Dan Galindo, hero of Barbara Parker's fourth novel, Criminal Justice is living proof of the maxim "nice guys finish last." Once a federal prosecutor in Miami, Galindo lost his job when he refused to put a dubious witness on the stand and thus let a drug lord walk. Now he is in private practice, defending a beautiful rock star on minor charges. But before you can say "Book him, Dano," Galindo finds himself up to his neck in a labyrinthine world of drugs, crooked cops, laundered money, and murder. Parker handles this latest tale of the seamy underbelly of the law with cool elan. Her rendering of the South Florida landscape is authentic, and the characters who slither through it are convincing, which puts Criminal Justice at the head of its class.

From Library Journal
Life is tough for Miami attorney Dan Galindo. A year ago, as prosecutor, he blew a drug case by refusing to let a corrupt witness take the stand, thereby losing his job, scuttling his marriage, and incurring the wrath of the DEA. He's been slogging away in a rundown law practice ever since, shared with an equally rundown partner who would rather play jazz piano. Now his ex-brother-in-law, a music promoter, is asking him to represent gorgeous rock singer Martha Cruz, who slugged a cop. Dan has blundered unwittingly into another DEA setup, instigated by his former colleague Elaine McHale, who is after Martha's fancy man, Miguel, a drug runner. Parker (Blood Relations, Dutton, 1996) has written a brutal commentary on the Miami music scene, offering unforgettable characters and some hilarious potshots at suburbia. Get past the unlikely coincidences, then hold on to something for a wild ride. Highly recommended.-?Laurel Wilson, Alexandrian P.L.. Mount Vernon, Ind.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, David Murray
In her fourth novel, Barbara Parker (author of Suspicion of Guilt and Blood Relations) has produced a suspense story rich in detail about drugs, rock music, and vengeful and ruthless Federal cops who will cover up murder, faked evidence and other illegalities as the price of victory in their own war . . . in Dan Galindo she has created a highly believable hero.

Book Description
He was a hotshot Miami prosecutor...until a single error in judgement cost him everything he held dear. But his troubles have only started, as his girlfriend is found murdered in his apartment, and all suspicions lead straight to him. Now a man sworn to uphold the truth finds himself on the other side of the law, with nowhere to turn to prove his innocence.... *All of Barbara Parker's novels are national bestsellers! *Compares to New York Times bestselling authors Richard North Patterson, John Grisham, and Nancy Taylor Rosenberg *SUSPICION OF INNOCENCE was a 1995 Edgar Award nominee for Best First Novel by an American Author! *SUSPICION OF INNOCENCE was recently made into the CBS-TV original movie "Sisters and Other Strangers" *We have two more books coming from Barbara Parker, including SUSPICION OF DECEIT, coming from Dutton in January 1998 *All of Barbara Parker's novels, including CRIMINAL JUSTICE, are Selections of the Literary Guild

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dan Galindo was once one of the best and brightest young lawyers in the U.S. attorney's office. That was before he refused to put a lying witness on the stand and lost the case. That was before he was tossed out of his job. That was before his wife left him, keeping their beautiful home and young son. And that was before he wound up trying to scrape a living off the bottom of society in a shabby Miami law office. But if Dan thinks things can't get worse, he is wrong. He is about to be drawn into a case that involves a million-dollar money-laundering scheme; a dangerously ambitious young female musician; a desperate music promoter; a crime lord who charms without effort and kills without conscience; a ruthless DEA agent with a blood score to settle with Dan; and then, most shockingly, a brutal murder that brings the police right to Dan's doorstep.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Life is tough for Miami attorney Dan Galindo. A year ago, as prosecutor, he blew a drug case by refusing to let a corrupt witness take the stand, thereby losing his job, scuttling his marriage, and incurring the wrath of the DEA. He's been slogging away in a rundown law practice ever since, shared with an equally rundown partner who would rather play jazz piano. Now his ex-brother-in-law, a music promoter, is asking him to represent gorgeous rock singer Martha Cruz, who slugged a cop. Dan has blundered unwittingly into another DEA setup, instigated by his former colleague Elaine McHale, who is after Martha's fancy man, Miguel, a drug runner. Parker (Blood Relations, Dutton, 1996) has written a brutal commentary on the Miami music scene, offering unforgettable characters and some hilarious potshots at suburbia. Get past the unlikely coincidences, then hold on to something for a wild ride. Highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/96.]-Laurel Wilson, Alexandrian P.L.. Mount Vernon, Ind.

Kirkus Reviews

Parker's latest Miami lawyer-in-distress is Daniel Galindo, Esq., who gets mangled in a DEA undercover operation against his lovers and relatives.

After months of hard work, Operation Manatee is ready for the big push against Miguel Salazar and the associates he's bullied into letting him use Mayhem, an up-and-coming band, to launder millions in heroin cash. DEA agent-in-charge Vincent Hooper and assistant US prosecutor Elaine McHale, who just happen to be lovers, have placed an undercover agent and turned a reluctant informer inside Coral Rock Productions. Very nice for them—but not so nice for Dan Galindo, Elaine's former colleague at the federal attorney's office, whose life has been in a tailspin ever since he refused to suborn perjury in an earlier drug case. Divorced from his wife Lisa, Dan's still friendly with Lisa's brother Rick Robbins, Mayhem's manager, and even friendlier with Mayhem guitarist Kelly Dorff, not realizing that she's Manatee's informant. Struggling to be a father to his son Josh, Dan allows Salazar to lend him his yacht for a fishing trip—and finds himself slipping even further into the bad guys' pockets. Although there are undeniable compensations—at diverse times Dan enjoys romantic scenes with Kelly, with Lisa, with ambitious Mayhem vocalist Martha Cruz, and even with Elaine—they vanish when Kelly's killed at Dan's apartment, shot with his own speargun. If Dan didn't do it—and Elaine's ready to provide him with an alibi—who did? There's a surprising answer, but you may have forgotten all about it in the storm over (1) the quest for an incriminating audiotape; (2) Dan's domestic dilemmas; (3) Rick's entanglement with monstrous Salazar; (4) the fate of Mayhem, whose members should check their insurance policies; and (5) the infighting among all those feds.

Nobody plots more generously than Parker (Blood Relations, 1996, etc.), but this time, with enough menace for a whole season of Miami Vice, the result is so unfocused that it's exhausting instead of dramatic.