Getting Away with Bloody Murder: J. B. Brockman, the Best Criminal Lawyer in Texas

Book excerpt: "These true crime and murder stories between 1895 and 1910 revolve around one untested lawyer who rises from shady character to preeminent defense attorney in Houston. James Brockman seemingly appears out of nowhere to represent clients from gang leaders to jilted spouses, from wealthy storekeepers to drunken on-duty policemen. There are murder cases of jarring violence in which multiple people are shot down in a train station or a courthouse, and there are cases of uncommon humanity and sadness. The stories of these cases cross racial lines, and several tell an instructive story of the segregated Texas that affected so many lives. His career gained national recognition, including his involvement in the most famous American murder case of the young twentieth century, when he himself was murdered in Houston"--