The trial of Dr. Adams cover

The trial of Dr. Adams

by Sybille Bedford

Taken from a review: Here is the accused, Dr. John Adams, being tried for the murder of Mrs. Morell (after rumors connected with other ""mysterious"" deaths) six years previously (there were 16 other, earlier charges). Then come the nurses in attendance on Mrs. Morell, next the doctors in the hands of the prosecution. The defense takes over the cross-examination and, after the closing speeches, the Judge sums up -- to the verdict, known through news current at the time but still with its jolt of excitement. With a sensitivity for the expertness, the procedures, the surrounding, international gallery of reporters, the play of tactics from lure to pounce, the pervasive point of a medical man using his profession and skill to kill a victim -- this is courtroom drama that implants actual testimony, question and answer, to implement an overall finding that ""truth, in a court of law, is circumscribed and its Pursuit an elaborate rounding up and pinning down..."" The author, whose The Sudden View was a surprise Mexican visit and who found an appreciative audience with her novel A Legacy, will here show her readers that her talents are not balked by technicalities and that what she writes about mirrors an inner, analytical responsibility. Epicurean.

More by Sybille Bedford

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?