Život a doba soudce A. K. – Zapletal Zdeněk (2015)

Handsome forty-something Adam Klos is a civil law judge. He couldn't really be anything else, having been born into a legal family – his father is a constitutional judge, and his mother is a private attorney. However, Adam finds little fulfillment in his work; he is empathetic and introverted, and recently his long-term partner left him, leaving him somewhat lost in life. Thirteen stories, each dedicated to a different case, are told through the intriguing lens of internal monologue. The reader has a unique opportunity to be a judge themselves, observing not only the decisions affecting the lives of others but also the doubts that can accompany the pronouncement of a verdict. This adds a significant dose of dramatic tension to the stories. "Every verdict is as fragile as human life. I will never shake that off, nor do I want to. Because a judge is justice, but also conscience." (Adam Klos) Even a judge, through practice, realizes that truth and justice do not always stand on the side of the law. The disputes described are not bloody murders or world cases; they are disputes from everyday life – what does the one who judges think of them? "You won't find a reasonable person in court; a reasonable person will negotiate." (Father Klos)