Presumption of Guilt by Herb Brown


More than your average crime book

Published in 1991.

A boy is found with bloody underwear. His babysitter, a male high school senior is immediately suspected of molestation. The little boy is very bright but is certainly very vague about what happened to him. Psychologists are brought in, with their own agendas. The prosecutors, parents, judge and the victim all have their own agendas. The reader is left to try to guess what really happened.

 The point of view is usually that of the little boy who is trying to navigate his way through the adult court system while keeping his secrets secret, his family intact and do what is right, as far as he can tell. I really can't go into much more detail without spoiling the plot.

 This is Brown's first book. He is a state supreme court justice from Ohio and I hope that this disturbing piece of fiction was not based on a true case. This book was well-written, compelling and, like I've already said, disturbing.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

 This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Presumption of Guilt.

 Reviewed in 2004.

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