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Lunatic Carnival

DW Buffa author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Polis Books

Published:5th Oct '23

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Lunatic Carnival cover

“D.W. Buffa has taken the legal thriller one step further - endowing it with an eerie and stylish noir sensibility…masterfully crafted and people with characters you won’t forget.”  —Jonathan Kellerman


D.W. Buffa’s first novel, The Defense, left the New York Times “wanting to go back to the beginning and read it again.” Lunatic Carnival, Buffa’s  latest riveting and thought-provoking thriller, does that and more.  In Lunatic Carnival, Buffa paints an unforgettable and timely portrait of an age in which nothing is thought more important than fame and money, a world in which immorality has become the trademark of success, and murder just another business decision.

            A professional athlete, T.J. Allen, is charged with the murder of Matthew Stanton, the owner of the team. Antonelli agrees to take the case only after the trial court judge tells him that Allen is innocent and that “All of America contributed to the making of Matthew Stanton.” The evidence is firmly stacked against Allen: he was found standing over Stanton’s dead body, the murder weapon still in hand.  The only way to prove Allen is innocent it is to find the real killer and their motive. Who had a reason to kill Matthew Stanton? What had he done, or what was he planning to do, that  made the real killer think he had no choice?  As Joseph Antonelli prepares for the most difficult case of his career, he will learn that the answer to that question will change not only the outcome of this trial, but could change the world as we know it.

            D.W. Buffa’s novels have been “filled with remarkable prose and jaw-dropping suspense.” In Lunatic Carnival, a trial for murder becomes an indictment of a world gone mad in a compelling novel that will keep you in suspense until the very last page, and then, like only D.W. Buffa can do, it will make you want to go back to the beginning and read it all over again.

Praise for the novels of D.W. Buffa “Buffa's characters are compelling; the dialogue authentic and well crafted. With the current political upheaval, Buffa’s newest novel hits home in more ways than one. The author draws on his own experience as a criminal defense attorney to render realistic courtroom proceedings. Highly recommended for lovers of legal and political thrillers.” ―Library Journal (Starred Review) "Expect NECESSITY to appear on numerous “Best of” lists, both because of and in spite of what it is. One cannot walk away from a Buffa novel without feeling educated to at least some extent and entertained to the fullest.” ―Bookreporter "In the grand tradition of courtroom thrillers, there’s a whopper of a reveal as the last witness is called. Fans of political thrillers and courtroom dramas, as well as those who can’t get enough of the latest headlines, will race through this one.” ―Booklist "An accomplished first novel... it ends with a couple of twists that are really shocking. And it leaves you wanting to go back to the beginning and read it again.” ―The New York Times on The Defense "A great, and I mean great, read; what a book! D. W. Buffa, who gave us The Defense, now brings us The Prosecution. I won't give away the plot, but let's say this: You'll love this book. If you don't, you're at the morgue.” ―Larry King "Buffa’s spare observation, crackling dialogue, and shadowy circle of criminals, lawyers, and lovers keep you riveted." ―Entertainment Weekly “A Dan Brown read-alike tailor-made for an election year." ―Booklist on Hillary "The Who in the Whodunit rolls out tantalizingly....Bottom line: Add it to your docket." ―People Magazine on The Legacy "An excellent legal thriller with a well thought-out plot and believable characters. But it also scores as a novel of cold, calculating revenge perpetrated by an intelligence so formidable it goes unrecognized until too late." ―USA Today

ISBN: 9781951709839

Dimensions: 215mm x 139mm x 30mm

Weight: unknown

352 pages