Lassiter-Paul Levine

Lassiter
Paul Levine
Bantam, Sep 13 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9780553806748

Amy Larkin accuses former bench-warming linebacker turned lawyer Jake Lassiter of abetting her then teenage sister Krista into running away from home. Jake knows more than he lets on as to what happened eighteen years ago when Krista vanished into the South Florida sex business and eventually became a porn star.

Jake feels a Krista inquiry could prove redemptive so he begins a cold case investigation. He soon finds Miami’s affluent involved in what happened to Krista. As he learns more of the truth, Jake fears she was murdered while those rich males once involved with Krista refuse to cooperate with the lawyer. When one of the men he considers as a prime suspect is shot the Miami police charge Amy with the homicide. Lassiter defends Larkin in which client and attorney distrust one another while the State of Florida has an eyewitness to the lethal shooting.

Before Solomon vs. Lord, Paul Levine had Jake Lassiter as his star protagonist (see Flesh and Bones and Night Vision); now after a decade away, the second stringer has a first seat case. The story line is fast-paced and fun to follow, but turns superb in the courtroom as client-attorney privilege means nothing since nether trusts the other. Lassiter’s return is a reason for legal thriller fans to rejoice.

Harriet Klausner