A Cure for Night

July 14, 2008
A deeply flawed—and endearing—protagonist powers Peacock's impressive debut. Joel Deveraux, once an up-and-coming corporate litigator at one of New York City's most prestigious law firms, resigned in disgrace after a paralegal working on one of his cases died from a heroin overdose. Joel later tries to resurrect himself personally and professionally by becoming a public defender in Brooklyn. But when he's asked to help enigmatic lawyer Myra Goldstein with a high profile case involving the shooting death of a white college student “gunned down in the projects,” Joel is forced to revisit some of the same issues that almost ruined him years earlier. Peacock's intimate knowledge of the courtroom and carefully crafted prose aside, the gritty realism, intense emotional intimacy and socially relevant subject matter—racism, America's war on drugs, the “corporate culture” of drug dealers—make this a deeply thought-provoking read in a genre that can be anything but.

September 1, 2008
Joel Deveraux is not the high-minded, do-gooder type usually found in the Public Defender's Office. He landed there only after being caught in a drug scandal at his first job with a prestigious law firm, and he's lucky he wasn't disbarred in the process. He spends his days pleading out drug dealers until he is asked to sit second chair with one of the office stars, Myra Goldstein, who isn't told why this Ivy League lawyer is now working for her. Goldstein is handling a hot potato, a murder case involving Lorenzo Tate, a black drug dealer accused of murdering a white college student in a street shooting. There's an eyewitness, the media is all over this one, and it's not looking good for Lorenzo. The story takes place in Brooklyn, NY, which is a nice change of venue for a legal thriller. Deveraux is a damaged lawyer, which adds interest to this smart, fast, and thoroughly entertaining debut from Brooklyn-based lawyer Peacock. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/1/08.]Stacy Alesi, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2008
Forced to resign from his prestigious Manhattan law firm for drug use, Joel Deveraux becomes a public defender in Brooklyn, handling nothing more than arraignments for minor crimes. But after this dreary apprenticeship, Joel is assigned to assist PD Myra Goldstein in defending a young black man charged with the shooting death of a white college student. In racially volatile Brooklyn, the case is very high profileand far more meaningful than anything corporate law offered him. A Cure for Night is a truly compelling first novel. It successfully mixes several factorsincluding a gritty, realistic, and thoughtful look at the criminal justice system; the moral and ethical crevasses of criminal law; and good storytellinginto a taut delight. Joel, Myra, and a host of other characters are fully fleshed, a bit cynical but deeply human. Each characters voice is his or her own, and the author has a fine ear for dialogue. Peacock even throws in a surprise ending that startles in two very different ways. By any measure, this ones a winner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)