For years, the gangs of
inner-city Oakland have run rampant. The Cashtown gang and its rivalry,
IceBoyz, often settle their beef on the streets. Criminal defense attorney Joe
Turner faces them head-on in Good Lookin’: a Joe Turner Mystery by T. L.
Bequette when he is hired to represent Darnell Moore. With a growing mountain
of evidence against him, it seems as if Moore enters the trial with his fate
sealed. Working with a client who insists he knew nothing about the murder that
landed him in jail, Turner realizes this will not be his usual run-of-the-mill
case. Along with the help of an office mate and a private eye, Turner searches
for the truth despite everyone confidently pointing fingers at his client.
On March 22, 2021,
Cashtown gang member Cleveland Barlow was shot while loitering outside his gang
hangout. Moore becomes implicated in this mess when his car is spotted on
camera in that same intersection seconds before the shooting. With an
eyewitness across the street who later picked Moore out of a photo spread of
suspects, it seems like the case would quickly come to a close. Upon meeting
Moore for the first time, Turner discovers a few crucial details. First, Moore did not invoke his right to remain silent when
the police questioned him. Second, Moore refused to admit having knowledge
about the shooting, which in Turner’s decade of experience, was not a good
sign. Instead, he remained remarkably calm and held an easy smile that directly
contradicted his likely future of life in prison.
While learning about the
Moore case through Turner’s perspective, this book simultaneously follows a
storyline from the perspective of twins Damon and Jesse. These nine-year-old
boys were too familiar with the fact that something always went wrong with
foster care. Their new foster dad was a “real loser” as they would put it, who
often gave them manual labor instead of ice cream. However, their relationship
to Turner remains a mystery at the beginning and will keep you guessing as you
read on.
Outside of piecing
together the mystery surrounding his latest innocent client, Turner also
decides he needs to build a better life. To start off, he musters up the
courage to call Andy’s wife’s friend, Edna. With an interesting name like that
and the fact that his last fling ended in catastrophe, he felt both nervous and
excited. When he finally meets her for coffee, his expectations are blown out
of the water. The author will get a laugh out of you when you read
how hopelessly and awkwardly Turner tries flirting with his new woman.
In a labyrinth of lies,
gang history, and family drama, Turner uses every trick up his sleeve to win
his client’s case. You will pick up Good Lookin’
for the mystery but stay for the romance and love the surprise ending you never
expected.
Article 2: Defending An Innocent Man. // Joe Turner
trusts his gut in Good Lookin’.
Criminal defense attorney
Joe Turner faces the gangs of inner-city Oakland head-on in Good Lookin’: a
Joe Turner Mystery by T. L. Bequette when he is hired to represent Darnell
Moore. With all the evidence pointed against him, it seems as if Moore enters the
trial for murder with his fate sealed. Luckily for him, Turner
prides himself on defending the innocent and demands respect for the
presumption of innocence. When he meets Moore for the first time, he
believes his client’s easy smile and calm demeanor reflects that very
innocence.
Not everyone believes his
young client is innocent until proven guilty. For example, Turner reveals how
police reports are written in a manner that justifies the arrest, meaning they
usually do not contain evidence that would prove one’s innocence. The report
describes the events that occurred on March 22, 2021, when Cashtown gang member
Cleveland Barlow was shot while loitering outside his gang hangout. Most people
would place the blame on the IceBoyz gang who often made new members earn their
spot by participating in “initiation”. Moore’s car is spotted on camera in that
same intersection seconds before the shooting.
With his work cut out for
him, Turner begins the process of entering a plea of not guilty and building
his defense. To do so, he inspects initial police reports, photographs of the
crime scene, drafts a discovery list for the D.A., and recruits his friends
Andy Kopp and Chuck Argenal to help. While they may not seem like much, Andy’s
expertise as a personal injury attorney and Chuck’s vast connections as a
private eye prove crucial to Turner crafting a strong defense.
Even as a criminal
defense lawyer, Turner still admits that it is more fun to defend the innocent
and argue a worthy cause; he prefers to fight on the side of justice. Working
with a client who insists he knew nothing about the murder that landed him in
jail, Turner realizes this will not be his usual run-of-the-mill case. He
thinks of this case as a rare opportunity, the chance to fight for someone who
is factually innocent.
While reading Turner’s
perspective on the murder trial, this book simultaneously follows a storyline
from the perspective of nine-year-old twins Damon and Jesse. Their mysterious
link is one of the many questions the author hangs in suspense until the latter
half of the story.
Even though the author
also keeps the trial in constant suspense, he makes it clear that to the world
of criminals, there is a big difference between a murder case and a homicide
case. Between sucking up to incompetent judges and heckling with the prosecutor
Nathaniel Winston Didery, the author shows how each player has their own
agenda. Turner undergoes the task of sorting through the mess, while dealing
with his own psyche.
We read firsthand the
frustrations of being a criminal defense attorney and are taken for a ride
through the ups and downs of the criminal justice system. The suspense of Good
Lookin’ will keep you rooting for Turner’s success and waiting for Moore’s
freedom.