"A Tampa trial attorney with a seven-decade legal career has released a legal thriller about justice, corruption and a man facing death row. Bennie Lazzara, who also writes under the pen name B.M. Reade, published "The Jury Is Back," set on Anna Maria Island. Lazzara began his career as a prosecutor exclusively handling first-degree murder cases and later transitioned into criminal defense work."
"The novel follows Sammy Carrara Jr., a former Tampa native turned charter boat captain on Anna Maria Island, who is accused of first-degree murder after being pulled back into drug smuggling. Set in late-1970s Florida during "reefer madness," the story follows prosecutors pushing for execution in Florida's electric chair while Sammy insists he's being framed. The story takes its name from what a bailiff usually says to let the attorneys know that the jury is ready to render a decision."
"If you're a law student looking for an excuse to slack on your class readings and learn Crim Law by osmosis, this is the book for you! If you really want to gamify it, you could mark off all of the satisfied elements of crimes and highlight proof of mens rea in your favorite color. And if you're from the area, you'll recognize the names of the bars and beaches. Anything to keep you from brushing up on Regina v. Dudley and Stephens."
The narrative follows Sammy Carrara Jr., a former Tampa native and charter boat captain on Anna Maria Island who is accused of murder after being pulled back into drug smuggling. The setting is late‑1970s Florida during a period of "reefer madness," with prosecutors pursuing execution in the electric chair while the defendant maintains he is being framed. Local bars and beaches appear as recognizable backdrops for area residents. The title echoes a bailiff's announcement that the jury is ready to render a decision, and the plot emphasizes justice, corruption, and legal procedure.
Read at Above the Law
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