(SOME SPOILERS) Somewhat over-plotted murder/mystery that if you stay with it you, by the time it's over, won't be disappointed.

Having had a reputation of throwing the book on those who stand convicted in her courtroom "Hanging Judge" Marcia Blacwell, Sally Kellerman, had a complete turn around when she sentenced young Joey Slater to a long prison term for a car-jacking only to find out later that the person guilty had given himself up and confessed. This didn't help Joey since he killed himself in prison the week before.

At a case before her Marcia after letting young Jed Brody, Tony Monch, have it in spades about him attacking a woman Mrs. Dianne Klassen, Anela Gei, at a convenience store and hurling her through a plate-glass door she suspends his sentence, of two years, and gives him five years probation. The light sentence on Brody has Dianne's husband Mr. Earnest Klassen,Ken James, throw a fit in the courtroom and threaten Marcia and her family calling for the same thing to happen to her and them that happened to his wife.

In the Judge's Chambers TV reporter Joanne Kilbourn, Wendy Crewson, who's doing a special on Judge Blackwell gets the scoop from her that she's resigning from the bench immediately. What Marcia didn't tell Joanne is that she was dying from a brain tumor and by the next morning the Judge is found murdered in her estate.

The suspects in Judge Blackwell murder are split between Earnest Klassen and the last person to have seen her alive an ex-con and founder of the drug-rehabilitation center in town "Daybreak House" Wade Waters, Robert Davi. It turns out that Waters has no real alibi to his whereabouts but Earnest Klassen did and is later arrested and held for Marcia's murder. There's also the fact that a number of jewelry items was traced back to Water's troubled 15 year-old nephew Eli, Rollins, Alex Campbell, one of the few persons who's life wasn't turned around with the help of Water's "Daybreak House". Eli may very well have been in the Blackwell Home when she was murdered if not have murdered her himself.

It's halfway through the film that things begin to get a bit clearer when both of Marcia's daughters Shannon and Lucy, Kristin Lehman & Reagan Pasternak, as well as Wade Waters are called into the office of Macia's lawyer Stan Fedesenko, Richard Fitzpatrick,and her will is read leaving almost her entire estate, some $8,000,000.00, to Waters. It' a short time later that Fedesenko is found murdered, with his head bashed in, in his office putting a new light on both Marcia's and her lawyer murders which now focuses on Shannon & Lucy as well as Wade Waters.

Murder and blackmail as well as child abuse involving Marcia's almost comatose husband, due to an insulin overdose, Davis Blackwell,Shawn Laurence, works it way through the complicated story-line to finally get to the bottom of who murdered Judge Balckwell as well as Stan Fedesenko and what, and who, were the reasons for it. Joanne finding Eli in hiding gets the truth from him on Marcia's murder with him being an eye-witness to it but has to convince her former police partner Det. Alex Emanuel, Shawn Doyle, not to arrest Eli in order for him to come out of hiding and point out who Marcia's killer really is.

Not as bad as you would think "Verdict in Blood" has a penetrating script and a number of strong performances especially that of an unusually reserved and very sensitive, that's very rare for him, Robert Davi as Wade Waters who lead a life of crime until her saw the light and dedicated his life's work to prevent others, young and old alike, from ending up like he did most of his adult life, a hardened and unrepentant criminal.

It was Waters determination to be free and go straight that showed Judge Blackwell that a life behind bars is not the answer for the life of a person who was never given a chance to straightened himself, or herself, out.

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.