Michael Ponsor graduated from Harvard, received a Rhodes Scholarship, and studied for two years at Pembroke College, Oxford. As an undergraduate, he spent a year teaching in Kabete, Kenya, just outside Nairobi. After taking his law degree from Yale and clerking in federal court in Boston, he began his legal career, specializing in criminal defense. He moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1978, where he practiced as a trial attorney in his own firm until his appointment in 1984 as a US magistrate judge in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him a life-tenured US district judge. From 2000 to 2001, he presided over a five-month death penalty trial, the first in Massachusetts in over fifty years. Judge Ponsor continues to serve as a senior US district judge in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Western Division, with responsibility for federal criminal and civil cases in the four counties of western Massachusetts. The One-Eyed Judge is his second novel featuring Judge Norcross.
“Ponsor successfully explores both the inner workings of the
federal court system and widower Norcross’ struggle to open himself
again to the vulnerability of being a husband and
father. . . . Excellent . . .
Compelling . . . A great example of a small press
series that could develop a strong following with word-of-mouth
support.” —Booklist
“I loved it. The books that keep me enthralled and entertained are
few and far between, and [The One-Eyed Judge] was one of them.”
—Elinor Lipman, New York Times–bestselling author of On Turpentine
Lane
“Here again, as in The Hanging Judge, Ponsor brings his rare
combination of experience on the bench and flair for storytelling
to a timely topic.” —Joseph J. Ellis, National Book Award–winning
author of The Quartet
“A gripping novel with a propulsive thrust. The characters live and
breathe, the plot tugs you along willy-nilly, and the writing is
crisp and compelling. . . . All this Judge Ponsor
accomplishes with tact and aplomb, and the reader will be thankful
for the breathtaking ride.” —Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
Praise for The Hanging Judge
“The Hanging Judge is that rarity; a story that grips the reader
even as it teaches some fine points of criminal procedure.” —The
Washington Post
“[A] gripping legal thriller . . . Compelling.”
—Booklist
“There are plenty of surprises to keep readers turning pages.
Ponsor gives readers a unique look into the workings of a
courtroom.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“That rare gem: a crackling court procedural with authentic
characters and beautiful prose.” —Anita Shreve, bestselling author
of The Pilot’s Wife
“A page-turning mystery full of romance and humor, which takes us
inside the fraught and rather secretive world of a judge’s
chambers.” —Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of
Mountains Beyond Mountains
“A compelling tale, with a cast of vividly drawn characters and a
plot that twists and turns—it entertains, as a good novel should,
but even better, it also informs, as only the best ones do.”
—Jonathan Harr, bestselling author of A Civil Action
“Novels have shown us what it’s like to be a juror, an attorney,
even the defendant, but this is the first I’ve read that puts us up
on the bench—a knowing, nuanced portrait of a judge and the often
imperfect system he watches over.” —Joseph Kanon, bestselling
author of Leaving Berlin
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