Akin to Death

A former police officer (see A BLESSED DEATH), Hannah Barlow is extremely proud of herself for graduating from law school (see MURDER IN BRIEF). She is now a practicing attorney, having opened up a partnership with Bobby Terry, her former law school study partner in Las Almas, California. Hannah can even stare all day at the office door that shows the sign of Terry & Barlow. Hannah's first case involves a simple adoption. Stephen and Rebecca Drummond are already legally the parents of nine-month old Matthew, whose birth mother is Laura Benson. The final formality is the signing of a few legal documents and a simple celebration of the event and Laura has no more claim on her biological son. However, Kurt Sundstrom explodes into the legal office, irate with Laura. He has proof that he is her legal husband and claims to be the father to the boy that Laura just gave away. The old police mentality of Hannah takes charge and she begins to investigate who is w! hat to whom. The Hannah Barlow mysteries are fabulous stories because each new edition has the lead protagonist further evolving in her personal life. Hannah goes from cop to student to lawyer in the three novels thus published. This makes each new novel a refreshing story. AKIN TO DEATH, the third book continues to show the growth of Hannah (and Bobby) as she handles her first legal case. The story line is intriguing as the simple adoption becomes tangled inside a series of lies and deceptions. Readers who enjoy watching their star grow should try all three of Carroll Lachnit's extraordinary mystery series.Harriet Klausner