The Redemption: C.L.Tolbert

Redemption: C. L. Tolbert

Fear of being alienated, fear of being harmed, fear of not being accepted and the fear of loneliness in a community riddled with drugs, murders, money laundering and much more as one young sixteen-year-old named Louis Bishop is arrested for a double murder and here is where the events follow. Within the first scenes we meet two men, Brother Reginald Antoine who steeped outside right before his tragic Murcer and was stating at the entrance to the Redemption housing project where all of the action takes place working with kids that needed guidance and help and determined to make difference in the lives  of some many he was meeting honor student Alice Bishop helping her to complete forms for a scholarship to Our Lady of Fatima, the top girls’ school in the city. Her graduation would be the first and her Aunt Juanita was her greatest champion and made sure that she was in school and always taken care of properly. Sam Moreau pulled his car int toe Redemption and parked at the curb and was alone. His partner did not come. Things get heated up when a man named Marcus, the kingpin and head of many gangs, running an illegal pawn shop and dealing in drugs comes up and explains the situation to Sam and how he sees things going down from now on.

Professor Emma Thornton is dealing with the indictment of this young juvenile and has asked for the help of three of her students to work on the case. The clinic was the Legal Clinic for the Homeless at St. Stanislaus University Law School in New Orleans where she has been working there for four years. Dean Munoz is her boss who started the clinic, but she is supervising student who provided free legal help for the ever-growing homeless population. The DA is seeking the death penalty since more than one person was killed. Plus, she could try that case by herself, but the supreme court requires that two attorneys defend an indigent in a capital case and Louis falls into that category.

Questioning Louis was not that easy as Emma had to decide whether he understand right from wrong and getting his tested would not be an easy feat. With certain learning problems that had to be addressed and his fear of being in prison with inmates that wanted to hurt him in many ways, defending him would take time, research, and help from many sources. But Emma would soon learn that those that she thought were on her side were not. Corruption and payoffs to the police, young teens that did messages and delivered packages or brown bags filled with money for Marcus was anyone immune or safe from his control?

Lives are at stake and after questioning Juanita his aunt, talking to Alicia and then reporting something about Juanita to the police both she and Juanita became targets, but one would not survive.

Talking to Flo who worked with Juanita she learns about books that were kept for Marcus: Three: one for the police, one for Marcus and a third. Why all three you will not believe and the books, and ledgers and journals hold the secret to what is really going on, but would anyone live to reveal the information? Flo , Juanita , Brother Antoine and Sam were just the beginning. Would Dwayne and Georgie come to Louis’s defense and tell what they know about that night? What about Alicia would she reveal the truths she was afraid to reveal and face?

Learning that Marcus and Maureau were in a territorial dispute and Tamika a young girl that was always with him, was she a witness that would be credible against Louis and what about her loyalty to Marcus? Just who was she exactly and what was her real role? Protection fees to be paid to the cops or the consequences were dear. Why didn’t anyone look into the corruption and how high does it go?

Josh seems to have his pulse on the right direction and knows how to ask questions whereas Lauren seems to think that Louis does not deserve the help that they are providing, and Emma must make a choice as to whether to keep her on the case or not.

Each ledger or journal has the item listed at the pawn shop, each payment made by the customer, the number of times the customer was late with loan payments and whether the item was sold in the end. Paperwork for each loan was tucked into envelopes in the back of the ledger  along with the corresponding police reports proving the chops compliance with the law. How much was true or false? Officer Bourdeaux was killed and someone named Ninja was thatching Brother Antoine talking to him after the drop off at Felicity Street.
Marcus uses teenagers to do his work and pays then a wage making it hard for them to refuse him. However, when the guidance counselor is witness to Louis being tested revelations about his abilities are revealed but the abilities of Marcus cannot be since he was not tested. Maureau was a cover up and they wanted the police to think it was a drug deal gone bad. Instead, the two cops St. Amant and Grant were there for one purpose at the scene of the murders. Just what is the outcome and what happens when Emma’s life is in danger when a dangerous killer wants to take her out? Will Louis finally tell the truth about what happened that night? Will Emma survive another attack and possibly be the next victim of these killers? Will Ren come to her defense and where will she find herself next? This case is dangerous, and will she continue to pursue murder cases or others? She is tough, impetuous, caring, smart and at times takes too many risks as she strives to learn the truth and maybe even the true meaning of REDEMPTION. A book that could be a great resource for law students, paralegals and anyone that wants to write about a murder and how to process a crime scene and asking the right questions. Author C.L. Tolbert takes us inside the mind of a college professor, her reasoning skills, that of the students that worked with her and finally the thoughts and minds of the killers.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews