justice and redemption. Although it is fiction, many of the facts concerning both the law and its application are or were authentic at the time the story was set, and are still factual. The sad part is that in many situations, there is or has been little remedy for the wrongs that have been perpetrated against innocent people. We live in a society that is quick to judge but slow to recognize the fact that individuals are presumed to be innocent, and that it is the burden of the Government to prove guilt.

Further, there is little or no accountability or acceptance of responsibility when things go wrong. We live in an imperfect society where ideas and ideals relating to "justice," are merely aims that are rarely reached. In the so called "Land of the Free," American prisons are filled with more prisoners per capita than virtually every other country, the American prison population has grown five hundred percent in the last forty years. The operative assumption is that once charged, always guilty.

What's even worse is that we continue to punish offenders even after they are released. With felony records, there is no real way that they will ever obtain meaningful work or be allowed to become productive members of society. Once placed on such lists as the "sex offender registry," a person's productive life is in essence over, even if that placement was in error.

I wrote THE COCKFIGHT to illustrate what can happen when things go wrong. It is my hope that the message in this book leads to both a change in both attitude and action, that injustice will no longer be tolerated and a fair, honest and just system, take its place.

The book is fiction and any resemblance to individuals, either living or dead, is a mere coincidence. Further, the names have no bearing to any living person or persons.

The Author, Frank Abrams, is a licensed attorney in both North Carolina and Florida. He has practiced federal and state criminal law during his entire thirty-seven year career, and is a published author. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife Christina, and they have two grown children, Emily and Richard. Besides writing, he has an interest in old time banjo, photography.