THE TRIAL OF CALLISTA BLAKE

by Edgar Pangborn ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Report repeated from page 808 of the September 1st bulletin, when scheduled for fall publication. ""The pattern was set with The Trial of Mary Dugan: a new approach was developed with Anatomy of Murder. But in each there was a surprise twist at the end. Possibly the surprise here is that there is none. The end seems fore-doomed. And yet in the process of development, each phase of the trial as viewed through the mind of the Judge-or the Counsel for the Defense-or Edith Nolan, Callista's closest friend-or Callista herself, the whole panorama of what happened is revealed. And in final summation, the reader finds his (or her) own approach to a murder trial put to the test. What is the due process of law? How sound is the use of a jury or one's peers? Is evidence-as elicited virtually under a kind of duress-reflective of the facts, or only the facts as they appear? Is this democracy? What of the presumption that the person on trial is innocent until proved guilty? What of capital punishment? All these facets emerge as the story unfolds-of adultery-pregnancy-the will to suicide-circumstantial evidence pointing to planned murder and the death of the victim. And yet the unanswered question remains-what is guilt? There are philosophical overtones here for a suspense story.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1961

Categories: FICTION