Cloaked in Doubt

By Michael J. Diamondstein
iUniverse, Inc. (2006)
Reviewed by Rachel R. May

Michael Diamondstein begins his first novel, Cloaked in Doubt, with the Nietzsche quote, “When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you. He who fights monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.” This premonition resonates throughout Diamondstein’s tale of Jimmy DiAnno, a young prosecutor who must face the worst potential monster, himself, when taking on the case of his life.

Jimmy is a chain-smoking, hard-drinking, hot shot assistant district attorney rising quickly through the ranks in his office. It is an exciting time to be a prosecutor in Philadelphia, with a popular mayor successfully ridding the city of crime. As a Philadelphia native, Jimmy rejects offers at private law firms in lieu of helping to carry out the mayor’s pledge to put drug dealers and violent criminals behind bars.

Jimmy’s conscience is clear and his principles are defined until the fateful day he meets Alesa. Alesa is nothing like Jimmy, yet she piques his interest. She is a modern-day hippie; a painter who gently embraces an alternative lifestyle. While Jimmy is prosecuting drug dealers, Alesa is buying from them. Despite this, Jimmy cannot get Alesa out of his mind and they begin a short, but intense affair.

After leaving Alesa one night, Jimmy finds himself torn because he is falling for a woman who dabbles on the other side of the law. His internal battle, however, is only beginning. Alesa’s name comes up the next morning at his office — as the victim of a brutal murder. To further intensify the situation, Philadelphia’s beloved mayor is charged with the heinous crime. Further still, Jimmy is assigned to try the high-profile case. Rather than recuse himself, Jimmy decides that he is the best person to avenge Alesa’s death, and vows to do so by prosecuting the mayor to the full extent of the law.

The tale that follows is replete with gritty suspense, as Jimmy becomes increasingly obsessed with proving the mayor’s guilt. The necessity of showing that the mayor is a monster causes ethical dilemmas and glaring truths to fall to the wayside. All the while, Jimmy’s own involvement with Alesa constantly threatens to reveal itself — a fact that would surely ruin the young attorney’s career and blow the case wide open for the defense. Moreover, Jimmy must fight the mayor’s overwhelming popularity with the judge, the public, his supervisors at the district attorney’s office, and the entire legal community. Diamondstein concludes the action-packed novel with a shocking flourish that will leave the reader reeling.

Diamondstein writes Cloaked in Doubt in a first-person narrative, reminiscent of old black and white detective movies. His vivid descriptions of scenes take the reader to the streets and courtrooms of Philadelphia. His characters are honest, flawed, and intriguing.

Additionally, Diamondstein demonstrates his experiences as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney throughout the novel. He aptly describes the different pretrial and trial procedures and their purposes. He also shows the more personal, emotional aspects of prosecuting and defending first-degree murder, considered the most serious of crimes in our system. Perhaps most importantly, however, is Diamondstein’s demonstration of how, in a career field that demands zealous advocacy, each attorney must “take care lest he thereby become a monster.”