The Tenth Case

By Joseph Teller

Criminal defence lawyer Harrison J. Walker, better known as Jaywalker, has been suspended for his unorthodox and highly creative tactics in the courtroom.

Convincing the judge that his clients are counting on him, Jaywalker is allowed to complete just ten more cases. But it’s the last case that truly tests his abilities – and his acquittal record. Samara Ross is accused of stabbing her husband through the heart.

Having married the elderly billionaire when she was just eighteen, Samara looks guilty as hell. But Jaywalker knows all too well that appearances can be very deceiving.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Aug 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781408910788

Joseph Teller

Joseph Teller was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio and the University of Michigan Law School. He returned to New York City, where he spent three years as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (the precursor of the Drug Enforcement Administration), doing undercover work. For the next 35 years, he worked as a criminal defense attorney, representing murderers, drug dealers, thieves and at least one serial killer. When New York State restored the death penalty in the nineties, Teller was one of a select group of lawyers given special training to represent capital defendants, which he did on several occasions, including winning an acquittal for a man accused of committing a double murder. Not too long ago, Teller decided to "run from the law," and began writing fiction. He lives and writes in rural upstate New York with his wife, Sandy, an antiques dealer.

Reviews for The Tenth Case

[phoenixterran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tenth Case is the debut novel by Joseph Teller, published by Mira Books in October 2008. Mira Books is itself a newer publishing imprint (actually a part of Harlequin, believe it or not) which focuses on mainstream fiction, including thrillers. The Tenth Case is the first in a series of what I would call courtroom dramas. Not particularly well-read in this genre, I gladly accepted an offer to review an advance copy of the book.Harrison J. Walker, known to most simply as Jaywalker, is an extraordinarily successful and extremely unorthodox criminal defense attorney in New York City. He's not afraid to bend or break a few rules (or more) in order to do all he can in the defense of his clients. His maverick nature has finally caught up to him, and he finds himself suspended for his various (an numerous) infractions and indiscretions. However, he is granted permission to select and retain ten of his current cases on the condition that they are completed with all due speed.Defending Samar Moss is his tenth and final case--and probably the most difficult one of Jaywalker's career. Samara, the young and sexy widow of the elderly billionaire Barry Tannenbaum, is accused of stabbing her husband in the heart. Unfortunately, for her, all of the evidence seems to indicate that she is in fact the murderess. Even Jaywalker has a hard time believing her continuous protest of innocence. But, it's not his job to believe her. It's his job to defend her against all odds, and this case will take all of his skill and intelligence to pull off.The Tenth Case is a great first novel. The narrator's perspective did feel somewhat wobbly to me, but this is something that I think will work itself out as Teller's writing and skill develops. The story itself was very intriguing although not particularly deep or engaging. (I never did learn to like Samara or connect with Jaywalker.) But, the book kept my interest and Teller even managed to throw in some good twists that were nicely satisfying even if not entirely unexpected. The plot was tight and consistent (no loose ends that I could find) which I find very encouraging, especially for a debut novel--I've read books by more experience authors which cannot make the same claim.The Tenth Case is an intelligent book--I feel that I've learned quite a bit about criminal defense by reading it. (Teller was a criminal defense attorney before turning to fiction, so I do trust most of his portrayals in the book.) Although not among my normal genres of reading, it was a pleasant read. I don't really have anything to compare it to, and I'm certainly not well versed in courtroom dramas (outside of "Law and Order" and the play 12 Angry Men, that is), but I am fairly confident in recommending the book to fans of the genre. I even know of a fair number of people who would enjoy it even though they might not be--I know I did.Experiments in Reading

[lisalynne_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun one. An interesting legal thriller, if you like courtroom drama. Harrison J. Walker - Jaywalker - has been suspended for some creative tactics and a little bit of misbehaviour. Jaywalker takes his acquittal rate very seriously and his approach to cases is often very different from other lawyers, but his success and his dedication keep him from being disbarred completely. He convinces the judge to allow him to finish ten cases left on his calendar before beginning the suspension and he soon has the list whittled down to one case, the tenth case: Samara Moss. She's accused of murdering her billionaire husband and every single piece of evidence stacks up against her. Jaywalker is determined to win an acquittal. I enjoyed this very much (even though I found the ending farfetched).

[literaryfeline · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Joseph Teller's novel, The Tenth Case, was true to life, notably with regards to the little nuances of the preparation for and the actual trial process. In one respect, it was a refreshing change from many legal thrillers I have read in the past in that, despite Jaywalker's blurring of convention, the author did not turn the story into a run for your life, action packed thrill ride with gun or fist fights. Just the same, the novel was plenty suspenseful as Jaywalker struggles to defend a woman whose innocence even he questions as the trial unfolds. There were a couple of slow spots in which I worried that the author had gone into too much detail. However, I also realize that my familiarity with the court process might have contributed to that feeling. Even then, the book would pick up again right away and not once did I lose interest in the story line or the characters. Defense attorney Jaywalker is a bit of a maverick, not afraid of making his own rules as he goes along. It has obviously landed him in trouble, resulting in his three year suspension from practicing law. He has a conscience and a sense of fair play, however, that balances out the "bad boy" image. He’s easy to like and no doubt a good person to have on your side in a pinch. Samara Moss straddles that line as well. I never completely warmed up to her character, but it was easy to see how the past impacted the decisions she would make throughout her life.Jaywalker is one of those complex characters that has many layers, some of which were peeled back enough to tempt the reader to want to learn more about him. I look forward to reading more by Joseph Teller and seeing what trouble Jaywalker can get out of next time.

