Doctor Mathew (Matt) Hightower has it all. A beautiful wife, wonderful daughters, income, a growing medical practice, and the respect of his community. He's completely shocked when an ambitious Assistant DA leads the police into his clinic, announcing his arrest for drug dealing in front of his patients and the national media. Matt had made a mistake...he'd perscribed too much medication to one patient, but he's sure he doesn't deserve this nightmare. Unfortunately for Matt, the nightmare only grows deeper, with a judge desperate to appear tough on crime, and prison staff who thrive on causing pain and misery for prisoners.As Matt serves his time, two things keep him going: first, his love for his wife; and second, his growing list of those upon whom he vows revenge. The Assistant D.A. and the Judge top the list, but a series of sadistic guards and prison officials go out of their way to make sure Matt adds them to his list. Author Paul Nelson writes a hard-hitting story of a man's fall from a high place, his attempts to survive in a system that seems designed more to house sadistic guards than to rehabilitate prisoners, and that man's unsteady grip on sanity as a system designed to dehumanize people does its work on a man who was formerly known for his kindness and gentleness. Nelson pulls no punches in describing a prison system beset with racism, staffed by guards who couldn't hold any other job, but also filled with prisoners who represent (with exceptions) the dregs of humanity, men who were already serving life sentences and who had virtually nothing to lose by their behavior. TO KILL A JUDGE contains harsh language and violent situations. It's definitely not for children. It is, however, a powerful and very real story about a man's attempts to hold onto his sanity when placed in a situation where sanity is both rare and often a drawback.
