The Juror Hangs

If it had been 1952 instead of 2011, the verdict in Casey Anthony's trial would have been "The Juror Hangs." It's always the jurors who suffer most from a verdict. Set in 1952 Chicago, Catherine Mambretti's THE JUROR HANGS, features librarian Miss T. Iris Ginge, a young woman who would rather look things up than hunt down a killer. Iris is very reasonable. So, when she has reasonable doubts of a socialite's guilt in the murder of a wealthy Cuban retiree, Iris becomes the lone holdout juror against 11 men on the jury. The jury hangs: it's no-justice-as-usual in Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse. After the trial the killer's still "out there" --out to get Iris. Her only ally is a P.I. wannabe named Calamity McClurg, a meter-maid who seems to know a little bit too much about both Iris and the dead man.

It's 1952: Librarian Miss T. Iris Ginge would rather look things up than hunt down a killer. Iris is also very reasonable. So, when she has reasonable doubts of a socialite's guilt in the murder of her husband, a wealthy, Cuban retiree, Iris becomes the lone holdout against 11 men on the jury. The jury hangs: it's no-justice-as-usual in Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse. It isn't over when it's over, though. After the trial, the killer is still "out there" -- out to get Iris. The press blames Iris. Editorials accuse her of selling her vote. After a car tries to run her down on the sidwalk outside her apartment, Iris takes refuge in the library stacks where she's tracked down by a meter-maid who issued her Hudson a parking ticket in front of the courthouse and who seems to know a little bit too much about both Iris and the dead man. Calamity McClurg--a P.I. wannabe--makes Iris an offer she can't refuse: "Let me help you catch the killer." Iris has no choice but to follow the breadcrumbs where they lead--into a Grimm’s fairytale of memories, where fathers betray daughters and daughters seek revenge.

Catherine Mambretti is the author of THE JUROR HANGS and THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, a short-story collection, which includes stories previously published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and elsewhere. Her paranormal mystery, CHALK GHOST, was Co-Winner of the 2009 TextNovel.com Contest. She is also author of two educational technology books and numerous articles on history and literature. Ms. Mambretti, who holds a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from The University of Chicago, is a member of The Author's Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America.