Fool Me Twice

As FOOL ME TWICE opens we see Paul Levine's ex-Miami Dolphin now Attorney Jake Lassiter in a new role as uncle to his half-sister's abandoned teenage son, Kip, who has been delivered into his hands by the Juvenile Justice system after an indiscretion involving spray-paint. Jake struggles with parenting Kip, who is a kind of walking "Leonard Maltin's Guide To The Movies." As he adjusts to having a teenager in the house he is also defending the grifter Luis "Blinky" Baroso against a fraud charge. When a grateful Baroso is found Not Guilty he pays Jake in stock certificates from Rocky Mountain Treasures, Inc. Figuring that the stocks are so much worthless paper, Jake puts them aside, and turns his attention to Jo Jo Baroso, Luis' sister, and one of the most dynamic prosecutors in Dade County. Strange things begin to happen. Kyle Hornbeck, one of the partners in Rocky Mountain Treasures is found dangling from Jake's ceiling fan, and Blinky Baroso vanishes, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood in Jake's vicinity. Indicted for the dual murders of Hornbeck and (Sr.) Baroso, Jake discovers that Blinky Baroso conned him---and that he is the remaining Florida shareholder of Rocky Mountain Treasures, apparently very much a liquid company. Motive is everything. Deciding that a strong offense is the best defense, Jake loads Kip into his 1968 442 canary yellow Olds and roars off to Aspen to confront one Mr. K.C. Cimarron, the brains behind Rocky Mountain Treasures, a self-proclaimed scion of the Old West who settles his disputes with a nail gun. Suffice it to say that Jake soon finds himself on trial for murder in Colorado as well. FOOL ME TWICE is a humorous fast-paced story that has some creative plot twists and a classically O. Henry ending. As with MORTAL SIN, Levine has finally defined the essential Jake Lassiter in these pages. The sixth of thus far seven novels in the series, FOOL ME TWICE comes very highly recommended.

like scottoline and martini, levine has a reoccurring character who is wise cracking, irreverant and wryly self-deprecating. well plotted and paced. exotic settings. spiced with quirky facts, aphorisms and bon mots. above average entertainment.

This is the best in the Jake Lassiter series! A clever plot, great characters, and lots of suspense. Once I got to the murder trial I couldn't put it down! Just one little quibble: Where did Charlie go? Other than that-happy reading!