Steve Solomon is the sharpest lawyer ever to barely graduate from Key West School of Law. Victoria Lord is fresh from Yale, toiling for an ambitious D.A. and soon to be married. And Katrina Barksdale is a sexy former figure skater charged with killing her incredibly wealthy, incredibly kinky husband. With all three tangled in the steamiest trial of the century, the case is sure to make sparks fly, headlines scream–and opposites attract.

I do not read legal thrillers. I find them boring and overwrought with tension, and there's more than a passing glimpse of the author setting up a screenplay for a hot movie deal. Why bother with a trip to the bookstore when I can wait for it to come out on DVD.

This is nowhere near that genre. Think of a Matlock episode, with that legal eagle stare and dramatic twist. Then add a squabbling his-and-hers calling a sidebar to insult each other. Mix in a quirky cast of characters forming their own subplots, and you have a fair picture of this novel by Paul Levine.

Solomon is definitely unlikeable -- he's more of an anti-hero. But you can't help but love the guy when he's interacting with his autistic nephew, Bobby. Victoria is a blue-blood snob -- an anti-heroine trying to do right by those done wrong. Both witty and engrossing, this was enough to drag me up the courthouse steps kicking and screaming. A combination of love, romance, kink, believable banter, and a huge slice of comedy should make this a first-rate hit for readers tired of the same ol' lawyer tale.

The banter alone is worth the cover price.

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Publisher: Bantam (September 27, 2005)
ISBN: 0440242738