Undaunted - William Manchee

Undaunted is the coming of age story of Stan Turner and how he came to be a criminal defense attorney. When he was very young in the 50's growing up in Southern California he always loved to go to the county fair. One year the main attraction was a Univac Computer programmed to tell fortunes. Stan had his fortune told and it was a very ominous one forewarning him of a very perilous and difficult life. 

His fortune turns out to be a premonition as he almost immediately finds himself in deep trouble. He and his friend Steve are nearly killed by a train that catches up to them midway across a railroad bridge over the Ventura River. They manage to escape injury, but their bikes are destroyed. Rather than confess the truth to their parents, they lie and claim their bikes were stolen. Later, when two hobos are charged with the theft and put on trial, Stan is torn by his own self-interest in keeping quiet and guilt over the two innocent men being wrongfully punished. The hoboes are found guilty but Stan can't stand the guilt and confesses. Fortunately, he is young and his deceit is forgiven. 

This experience reveals to Stan a strong moral conscious that he never realized he possessed and sparks an interest in the law. Soon he decides he wants to go to law school and become an attorney.   In the late sixties while an undergrad at UCLA, Stan meets and falls in love with a beautiful brunette, Rebekah. They are married during their junior year and finish out college together. Misfortune strikes again, however, when Stan is drafted into the Marine Corps after his first year of law school and the first person he inadvertently befriends at boot camp turns out to be a serial killer.