Blood on Their Hands

At the start of this provocative legal thriller from Brink (Murder in Palm Beach: The Homicide That Never Died), racist Florida defense attorney Hiram Garbuncle happens to witness an act of police brutality. Two white cops pull over a Black man, Alec Monceau, supposedly because of a broken taillight. Though Monceau is fully cooperative, one of the cops smashes him in the head with his billy club, and the other joins in assaulting him before placing him under arrest for resisting. Garbuncle later meets Monceau when he goes shopping at the computer store where Monceau works. After Monceau goes out of his way to help Garbuncle by paying a house call to set up his new purchase, Garbuncle, despite his racism, agrees to represent Monceau at trial. Garbuncle convinces the judge that he should be allowed to serve both as defense counsel and eyewitness, setting up a dramatic courtroom scene. Brink makes the depictions of biased policing ring true. (Self-published)