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**THE GUILTY has been described as "A Brilliant Courtroom Drama." **(Charles Bray, theindietribe.com) It is the story of Robert Bratt, once a high-flying defense attorney, but now haunted by doubts over his chosen profession and the violent people he represents. He is hired to defend Marlon Small, a young tough who is accused of **a brutal double-slaying**. The accused's mother is a devoutly religious woman who is certain that her son has been falsely accused, and looks to Bratt to save him. Despite the mother's protestations, Bratt's instincts tell him that Small's airtight alibi is too good to be true, and he is very probably guilty. But Bratt's drive to succeed, combined with his sympathy for the heartbroken mother, push him to defend the young man. -Can he continue to turn a blind eye to what his client has done, and** manipulate the truth** as he so often has in the past, while no longer being able to look himself in the mirror? -Loosely **based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal** in the 1990s, this riveting legal thriller pulls the reader into the inner workings of a murder trial, and **reveals what one lawyer must do when he has to defend "The Guilty."** * **Add To Your Cart Now** ** ### Review **"An absolute winner of a debut mystery novel!** Author Boutros has a winner here. The novel was a page turner right from the start. Boutros writing style and pace are comparable to some bestselling authors I've read recently. You quickly realize that his personal experience in the Canadian judicial system brings a familiarity to the ins and outs of the courtroom action." -TBR, topbookreviewers.com  **"A Brilliant Courtroom Drama." "**This book represents a brilliant courtroom drama and is brought alive by the creative skill of a formidable new author, and glued by the fact that Gabriel Boutros actually practiced criminal law for twenty-four years...I highly recommend this book as it not only successfully enacts a tense courtroom battle but also brings into play the hidden emotions of the main defence lawyer." Charles Bray, theindietribe.com **"The Guilty is completely captivating..."**The courtroom cross examinations are brilliant, the psychological insights are deep, the dialogues are sometimes shocking, sometimes sweet, often funny, no word is wasted and in the end all the issues are resolved.  Start this  most excellent book when you have time to read it through as you will not want to put it down. ****-Bookpleasures.com **"Gabriel Boutros demonstrates a true gift for his craft as a writer, **right from the beginning, and manages to draw you into the story with consummate skill." Imagineerebooks.com * * * * * * * * * * * * **"Gritty, gripping..." **"It is apparent from the way in which the courtroom scenes are described, and the way the justice machine in this part of the country moves along, that the Author has pulled from his own experiences in the legal arena and this makes the book more genuine and believable...It is gritty, gripping and makes you want to keep reading on to the stunning conclusion." catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com * * * * * * * * * * * * ### From the Author I practiced criminal law for nearly a quarter of a century in Montreal. During that time I saw many honest, ethical lawyers who worked hard to guarantee that even some of the nastiest criminals got a fair trial. These were honorable men and women who took their obligation to defend their clients to the best of their abilities very seriously. But, occasionally, I would meet a lawyer who would gladly cross the ethical line, as long as he, and his client, came out winners. And, sometimes, in the heat of battle, and under the pressures that a major trial can create, even otherwise honest lawyers might have made decisions that they later came to regret. In writing this book I pictured the main character, Robert Bratt, as someone who is essentially a good person, but whose need to win has led him to forget his inherent honesty, and driven him to do things that he wished he hadn't. This story is about how he deals with his conflicted feelings about himself, and about his profession, as he defends a young man accused of murder.