Lanfordova porota – Waller Martin (2009)

The story of the book takes place in New Orleans, America, where a jury must decide the fate of a man accused of premeditated murder in a capital trial. However, the search for justice is significantly complicated by a jury made up of a heterogeneous group of twelve individuals with differing opinions, whose views on the defendant's guilt or innocence have varied greatly from the very beginning. The jurors are forced to seek answers not only to the crucial question of guilt or innocence but also to the dilemma of whether it is fair to condemn a person to capital punishment based solely on circumstantial evidence. Their difficult effort to reach a unanimous verdict is complicated by mutual disputes, personal animosities, escalating conflicts, and other factors that have little to do with law or justice. Intrigues, hidden forms of influence, and money play a role, especially when some jurors are pressured, through which the jury is manipulated. The story of Lanford's jury also highlights the power of organized crime in a city where the mafia has become a concept. In such an environment, justice can indeed be truly blind.