In The Curse of Sacerdozio by Glen Aaron, Tommy Jon, the first Jicarilla Apache to graduate Harvard Law School and win a highly desired clerkship to Supreme Court Justice Anton Sacerdozio’s chambers, struggles to overcome systemic racial and religious bigotry and is ultimately charged with the judge’s murder. But the story is more than a well-written crime/courtroom drama. As the story unfolds, Mr. Aaron reveals several underlying facets and conspiracies that have corrupted the American judicial and legislative systems for many years.

Aaron’s knowledge of law and courtroom tactics is equaled by his understanding and compassion for the history, customs and plight of Native Americans. Every character, whether a lead or bit player, is true to life and guaranteed to capture a connection and emotional response from the reader. The Curse of Sacerdozio is not a fast-paced thriller, yet the intricate plot lines and continual revelations of the story make it a page turner. I was hard pressed to put the book down to eat or sleep. There is much truth revealed in the fiction of this tale. While as entertaining as fiction can be, The Curse of Sacerdozio is also a thought provoking and often eye-opening look into the depths of the American justice and legislative systems. While most people recognize problems within these systems, the source of these issues and the lengths that some “secret” organizations and individuals will go to achieve their devious goals will surprise many. I recommend The Curse of Sacerdozio to all fans of crime/courtroom drama, but also to conspiracy theorists and those who support Native Americans in their ongoing struggle against the imperialistic nature of the United States government.

In The Curse of Sacerdozio by Glen Aaron, readers are introduced to the story of Jicarilla Apache Tommy Jon, a boy who is “gifted with the ability to retain large amounts of data and to replicate that data in a logical manner.” He is one of the rare cases of the boys from his tribe to make it through Harvard. Having graduated from Harvard Law School, he has an enviable job working as clerk to the Supreme Court Justice, but things change dramatically when he gets arrested for the murder of the Supreme Court Justice Anton Sacerdozio. Readers are taken on an entertaining ride that involves courtroom drama as they watch with bated breath for justice to be done.

This is a great story with great themes, involving corruption and intrigue at the judicial level, deceit, and greed. It is one of those stories that powerfully showcases the level to which human nature can fall when it is corrupted. The Curse of Sacerdozio combines elements of a thriller with courtroom drama to bring huge entertainment to readers. The author starts by creating a character that readers get attached to and then puts a cross on his neck, and now readers' nerves are rattled as they want to know what will happen to the protagonist. This story has a powerful and compelling narrative voice; it comes across clearly. The writing is simple and it is laced with great dialogues and descriptions. Glen Aaron won my heart as a master entertainer and a writer who knows just how to get readers interested in his voice throughout the narrative.

The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy by Glen Aaron is a mystery that involves twisting the law, political intrigue, murder, greed, and the FBI. A powerful Supreme Court Justice, Anton Sacerdozio, is found dead on the Rio Grande, in a retreat ranch. The FBI is convinced that his clerk, Tommy Jon, is responsible for the death of this man, so he is arrested and charged with the murder. But what if they got the wrong person? Readers will witness a compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining courtroom drama that will unveil the level of corruption that has eaten into the very fabric of the judicial system.

Glen Aaron’s writing is bold and very relevant, raising questions around issues that the current US institutions are facing, including greed and the insatiable thirst for power and control. Readers are introduced to an unlikely protagonist, Jicarilla Apache Tommy Jon, a prodigy who suffers gravely because of the injustices orchestrated in high places. The plot is beautifully laid out and the execution is excellent. The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy features very beautiful prose, and compelling characters like the experienced lawyer Jonathan Boudreau who dominates the courtroom, investigator Jacob Stern, Tim Bulgari, Tommy Jon and many others. The dialogues are also beautifully written and they read very naturally. This book will speak powerfully to readers who are keen on the current political situation in the US. It is a story that is as entertaining as it is prophetic.

The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy is a legal thriller written by Glen Aaron. Tommy Jon had attracted the attention of educators when he was a small boy living on the Jicarilla Reservation. The young Jicarilla Apache was able to remember and process nearly everything he was taught, and a special curriculum was devised for him by the Santa Fe Indian Schools and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic Schools. He went on to study at Harvard on scholarship where he matriculated a year early and then he went on to Harvard Law School. After finishing his law degree, he became one of three law clerks for Supreme Court Justice Anton Sacerdozio. Known for his ebullient brand of Catholicism and rigid adherence to his Original Intent Theory and the historical Doctrine of Discovery, Tommy and his fellow student and best friend, Catherine, another scholarship student at Harvard, were selected because of the Catholic background they shared with the judge, but they soon found themselves at odds with Sacerdozio’s political activism, especially Tommy. Tommy hadn’t really thought of himself as being of a political persuasion before his clerkship, while Catherine had majored in political science as an undergraduate, but they both found themselves increasingly on the defensive during the Judge’s mandatory weekly clerk roundup meetings. At these meetings, their research assignments would be vetted and subjected to rigorous debate by the Judge, who particularly delighted, it seemed, in attacking his Native American clerk on his stands on the Doctrine of Discovery and analysis of pending Native American claims. When Catherine is discovered to be pregnant by Tommy, and she defies the Judge’s order to get married and bring the child to term, she’s banned from chambers, and Tommy is assigned double assignments for the remainder of the year. They were also promised bad performance evaluations at year’s end for their intransigence, which would harm their chances at employment in future, but, oddly enough, they were still invited to the Judge’s annual retreat at the Indian Hot Springs Ranch, which was owned by a major fossil fuel baron. When the Judge was found floating in one of the resort’s natural pools, Tommy was accused of murdering him based on the testimony of the Judge’s third clerk. Sheriff Robert Cantu and his long-time friend, Jacob Stern, a civil case investigator, had been on their way for their annual hunting and camping vacation, when the Hudspeth County sheriff received word of the judge’s death from Terry Smith, the Ranch’s manager and host. While a change from their anticipated time together, the two decided to investigate the death as a team.

Glen Aaron’s legal mystery novel, The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy, is a thought-provoking and quite timely look at the corrosion an activist judiciary poses to the separation of powers, as well as being one of the most compelling legal thrillers I’ve read in some time. Anyone who grew up reading the books and watching the television series as Earle Stanley Gardner’s cunning attorney, Perry Mason, aided by his secretary, Della Street, and investigator, Paul Drake, perform an intricate ballet of investigation and legal mastery to defend the wrongfully accused, will marvel at the story presented in this book. Aaron’s look at the historical processes behind the obscenity known as the Doctrine of Discovery and how it has been used to justify incursions into Native American lands, assets and sacred areas is troubling to say the least, and I was thrilled to see it presented in such an accessible way. You don’t have to be an historian or political scholar to get the gist of the author’s message and his use of a name quite close to that of recently departed Anton Scalia is not accidental. Aaron’s characters are fully fleshed and authentic, especially Tommy, Cantu, Jacob, and Rio the Jicarillo Apache who lives apart and outside of the mainstream culture. I learned so much as I was reading The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy. Aaron’s writing is inspired and seductively smooth, making it impossible to put his book down. This is one legal thriller that’s not to be missed. The Curse of Sacerdozio: A Tale of Judicial Conspiracy is most highly recommended.