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Attorney Gary Reed writes second book, a legal thriller set in Cinci/NKy; hint — prosecutor is villain


Special to NKyTribune

Northern Kentucky attorney Gary Reed’s second book is a legal thriller that plays out against a background of political rhetoric about undocumented immigrants and Muslims.

The fictional Hamilton County prosecutor is the villain.

An ambiguous cell phone video and a prosecutor running for higher office on a Donald Trump-like platform kick off the action in Explicit Bias, Reed’s new book.

Found on a dead woman’s cell phone, the video shows her husband, a rakishly handsome surgeon, going into a “hot sheets” hotel with a sexy nurse. The dead woman, Ann Lindsey Medawar, is the daughter of a wealthy and political important local businessman. Her husband, Rafiq A. Medawar, M.D., is a gifted trauma surgeon.

Gary Reed

Gary Reed

Told that Dr. Medawar is a Syrian immigrant, the prosecutor concludes that his wife confronted her husband about his infidelity, and being from the Middle East, Dr. Medawar wouldn’t put up with that from a woman, flew into a rage, and killed her.

Dr. Medawar hires a friend, criminal defense attorney Devin Garner. Just four years out of law school, Garner is an unlikely choice for a high profile murder trial. He is a talented young defense attorney, but he has not participated in a capital murder trial as lead attorney.

Against a backdrop of the prosecutor’s political campaign, the prosecutor rails against illegal immigrants and Muslims. The case against Dr. Medawar becomes a prop in his campaign, and the prosecutor is determined his office will win a conviction.

The novel is set in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and includes a corrupt Covington attorney, a compromised Boone County Circuit Court judge, a Florence police officer with a critical insight, a popular Mexican restaurant, and a hunting-and-fishing club. Police find the body of a young Hispanic woman at the Turfway Park race track.

The novel also pillories local news broadcasting. A feckless news reporter follows the prosecution, always accepting the prosecutor’s version of events and never asking meaningful follow up questions. Depending on their own biases, local broadcasters, reporters and viewers may find the author’s take exaggerated or on-point satire.

Throughout his career as an attorney, Reed practiced law in Cincinnati and in Kentucky. He began his career with a large downtown law firm and later served as Director of Legal Services for ChoiceCare and as Associate General Counsel for Humana Inc. Both in his private practice and with Humana, Reed managed litigation and investigations around the country, but he admits he never dealt with the life-and-death issues that confront his main character.

His previous novel, The Blockbuster Drug, drew on his healthcare experience.

Reed will be available to discuss his book during the Indie Author’s Day event, Saturday, October 8, at the Boone County Library in Burlington. The event begins at 2 p.m.

Explicit Bias is available on Amazon and GoodReads.


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One Comment

  1. John Bercaw says:

    Are you a fan of stories about lawyers fighting for justice with the deck stacked against them? If so, you will enjoy reading this new story by Gary Reed. This is a page-turner, closely related to current events, and I hated when it ended.

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