Shadow of Doubt by William J. Coughlin

Charlie Sloan was once a hot shot Detroit criminal defense attorney.  He was the go to guy that only the wealthy could afford when faced with a criminal charge.  Then due to his ever increasing alcohol consumption, Charlie lost his practice, his wife, and his net worth.  With his legal license in jeopardy, he moved to the small middle class community of Pickeral Point where he stopped drinking, joined AA, and performed enough mundane legal tasks to earn a living.

 

Then he gets the break he’s not sure he wants.  An ex-girlfriend from years ago, Robin Harwell hires him to represent her stepdaughter, Angel.  Angel has been arrested for murdering her father, the second generation owner of a recreational motorboat company.  The nineteen year old Angel had both motive and opportunity to kill her father.  She still lived in her father’s home, had numerous arguments with him, and confesses to stabbing him after a lengthy high pressure interrogation by police.  Charlie gets the charges reduced against Angel and gets her released on bail but figures his client will find out about his alcoholism and find a new attorney before the trial.

 

But Angel likes Charlie and demands he continue to represent her.  So he’s back in the life of the high profile defense attorney.  He needs to hire psychologists, investigators, and secretarial staff as soon as possible and begin to interview witnesses.  He quickly finds his courtroom skills are still intact but the emotional stress of the trial has him thinking about drinking way too often.  The judge, the DA opposing him, and the media all know his history and expect him to fail.  If he can resist the temptation to drink, he has a chance to rebuild his career and his life.  That is if Angel’s lies and deep family secrets don’t derail his chances.

Shadow of Doubt was written in the early 1990’s and I remember reading it when it was released.  This was the era of legal thrillers with Scott Turow and John Grisham leading the way to popularize the genre.  Coughlin having served twenty years as a judge, holds his own with these literary giants.  His courtroom knowledge adds authenticity.  His protagonist, the flawed Charlie Sloan, is genuine and likable.  Set in the era before modern forensics, cell phones, and word processors, there is a nostalgic feel to his writing that adds to the experience.  I was fascinated with Coughlin back in the day and enjoyed revisiting his work… a true master of his craft.