Angel's Verdict

Table of Contents

 

 

PRAISE FOR

“Stanton’s third Beaufort & Company Mystery is a gem. It’s an original and thought-provoking concept, and Stanton’s imagination knows no bounds.”

—
Romantic Times
(4 ½ stars)

 

“An engaging tale due to a strong cast starting with the lead attorney. The storyline is fast-paced on Earth and in court ... Fans will enjoy this still unique, quirky, angelic spin on the afterlife.”

—
Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“A witty and engaging mystery of life after death . . . An entertaining and fun read.”

—
The Romance Readers Connection

 

“Quick paced with an unusual twist . . . A devilishly good read.”

—
The Mystery Reader

 

“As intriguing and exciting as the first two books.”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

 

“Stanton packs this story with murder, mystery, and suspense . . . An entertaining mystery with a dash of the unknown.”

—
Darque Reviews

 

“Stanton has melded legal procedure, medieval philosophy, and theology into a fresh, unique, and ever-expanding world.”

—
ReviewingTheEvidence.com

 

“A very intriguing, impossible-to-put-down mystery.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

“A brilliantly plotted whodunit . . . I couldn’t put it down!”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

“Highly original and plain fun!”

—
Richmond Times-Dispatch

 

“Great new series from Mary Stanton . . . A very unique take on a cozy legal!”

—
Gumshoe Review

 

 

“Engaging and charismatic . . . A breath of fresh air for fans of paranormal cozy mysteries.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

“Mary Stanton brings a unique mixture of charm and quirkiness . . . Bree and her unconventional employees are impossible to resist.”

—
Suspense Magazine

 

“Don’t start reading too late at night—it’s one of those books you can’t put down until you finish.”

—
The Compulsive Reader

 

“Packed with Southern charm and spooky foreshadowing that will delight readers!”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

“This is not one of the cozies that make for some mundane reading, but instead it is a mix of hilarity, heart-stopping danger, and clever storytelling.”

—
Roundtable Reviews

 

“Spooky Southern charm and a wonderfully inventive approach to the afterlife with a celestial twist makes Mary Stanton’s
Defending Angels
a real standout. Brava!”

—Madelyn Alt, bestselling author of
A Witch in Time

 

“
Defending Angels
successfully spices the madcap zaniness of Bridget Jones with the determined goodness of a young lawyer fighting to build her first practice.”

—Mindy Klasky, author of
To Wish or Not to Wish

 

“Mary Stanton has truly captured the spirit—or
spirits
—of Savannah.”

—Don Bruns, author of
Stuff to Spy For

 

“Intriguing and wholly different and original.
Defending Angels
is at once charming, erudite, and chilling. This book should give Mary Stanton the same kind of cult following usually reserved for Charlaine Harris.”

—Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of the Royal Spyness Mysteries

 

“An elegant enchantment with a delightful heroine and a historic setting.”

—Carolyn Hart, author of
Laughed ’Til He Died

 

DEFENDING ANGELS
ANGEL’S ADVOCATE
AVENGING ANGELS
ANGEL’S VERDICT

 

 

 

A TASTE FOR MURDER
A DASH OF DEATH
A PINCH OF POISON
MURDER WELL-DONE
DEATH DINES OUT
A TOUCH OF THE GRAPE
A STEAK IN MURDER
MARINADE FOR MURDER
JUST DESSERTS
FRIED BY JURY
A PUREE OF POISON
BURIED BY BREAKFAST
A DINNER TO DIE FOR
GROUND TO A HALT
A CAROL FOR A CORPSE
TOAST MORTEM

 

 

THE CASE OF THE ROASTED ONION
THE CASE OF THE TOUGH-TALKING TURKEY
THE CASE OF THE ILL-GOTTEN GOAT

 

 

A PLATEFUL OF MURDER
DEATH IN TWO COURSES

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

ANGEL’S VERDICT

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / February 2011

Copyright © 2011 by Mary Stanton.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

 

eISBN: 9781101481165

 

BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group
(USA) Inc.

 

 

 

I have taken liberties with the geography of that most beautiful of cities, Savannah, Georgia, for the purpose of this novel. My apologies to her citizens.

Neither the characters nor situations in this novel are based on actual events.

Brianna “Bree” Winston-Beaufort . . . appeals attorney for dead souls

Antonia Winston-Beaufort . . . Bree’s sister, an aspiring actress

Royal Winston-Beaufort . . . Bree’s adoptive father

Francesca Winston-Beaufort . . . Bree’s adoptive mother

Cecilia “Cissy’” Carmichael . . . Francesca’s sister, Bree and Antonia’s aunt

Franklin Winston-Beaufort . . . deceased, Royal’s uncle

Lavinia Mather . . . Bree’s landlady
Ronald Parchese . . .Bree’s secretary
Petru Lucheta . . . Bree’s paralegal
Armand Cianquino . . . director, retired law professor
Gabriel . . . the enforcer
Sasha . . . a guard dog

Haydee Quinn . . . a dancer at the Tropicana Tide nightclub

William “Bagger Bill” Norris . . . gangster-owner, Tropicana Tide nightclub

Alexander Bulloch II . . . son of Alexander and Consuelo Bulloch

Consuelo Bulloch . . . matriarch of the Bulloch family

Lt. Edward O’Malley . . . homicide detective

Sgt. Robert E. Lee Kowalski . . . homicide detective And others

John Stubblefield . . . law partner, Stubblefield, Marwick

Payton McAllister . . . associate lawyer, Stubblefield, Marwick

Emerald “EB” Billingsley . . . secretary, Bree’s Bay Street office

Sam Hunter . . . lieutenant, Chatham County Sheriff’s Department, homicide division

Cordelia Eastburn . . . Chatham County District Attorney

Sgt. Robert E. Lee Kowalski (ret.) . . . a resident of Sweet Briar Adult Care Facility

Samantha Rose Waterman, nee Bulloch . . . granddaughter of Consuelo Bulloch

Marian Lee Cicerone, nee Bulloch . . . granddaughter of Consuelo Bulloch

Alexandra “Dixie” Bulloch . . . granddaughter of Consuelo Bulloch

Megan Lowry, MD . . . a pathologist

Eric Causton, MD . . . an orthopedist And others

Goldstein . . . a recording angel
Beazley . . . attorney for the Opposition
Caldecott . . . attorney for the Opposition
Some Employees of Sundowner Productions, Inc.

Vincent Victor White . . . a producer

Phillip Mercury . . . director

Tyra Steele . . . actress in the role of Haydee Quinn

George Adderly . . . actor in the role of Bagger Bill Norris

Hatch Lewis . . . actor in the role of Alex Bulloch

Justine Coville . . . actress in the role of Consuelo Bulloch

Craig Oliver . . . actor in the role of Lt. Edward O’Malley

Florida “Flurry” Smith . . . scriptwriter

William Dent . . . driver for hire

FRONT STREET
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
July 4, 1952

 

 

 

 

 

Fireworks on the Savannah River: a starburst of vermillion, gold, and blue cascaded through the inky night, the colors drifting to oblivion on the breeze that came off the midnight water. The crowd gathered on the cobblestone walk along the banks sighed, and sighed again as three more rockets went off in quick succession, showering glitter with careless exuberance. Here and there along the cobblestone street, a scatter of bonfires thrust a fierce orange glow against the shadows.