A FAIR TRIAL

This prosecution of a crime which evades justice exposes the deliberate distortion of the truth as a notable, suave and clever lawyer, Cassidis, proves his point -- that the law enables him when necessary to clear the guilty or condemn the innocent. Shortly after Catherine Dupre, the wife of a rich industrialist, accuses Genevieve, the younger woman who had been the nurse on her husband's case, of his death, it becomes apparent to the reader that Catherine was responsible for the fatal drug in the syringe. Cassidis, her lawyer and her lover, is also privy to the truth, but he is further seduced by Catherine and agrees to prosecute Genevieve. There is the question of a will, of blackmail, and of the true relationship between the dead man and Genevieve. Gaudet, the magistrate, conducts his own inquiry, but even so, Genevieve- although many believe her innocent is doomed by the absence of any evidence which may shift the focus of guilt. In translation from the French, (Laborde is a court-reporter with France Soir) this has an authenticity of judicial processes and legal techniques to amplify a solid story. For the mystery market- a double take.