Benjamin Berkley's thrilling new courtroom drama In Defense of Guilt imagines what might happen if you were forced to come face to face with your sins—and be judged for them. In a revelatory novel that will keep readers turning pages from the first word, Berkley subtly reminds us that in the end, we’re all dispensable, and it’s important to live each day with that in mind.
Here's a Q&A to learn more:
What inspired you to write In Defense of Guilt?
I have known too many friends and colleagues who were workaholics; sacrificing time they would’ve had with their families. Then, a divorce occurs, or there is a medical crisis, and they wake up and wonder where the time went and lament that they cannot get it back. Lauren, the main character in the novel, is a lawyer who has never lost a case, and is forced to reckon with this same problem—in an unexpected way!
What sets In Defense of Guilt apart from other novels?
Although the principal location is a Los Angeles courtroom, and the novel is ostensibly about a case where a man is accused of throwing his wife overboard a boat, the defense attorney is ultimately turned into the defendant and the presiding judge morphs into God. I think that’s pretty unique.
In Defense of Guilt tackles real life themes about family, love, and justice. Why do you think it is important for there to be books that acknowledge these themes?
Berkley: Life is a daily struggle for survival for all of us, and there are no shortcuts. We are all trying to figure out how to have it all, but in the end the only way to have a successful career and family is by learning to compromise and live according to our own moral code in the best way we can. Life is a balancing act and, when push comes to shove, justice and what is right always prevails.
About the Author:
From as far back as he can remember Benjamin Berkley was always fascinated by law. Growing up in Long Beach, New York, his daily schedule revolved around grainy black and white reruns of Perry Mason, who with the help of Della Street, solved the most complicated of crimes imaginable – wining cases for their all but convicted clients. It came as no surprise to his family and friends that upon high school graduation, young Berkley chose law as his career path.
After years of intense study, Berkley earned his Juris Doctorate degree and has practiced law for over forty years. In Defense of Guilt (2018) is Benjamin Berkley’s second novel. He is also the author of four self-help books as well as his first novel, Against My Will, (2012) and is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post. Berkley lives in southern California with his wife Phyllis and their cat Riley. He has two grown children and is always bragging about his five amazing grandchildren.
After years of intense study, Berkley earned his Juris Doctorate degree and has practiced law for over forty years. In Defense of Guilt (2018) is Benjamin Berkley’s second novel. He is also the author of four self-help books as well as his first novel, Against My Will, (2012) and is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post. Berkley lives in southern California with his wife Phyllis and their cat Riley. He has two grown children and is always bragging about his five amazing grandchildren.
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