I Killed Sam: A Novel Based on the 1957 Groundbreaking Trial of a Battered Woman

Betty is fighting a long and difficult battle in court for the murder of her abusive husband. Her trial attorney, Bob Nichols, must find a way to free her. But will pleading temporary insanity and self-defense work? Apart from the fact that Bob wants to win the case, he also wants to win the heart of his client and former high school sweetheart all over again. He had to let her go once, but he can't afford to lose her a second time. Although overwhelmed with emotions and caught between a legal gamble that might jeopardize his career forever, Bob is confident he has to be extra cautious as one wrong step could lead him to a dark, unwelcoming tunnel for the rest of his life.

I Killed Sam by Robert Steadman is a fantasy justice-thriller novel filled with mysteries and unexpected plot twists and turns. However, not everything in this book was fictitious. Having worked as a defense attorney himself, Steadman took inspiration from his legendary defense case that he fought for a woman in 1957. It's no surprise that the book, with its details and vivid descriptions, reads more like a real-life story than fiction. The Flint, Michigan trial comes to life in this story and the courtroom drama, the emotionally drawn and psychologically rich characters transform the story into a trailblazer.

Robert Steadman has written a compelling legal thriller with a setting that captures a period in history when men could easily go free for sexually molesting and abusing women. The conflict is strong and intelligently handled, the courtroom drama exacting, and the tension building up through each page as Bob looks for ways to win, not only the case but the woman he has come to love so much. It is too realistic, emotionally rich, and unpredictably alluring. It is one of those books you want to experience in Motion Picture.