Robert K. Tanenbaum Books In Order

Publication Order of Butch Karp & Marlene Ciampi Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

The male author Robert K. Tanenbaum was born in in Brooklyn, New York in the United States. He was raised in the same locality. He won himself a basketball scholarship to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Robert earned a degree in law from Berkeley Law in the Boalt Hall School of Law. It is after his graduation when he moved back to New York where he worked as an assistant district attorney under the historical New York County DA Frank Hogan. He was in charge of legal staff training program in the Attorney’s Office. Later, Tanenbaum served as the Deputy Chief Counsel responsible for Congressional investigations into Martin Luther King, Jr. and, President John F. Kennedy’s assassinations. In his legal career, Robert has never lost a felony case. When he went back to West Coast, Tanenbaum began serving in public office. He rose to the rank of a mayor of Beverly Hills twice and Beverly Hills City Council in 1986. Inspired by many fascinating stories and events in his time as ADA in New York, Tanenbaum begun another career now as a novelist.

Tanenbaum’s well-known work is the twenty-five legal thrillers New York Times bestselling author. One of his successful novel, No Lesser Plea (1987), features an assistant district attorney, Butch Karp, who is fighting for justice, and his love and associate, Marlene Ciampi. His subsequent over twenty novels portrayed Karp and his crime battling family together with eclectic colleagues who are facing off corrupt politicians, the mafia, drug lords, hard-core violent felons and international assassins. He has also written a blockbuster novel titled Corruption of Blood (1994) out of his own experience in Washington, D.C.

The first book in the Butch Karp series, No Lesser Plea (1987), shows Karp’s (the main character) trials and tribulations to stop a murderer who is trying to escape punishment by manipulating the law. Roger “Butch” Karp, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, has a deep understanding of New York. Despite being here long enough and realizing that the judicial system can be cynical and dirty, Roger still has a deep belief in justice. So, the firecracker Assistant DA Marlene Ciampi teams up with Karp when a sociopath tries to show incompetency to stand a trial to dodge a murder charge. Their relenting and dynamic quest unleashes the full force of their hard-boiled wit, energy and quest for the truth. The truth will at one time put the terrorist away forever. They vow to accept no less plea. Karp prosecutes Mandeville Louis in his first murder case. Mandeville is a killer and feigned insanity with the hope that the court will forget him hence protecting himself from the trial. But Karp is determined and will not let the criminal justice system be abused. Mandeville Louis emerges as self-proclaimed armed robber and vicious killer who have ever survived in Ney York City. The moment Karp tries to put Mandeville behind the bars, he is caught up in the D.A’s office politics. This comes as a result of petty bureaucrats struggle in order to control their power and turf. The realistic novel explores Karp’s colorful co-workers and his private life and addresses legal issues in the current generation.

The second book, Depraved Indifference, in the Butch Karp series features a prosecutor, who is being hunted after cold war terrorists. He previously finds himself tangled up together with the grand trifecta of the global plots: the Mafia, CIA and the FBI. As usual, Butch Karp would never give up a difficult case; he goes to an extent of prosecuting high-profile killers. This is after the Croatian terrorists kill an NYPD bomb squad officer in a plane bomb blast. Karp’s aggressions, however, risks his life when his investigations reveal some messy secrets in the government. However, certain individuals of the CIA and FBI inhibit the success of the trial to an extent of sabotaging Karp’s case. Depending on the extent of international intrigue and local bureaucracy, only Karp’s determination can help deliver justice. His girlfriend and crime-fighting partner, Marlene Ciampi, back him up in his quest for justice. No Lesser Plea (Tanenbaum) a former DA assistant is favored by the court system’s insider perspective. The system provides a punishment and crime fictional portrait that is unforgettable in New York City. Tanenbaum characterizes the court as villainy, ambition and as a hornet’s nest of intrigue, where decent workers have a task to fight constantly for them to preserve their integrity.

Roger Karp, the tough Brooklyn-born DA protagonist, tries to prosecute a gang of Croatian nationalists who are suspected of hijacking a plane and killing cops with a booby-trapped bomb. His lover Marlene Ciampi struggles and finds information that connects the head terrorist Karavitch with the Nazi war crimes. Awkwardly, during this war, Karavitch took part in the killing of a whole village in Yugoslavia. The Catholic Archdiocese of N.Y. hires a professional layer to defend the killers. Likewise, the police department wants the cop killers let off scot-free. CIA and FBI agents together with Miami crime syndicate tries to undermine Karavitch and his gang’s case. It is at this point that Karp realizes there is something going wrong.

His book Badge of the Assassin (1979) which he has highlighted about prosecution of NYPD police officers killers was made into a movie with the title Badge of the Assassin, in which starring James Woods is Robert Tanenbaum. The true story of the Badge of the Assassin and Psychotic Killer shows his trials and investigations of Black Liberation Army self-proclaimed members who carried out the assassination of the two NYPD officers, Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones.

The New York native is married and has three children. His current home is in Beverly Hills, California. Here, he has lectured at Boalt Hall School of Law in the field of Advanced Criminal Procedure. He also maintains a private law practice at California. Robert K. Tanenbaum participates heavily in the media and contributes to debates in television shows as a legal analyst and commentator. Tanenbaum has realised a great success throughout his legal and book writing careers.

3 Responses to “Robert K. Tanenbaum”

1. Kay Jay: 2 years ago

   His Ghost Writer’s contract was up…His cousin Michael Gruber[9] was the ghostwriter of the popular Butch Karp -Marlene Ciampi series of novels, starting with No Lesser Plea

   Reply
2. Dan R Anthony: 3 years ago

   Is Robert K Tannenbaum still publising books? Nothing in 4 years?

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     Yeah I am not sure why he has not released anything in so long.

     Reply