Expert Testimony

In Stockley's courtroom drama, events--both legal and emotional--are handled with intelligence, maturity and balance. Powerful Arkansas state senator Hart Anderson has been gunned down by Perry Sarver, a patient of Anderson's psychiatrist wife, Carolyn. Sarver's defense has been assigned to public defender Gideon Page who, representing a surly client accused of murdering the state's most popular politician, finds himself in a classic no-win situation. As Page uncovers various motives, the question of Sarver's mental capacity becomes an issue. Through the lawyer's interviews with doctors and lay witnesses, the reader is treated to a clear, comprehensible education regarding the insanity plea and its utilization. Meanwhile, Page, a widower, struggles to give focus and structure to his personal life, including the upbringing of his daughter. The strengths of this uncontrived first novel lie in Stockley's thorough legal knowledge and a fluent writing style marked by humor and insight. (May)