The Guardians

Quincy Miller is a 51-year-old man who has been in jail for 22 years for a crime he didn’t commit when the narrative opens. His case in Seabrook, Florida, is the book’s primary plotline. Quincy was framed for the murder of lawyer Keith Russo. The frame was orchestrated by then-Sheriff Bradley Pfitzner, who was in the employ of the Saltillo Drug Cartel. The link to the cartel in Quincy’s story serves to create narrative tension, upping the suspense and the possibility of danger. With the introduction of the cartel, it’s clear that Post and the Guardian Ministries team—as well as Quincy himself—could be in danger. Foreshadowing related to the risks involved in pursuing the case is realized when Quincy himself is jumped in prison in an organized attack. Quincy’s case is the key plot driver, providing the drama that makes The Guardians not just a legal narrative but a legal thriller.

Quincy’s character has one other vital function in the narrative—he serves as one of the biggest testaments to the racism in the American criminal justice system. A majority white jury put Quincy, who is Black, away and, according to Post, it was only a Black jury member who saved Quincy from the death penalty. Quincy himself notes racial disparities when speaking about his white cellmate. Quincy is ultimately jumped by members of the Aryan Deacons, a white gang with neo-Nazi beliefs, further hammering home his character’s representations of racism in the criminal justice system at every level (both outside of and within prisons).

Tyler is the defense lawyer who first represents Quincy in court. According to Post, Tyler did an excellent job representing Quincy—until it came to time to appeal the initial guilty verdict. Post later learns that Tyler was abducted and tortured, convincing him to not really try with the appeal. The picture of Tyler’s torture, which he shows Post, is one of the moments of graphic violence in the book. Tyler’s character thus helps to build tension and anticipation, creating a sense of imminent danger. Tyler, who left the law after Quincy was put away, is also a symbolic mirror of Post’s younger self. Both men had bad experiences with a case and quit. However, Tyler has gone into a totally different field, developing shopping malls, while Post now works to get innocent people out of prison. However, Post could just as well have ended up taking a path similar to Tyler’s. Tyler’s character represents the “what if” of Post’s character.

There are many “bad guys” in The Guardians, but ex-Seabrook-Sheriff Bradley Pfitzner is the one that stands out. Pfitzner orchestrated Quincy’s framing by planting the flashlight in Quincy’s car, coercing people to testify against him, and destroying evidence. Pfitzner did all of this because the cartel was paying him. He’s driven purely by greed—the perfect example of a person who should not be involved in the criminal justice system in any way. Pfitzner’s character is the ultimate example of how humans are driven by self-interest, a point the narrative touches on via other characters as well (such as the jailhouse snitch Zeke Huffey). Although Pfitzner is ultimately arrested, it’s a bittersweet victory because, as the reader learns throughout the book, there are surely hundreds if not thousands of other Pfitzner types out there, abusing the criminal justice system for their own gain (and to others’ detriment).

Duke Russell, 38, is in jail for the rape and murder of Emily Broone when the narrative opens. Post eventually gets him exonerated based on DNA evidence. Duke’s case serves as the book’s B plot. It shows how a standard Guardian Ministries case would go without the threat of cartel violence involved. Duke’s storyline largely serves as a critique of the use of “junk science” (12) like bite marks previously used to lock people away but now long discredited. The fact that science that actually works—DNA hair testing—is then used to free Duke makes the use of junk science all the more ludicrous. Why is the system locking away people based on faulty findings when real, working techniques like DNA testing are possible? Given that Duke is white—which Post flags immediately—his character also provides some balance in the race discussion. Plot A centers around a Black man, Quincy, while plot B centers around a white man, Duke. Although there is racism and racial bias in the criminal justice system, people of all races can be unjustly convicted and locked away.

Dr. Kyle Benderschmidt is a bona fide criminal justice expert. He tests the blood on the flashlight and testifies in Quincy’s case that the blood on the flashlight is not human but animal blood. Dr. Benderschmidt’s character is the antidote to the “junk science” experts who Post critiques. He serves as a larger symbolic representation of expert testimonies in the criminal justice system at large. Dr. Benderschmidt is one of the “good guys” and a legitimate scientist, serving as a counterpoint to sham “scientists” like Paul Norwood: “In one year, 2005, three of Norwood’s convictions were invalidated when DNA testing exposed his faulty methods and testimony” (79). Although he’s one of the “good guys” Dr. Benderschmidt’s character still raises uncomfortable truths about the criminal justice system’s use of expert testimonies, as his fee for testifying in Quincy’s case is $30,000 (81). His character drives home the fact that freedom, to some extent, can be bought.

Carrie Holland Pruitt is the young “drug addict” who testifies in Quincy’s case, saying she saw a Black man running from Keith Russo’s office on the night he was killed. Her character represents another corrupt facet of the criminal justice system—how, people, especially the disadvantaged, are used for others’ larger purposes. Carrie was an easy target because she had drug charges against her and was dating a sheriff’s deputy. Pfitzner convinced her to give a false testimony in exchange for dropping the drug charges. The young woman, scared, agreed. Carrie is just one of the many characters who are treated like disposable cogs in the criminal justice machine. Others include Zeke Huffey and June Walker.