Illegal Motion

Description

"GRIPPING . . . [Stockley] writes with wit, irony, and a good lawyer's intimate understanding of the daily life of the defense bar and the dynamics of trial. Illegal Motion reads like a thriller and reverberates like the news."

*Entertainment Weekly



When small-time lawyer Gideon Page agrees to defend Dade Cunningham against charges of rape, he doesn't realize what he's taken on. Dade, a star wide receiver for the University of Arkansas, is poor and black; his accuser, a pretty co-ed, is wealthy and white. And Gideon is suddenly at the center of a racially and sexually charged case that will earn him enemies on campus and off.



Before he even gets to trial, he'll be dodging the media and the wrath of feminists, contending with naked bigotry and university politics, dealing with the divided loyalties of his daughter, Sarah, and facing long hidden secrets from the past that will put the truth *and his own conscience *on trial. . . .



"[The] richness of place and character gives punch to the climactic courtroom scene . . . Illegal Motion will give courtroom drama fans a pleasantly tense few hours."

*San Jose Mercury News



"STOCKLEY KNOWS HIS STUFF."

*Detroit Free Press

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BLOOD IN THEIR EYES: THE ELAINE RACE MASSACRES OF 1919

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Blind Judgment: A Gideon Page Novel

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Justice...or the Perfect Revenge?

Like the South where he was born, Gideon Page is haunted by the past. Offered a shot at redemption and revenge, he returns to his hometown of Bear Creek, Arkansas, to defend a man accused of a contract killinghired by none other than the wealthy landowner who once destroyed Gideon's own family. Yet as the case unfolds, Gideon finds it's more complicated and dangerous than he'd imagined. In a world of old hatreds, lost loves, and crumbling family myths, Gideon is caught between his professional instincts and his personal desires. Now, he must make the most painful choice of his life, to settle an old score...or let a killer go free.

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The best thing about Grif Stockley's mysteries featuring Gideon Page, an Arkansas social worker turned lawyer, is their no-nonsense attitude toward the business of being a lawyer. There are few big deals, no car chases, and a minimum of courtroom theatrics--just ordinary people trying to survive life's nasty menu. Blind Judgement has Page commuting from Little Rock to his hometown of Bear Creek in the Arkansas Delta to defend an African American accused of killing his Chinese American employer, presumably on the orders of a wealthy white man named Paul Taylor. Page has reason to hope the worst for Taylor: they had been boyhood friends until the Taylor family cheated Page's mother out of her property. But nothing turns out as expected, which adds to the pleasure and believability. Other Page-turners available in paperback: Expert Testimony, Illegal Motion, Probable Cause, and Religous Conviction.

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Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader from Arkansas (Margaret Walker Alexander Series in African American Studies)

Description

Daisy Bates (1914-1999) is renowned as the mentor of the Little Rock Nine, the first African Americans to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. For guiding the Nine through one of the most tumultuous civil rights crises of the 1950s, she was selected as Woman of the Year in Education by the Associated Press in 1957 and was the only woman invited to speak at the Lincoln Memorial ceremony in the March on Washington in 1963. But her importance as a historical figure has been overlooked by scholars of the civil rights movement.

Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader from Arkansas chronicles her life and political advocacy before, during, and well after the Central High School crisis. An orphan from the Arkansas mill town of Huttig, she eventually rose to the zenith of civil rights action. In 1952, she was elected president of the NAACP in Arkansas and traveled the country speaking on political issues. During the 1960s, she worked as a field organizer for presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to get out the black vote. Even after a series of strokes, she continued to orchestrate self-help and economic initiatives in Arkansas.

Using interviews, archival records, contemporary news-paper accounts, and other materials, author Grif Stockley reconstructs Bates's life and career, revealing her to be a complex, contrary leader of the civil rights movement. Ultimately, Daisy Bates paints a vivid portrait of an ardent, overlooked advocate of social justice.

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Race Relations in the Natural State

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In this book noted Arkansas historian Grif Stockley (Blood in Their Eyes, Daisy Bates) presents a clear depiction of the struggles of race and class in Arkansas, using personal stories to give a deeper understanding of the price of racism in Arkansas. The last chapter explores the experiences of Hispanics in the state. Lesson plans developed by the author are available for teachers at www.butlercenter.org..

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Expert Testimony

Description

"Stockley has produced a delightful and intriguing human story. It is to be hoped he will use his newly found talent to dig into his past experiences as background for more such captivating tales."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A prominent Arkansas politico and state senator is murdered, and the babbling, incoherent man accused of the crime has insanity plea written all over him. Everyone, including Gideon Page, the public defender, thinks this case is nailed shut. But Gideon is curious about a few things, and what he discovers is that even the innocent need an airtight alibi, when a simple case of puppy love turns into a fatal affair to remember.

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