King of the Mountain covers the juicy details of the 1992 scandal that besmirched New York State Court of Appeals chief judge Sol Wachtler: the astonishing discovery that he had sent obscene, harassing, and ultimately threatening letters to a former lover. But journalist John Caher also thoroughly documents Wachtler's brilliant legal and political career, arguing persuasively that the traits that sparked his success (an analytical, often manipulative intelligence and a huge ego) also prompted his downfall. Here's one tell-all biography that you can relish without hating yourself in the morning.