[novelbookworm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller opens with an attorney, Harrison J. Walker AKA “Jaywalker” standing in front of a disciplinary committee. Jaywalker is suspended from the practice of law for three years due to his use of “creative” tactics and for the fact that he received an oral “token of gratitude” in the courthouse stairwell from a grateful client, while in full view of a security camera. He is told to pick ten of his unfinished cases to complete and hand the rest off. Jaywalker’s tenth case will be his most challenging ever. Samara Moss, Jaywalker’s client, is a young, beautiful woman, who married an elderly billionaire when she was an eighteen-year-old waitress and sometime hooker. Samara’s husband is murdered and the police find a weapon matching her husband’s stab wounds, along with a bloody towel and bloody shirt stashed in Samara’s bathroom. Add this to the huge life insurance policy that Samara appears to have taken out on him just weeks before the murder, and the case becomes the one in ten case that can never be won no matter how good the defense.This is a very good legal thriller. The book gives a compelling insight into the workings of the legal system, especially from the perspective of the defense. The character of Jaywalker was going through a sort of midlife crisis throughout the book, yet the author managed to let us see that internal conflict without making the character a boring man. Just enough of Jaywalker’s past is revealed to assist the reader in understanding the man, but not so much that we start skimming pages out of frustration. The end of the book was excellent! While I sometimes find enigmatic endings irritating, because the character of Samara was pretty much a cipher herself, it really worked here. The Tenth Case is a great book for anyone who enjoys Scott Turow or the early Grisham novels. I look forward to reading many more novels by this excellent author

[littlebookworm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jaywalker is a spectacular defense attorney. He manages to get nearly all of his clients acquitted, which is miraculous when a 50% rate is fantastic. He does, sometimes, engage in rather shady practices to get these clients acquitted; nothing illegal, but behavior that is not encouraged. As a result, he faces suspension for three years, but he is allowed to complete ten ongoing cases before the suspension. The first nine are easy, but the tenth case turns out to be far from that.I’m not familiar with law type stuff. See, that word choice should demonstrate to you how unfamiliar I am with it. It’s never been one of my interests and the most I’ve been exposed to is the video game series Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney which is vastly unlike real courtroom events. Obviously, because it’s a video game and designed to be fun and entertaining, while I’m assuming most court cases and such are not. As I said, I wouldn’t know.Anyway, my lack of background made this book quite educational for me. I knew cases took forever, but it was interesting to read about what was happening when, why it took so long, what the “normal” practice for attorneys is, etc. This book is fiction so I’m not taking it all as cold hard fact, but it’s closer than I’ve ever come before. It also didn’t assume that I knew anything and the narrator explained everything. I did find the book to be a little repetitive by the end. The facts of Samara’s case were stated so many times I could have recited them at any point in the past couple of days. Also how impossible it is for Jaywalker to win, there’s just no chance, she’s going to jail, and so on. It did seem like a lot of the same there, and constant build-up like that means the reader already knows what the ending will be. I’ll admit the rest of the ending was clever, though.I’ll probably be reading the next book in this new series. For now, I’d recommend this as a legal thriller of sorts that is easily accessible, even by ignorant me.

[virginiahomeschooler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Josheph Teller spent thirty-five years as a criminal defense attorney, and he uses his first hand knowledge of the criminal justice system to craft an intricate and well-thought-out legal drama that will hold readers' attention until the very last page. The Tenth Case is fast paced and exciting, with a tightly woven plot and interesting and well-written (if not always likable) characters. Teller's courtroom scenes are full of fascinating details, but it's never tedious. I completely enjoyed this book and found that I didn't want to put it down. It had enough twists to keep me guessing as well, and I was completely taken by surprise in the end.

[picklechic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book! The Tenth Case is a legal thriller in which a criminal defense attorney, who goes by the nickname Jaywalker, defends Samara Moss, an Anna Nicole Smith type golddigger whose millionaire husband is found murdered. I do not usually read legal thrillers but I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It had many twists and turns, a surprise ending and held my attention. The gritty characters seems very true to life and I could picture the action as if it were a movie. Joseph Teller is a great storyteller! I liked this book so much that I passed it on to my husband, who is not a big reader, and he liked it too! I look forward to reading the next book in the Jaywalker series. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good mystery. 4 stars.