Albert’s Time
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Black Rose Writing
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Published by: Black Rose Writing
Release Date: December 17, 2026
Pages: 296
ISBN13: 978-1685138332
Synopsis
After confessing to the unconscionable double murder that includes a child, Albert Birdsong now faces the likelihood of a death sentence. Public defender Simon Koufax and his team quickly realize that Albert is not a typical client. He maintains that there is no defense for the crime he has committed, and he deserves whatever punishment awaits him. As the defense digs deeper into what led to the killings, they find themselves in an impossible position: tasked with saving a man who refuses to be saved and persuading a jury to grant the mercy Albert refuses to grant himself.
Told from Simon’s perspective, Albert’s Time is a story of a man on trial for his life, how such a trial affects everyone involved, and, at bottom, a rumination about the death penalty itself. As Simon searches for answers that might save Albert’s life, he is forced to confront the failures, ambitions, and moral compromises that have defined his own. The result is a moving and unflinching portrait of the American justice system.
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Praise
"This is a powerful and deeply human story that will immerse you in the lives of those who stand at the center of a death penalty case. Rarely does a novel capture with such authenticity the pain and pressure of a capital murder trial, and the collateral damage that comes with it. Readers will not soon forget these characters or the truths they illuminate about vengeance and forgiveness. A remarkable achievement."
—Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking
"In Descending Spiral (2021), Marc Bookman advocated for the abolition of the death penalty in twelve brilliant essays. Now, with Albert’s Time (2026), one of the nation’s leading attorneys for capital representation turns his remarkable literary talent and legal expertise to fiction. Veteran public defender Simon Koufax faces the toughest trial of his career—his biggest obstacle not the hardliner judge, the ambitious prosecutor, or an unsympathetic jury, but his own defendant, the young, courteous but frustratingly enigmatic Albert Birdsong. This riveting courtroom thriller will make you wonder: is the hardest person to defend someone who may not want to be saved?"
—Robert Atwan, Founder and Series Editor, The Best American Essays (1986-2023)
"This novel reveals many truths about how the machinations of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers determine whether a person lives or dies. Marc Bookman, a longtime death penalty lawyer, takes the reader inside the system and reveals those realities, and how a veteran public defender responds to them. His writing illuminates the human toll of capital punishment not just on the accused, but on all involved in the process."
—Stephen Bright, Longtime Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights
"Only a writer steeped in the gut-wrenching reality of representing clients facing execution could create a world so rich in detail, nuanced in character, and alive with moral ambiguity. Marc Bookman, one of America’s leading capital defense attorneys, has done exactly that. I kept having to remind myself that I was reading a novel, not a memoir. Albert’s Time is a brilliant and utterly distinctive legal thriller, built around an impossible dilemma: How do you defend a man who seems determined to destroy himself?"
—Tony Goldwyn, Actor, Director, and Producer
