Defensive Wounds

September 26, 2011
Someone appears to be taking "kill all the lawyers" literally in Black's contrived fourth suspense novel to feature Cleveland forensic investigator Theresa MacLean (after 2010's Trail of Blood). At a convention of criminal defense lawyers at the Ritz-Carlton, the trussed naked body of beautiful, bright, detested lawyer Marie Corrigan turns up in the supposedly unoccupied Presidential Suite. Theresa's daughter, Rachel, who's working at the hotel for the summer, notifies her mother about the death. Homicide detectives John Powell and Neil Kelly as well as Theresa's cousin Frank Patrick investigate the many suspects, including attendees and hotel workers. When two other lawyers are killed, connections appear between the first victim and the Ritz-Carlton's head of security, Marcus Dean; young restaurant staffer William Rosedale; and fellow lawyer Dennis Britton. As Theresa does the painstaking forensic analysis the job demands, she worries about Rachel's attraction to William and his involvement in a sealed juvenile case. A dependence on coincidences weakens the plot, but the detailed forensics will keep genre fans turning the pages.