Robert K. Tanenbaum (born 1942) is an American trial attorney, novelist, and former mayor of Beverly Hills, California.

Robert K. Tanenbaum
Born1942 (age 81–82)
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
Occupations
  • Attorney
  • politician
  • novelist
Spouse
Patti Tyre Tanenbaum
(m. 1967)
Children3

Early life and education

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Robert K. Tanenbaum, born in Brooklyn, New York, attended the University of California, Berkeley on a basketball scholarship where he earned a B.A. He received his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.[1]

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Under the leadership of District Attorney Frank Hogan Tanenbaum learned about trial preparedness and presenting evidence to a jury as an Assistant New York County District Attorney in Manhattan. Later, Tanenbaum became head of the Homicide Bureau, served as Chief of the Criminal Courts, and was in charge of the D.A.'s legal staff training program. During his time in the D.A.'s office, Tanenbaum never lost a felony case.[2]

After his tenure in Manhattan's D.A.'s office, Tanenbaum served as Deputy Chief Counsel for the House Select Committee on Assassinations to investigate the John F. Kennedy assassination and the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination. He later resigned from the post shortly after being named.[3] In 1988 he appeared in the documentary The Men Who Killed Kennedy.

In private practice, he was a special prosecution consultant on the Hillside Strangler case in Los Angeles; defended Amy Grossberg in her sensationalized baby death case; and represented eight black plaintiffs in a significant racial profiling case against the Beverly Hills Police Department.[4]

He taught Advanced Criminal Procedure for four years at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He conducts continuing legal education seminars for practicing lawyers in California, New York and Pennsylvania.[3][5] He is a member of the State Bars of New York, Pennsylvania and California.

Political career

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Tanenbaum served two terms as Mayor of Beverly Hills and was a City Council Member for eight years, from 1986 to 1994. He ran unsuccessfully for Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1992. He was defeated for re-election to the City Council in 1994.[1][6][7] He also ran D.A. Frank Hogan's re-election campaign for District Attorney in 1973.[8]

Literary career

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His byline appears on 33 books; 29 novels and 4 nonfiction works. His cousin Michael Gruber[9] was the ghostwriter of the first part of the popular Butch Karp -Marlene Ciampi series of novels, starting with No Lesser Plea and ending with Resolved.[10] After the partnership with Tanenbaum ended, Gruber began publishing novels using his own name.[11]

Tanenbaum's The Piano Teacher , co-written with Peter S. Greenberg, is the true story of a psychotic killer, Badge of the Assassin recalls the true account of Tanenbaum's investigation and trial of self-proclaimed members of the Black Liberation Army who assassinated two NYPD police officers, Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini. It was later adapted into a movie titled Badge of the Assassin, starring James Woods as Tanenbaum.

Tanenbaum's signature work, Echoes of My Soul was published in May 2013 by Kensington Books and was named 'Pick of the Week' by Publishers Weekly in its April 22, 2013 edition. It is about Miranda v. Arizona, the United States Supreme Court decision that laid the groundwork for Miranda rights.

His latest novel, Without Fear or Favor, was published by Simon & Schuster Gallery Books in August 2017.[2]

Bibliography

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Non-fiction

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  • 1987: The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer
  • 1979: Badge of the Assassin (1985 TV film adaption Badge of the Assassin)
  • 2013: Echoes of My Soul
  • 2023: Coal Country Killing

Fiction

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  • 1987: No Lesser Plea
  • 1989: Depraved Indifference
  • 1991: Immoral Certainty
  • 1992: Reversible Error
  • 1993: Material Witness
  • 1994: Justice Denied
  • 1994: Corruption of Blood
  • 1996: Falsely Accused
  • 1997: Irresistible Impulse
  • 1998: Reckless Endangerment
  • 1999: Act of Revenge
  • 2000: True Justice
  • 2001: Enemy Within
  • 2002: Absolute Rage
  • 2003: Resolved
  • 2004: Hoax
  • 2005: Fury
  • 2006: Counterplay
  • 2007: Malice
  • 2008: Escape
  • 2009: Capture
  • 2010: Betrayed
  • 2011: Outrage
  • 2012: Bad Faith
  • 2013: Tragic
  • 2014: Fatal Conceit
  • 2015: Trap
  • 2016: Infamy
  • 2017: Without Fear or Favor

References

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  1. ^ a b "About the Author". Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Robert K. Tanenbaum". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b "The Probe Interview: Bob Tanenbaum". July–August 1996. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007.
  4. ^ "PW Talks with Robert K. Tanenbaum". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Robert K. Tanenbaum author biography". www.bookbrowse.com. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  6. ^ "Bob's Back: (And He's Better Than Ever)", Beverly Hills Weekly, Issue #281, February 17, 2005, Pages 17-19
  7. ^ Mathis Chazanov, Victory Vow : Beverly Hills Mayor Says He'll Finish Civic Center, 'Even If I Have to Do It Myself', The Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1989
  8. ^ "A Resonant Crime: Robert K. Tanenbaum". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  9. ^ Weinman, Sarah. "Ghostwriting, Part I: The Ballad of Michael Gruber". Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind Crime fiction, and more. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. ^ Snyder, Diane (March 2003). "A Killer Debut: Former Ghostwriter Michael Gruber Dredges Up Demons for Debut Thriller". Book Reviews. Romantic Times. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  11. ^ Done, Norelle. "Seattle Author Michael Gruber: What's In A Name?". Seattle Wrote. Featuring Seattle's authors and writers. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
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