Oliver Garland, a well-known conservative, Afro-American judge, has suddenly died, allegedly from a heart attack.The powerful judge had never been able to recover from a scandal that ruined his rising professional career towards the Supreme Court. Questions arise:Was Judge Garland murdered? Whatmysteries hide behind the “dispositions” that he left hidden and which everybody wants to find? This is anexcellent thriller, and at the same time, a piercing study about the academic class and law professionals. Stephen L. Carter masterfully handles irony and suspense while dissecting the higher echelons of the Afro-American community in the United States.