Sworn to Defend

Of all the legal eagles nesting in the thriller trees these days, Carolyn Wheat is definitely the one with the brightest feathers. Her dialogue-- in and out of court--crackles with focused energy, and her obvious knowledge of and respect for the trappings of the law immediately add verisimilitude. "If the Appellate Division, First Department, courthouse in Manhattan, where I'd taken my oath as a lawyer, was a Gothic cathedral of the law, then the Second Department was a Protestant meetinghouse," she has her alter ego, Cass Jameson, say as she approaches that Brooklyn edifice to plead a case. "Its austere lines and jewel-box proportions were in sharp contrast to the ornate, overblown style of its Manhattan counterpart, with its stained-glass dome and overpowering wood-and-brass ornamentation. This courthouse was equally dignified, but without the florid Gilded Age excess. The cloakroom didn't boast long brass pegs on which 19th Century lawyers once placed their beaver hats while addressing the court." Cass is in the building that day to defend an apparently framed client. She succeeds, unfortunately--and Keith Jernigan turns out to be a stalker who directs his dangerous attention toward Cass. But Cass's problems don't end with Jernigan. There's also a very nasty drama critic upset over Cass's handling of his wife's divorce case, and a troubled cop with a mysterious agenda. If you like your legal thrillers fresh, feisty, and grounded in reality, harvest this latest Wheat. Past crops in paperback: Troubled Waters, Where Nobody Dies, Mean Streak, Fresh Kills. --Dick Adler This description may be from another edition of this product.