Verdict in Blood

Wendy Crewson is Joanne Kilbourn in "Verdict in Blood," based on one of the Joanne Kilbourn series of books. Robert Davi and Sally Kellerman also star.

Widowed, ex-police officer Joanne Kilbourn is now a crime expert for a TV news show. Currently she's working on the profile of Judge Marcia Blackwell (Kellerman). Once known for being tough on the bench, she recently gave two years' probation to a drug addict who had thrown a woman through a closed window. On her way out of the courtroom, she tells Joanne that she's taking early retirement.

The next day, Detective Alex Emanuel (Shawn Doyle) summons Joanne to the judge's home. She's been murdered. And there are lots of suspects. Her will has virtually cut off her two daughters and given all her money to a rehabilitation organization for drug users; she is letting a drug addict live in her coach house; the husband of the woman thrown through the window resents her and drove to her house that evening; she was seen fighting with the head of the rehab center (Davi) that evening; and her lawyer may have been blackmailing her. Joanne also uncovers child abuse and the distasteful way that Blackwell's now-institutionalized husband made his money.

Actually this isn't bad for a Canadian-produced book adaptation. It's definitely better than the Mary Higgins Clark adaptations. I like Wendy Crewson; in fact, this cast seemed above average overall.