Title: Judge Ed
Author: Ted Rose
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1796087840
Pages: 120
Genre: Fiction / Crime
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop

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Initially, Ted Rose’s novel appears to be an apparent satirical character study. It begins by having the author transform himself into a South Florida judge who tells the reader his own story in his own way. It’s the tale of a jurist who sees all the things wrong with a judicial system that too often plays to cameras and crowds rather than to common sense and fair play. So this judge determines he’ll have none of the hubris, or feigned omnipotence of such celebrity judges as Judy, Ito, and Wapner—rather he’ll rule his courtroom with appropriate discipline at all times, sternness when necessary, humor to keep things from getting overly oppressive, and compassion when it is truly called for.

The judge then begins to give the reader insights into his background, such as why he’s in Florida and what he likes about it. He details how he runs his court, what he’ll countenance and what he won’t. Before long, he’s transitioned into a very high profile case of a murder that’s been committed. The accused is an extremely brilliant and acclaimed plastic surgeon charged with killing a young nurse he was having an affair with. The doctor is found guilty and is sentenced to prison, but the good judge is far from seeing the end of him.
At this point, the middle of the novel lapses into detailed information about how the judge actually lives his life. There is information about the home he lives in, his pet dogs, his collection of automobiles, the guesthouse that accompanies his main dwelling. There are revelations about the courthouse he’s had built on his own property, including how he managed to sway the local politicians into approving such a rare occurrence.

The main supporting character in the judge’s narrative is Wilbur, a forthright fellow the jurist meets in a bar. Wilbur soon becomes not only a clerk and handyman for the judge but something of an aide-de-camp as well. He’ll play a pivotal role in the action when the aforementioned murderous doctor escapes from prison and comes looking for revenge.

Rose is an accomplished writer whose vocabulary and sense of humor serves him well as he takes the reader on a journey encompassing not just judicial combat in the courtroom but also romance, suspense, even life-threatening physical action. His prose flows easily and keeps the pace of his story moving even when it appears to be taking unnecessary side roads. This is a novel hard to categorize but easy to like as readers learn more and more about Judge Ed.