmer has written a biography of Charles L. Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) in which he argues that the author of Alice in Wonderland was not a pedophile. Federal judge David Norcross, known as the one-eyed judge for injuries he suffered after being shot in the face, handles the case, despite his witnessing the aftermath of Cranmer’s arrest and his being involved with Amherst professor Claire Lindemann, who is familiar with the accused. Meanwhile, he gets some devastating news concerning his brother, the U.S. commerce secretary. The subplot involving David’s efforts to help his brother’s children distracts from the main story line. As Ponsor warns in an author’s note, the subject matter is highly upsetting; some readers who soldier past the graphic descriptions of abused children may not feel the effort was worthwhile. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency.

May 1, 2017
In his second David Norcross novel (following The Hanging Judge, 2013), U.S. District Court Judge Ponsor successfully explores both the inner workings of the federal court system and widower Norcross' struggle to open himself again to the vulnerability of being a husband and father. Amherst professor Sidney Cranmer is accused of possession of child pornography. Many of his colleagues, including Claire Lindemann, believe in his innocence. Claire is dating Norcross, who will be presiding over the case. Most of David's domestic attention, however, is diverted to his two nieces, whose parents were in a serious plane accident. Ponsor does an excellent job demonstrating how long it takes a case to get to trial and the many rulings that must be made along the way. In fact, the back-and-forth of pretrial motions ends up being as compelling as the actual determination of Cranmer's guilt or innocence. This is a great example of a small-press series that could develop a strong following with word-of-mouth support from librarians.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)