Maximum Security

Since I’m a lawyer, legal thrillers hold a special place in my heart. I’m of the opinion that Scott Turow perfected the form in Presumed Innocent, which I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. reading, never guessing the culprit until he told me straight out who it was. I’ve read ‘em all, really, disdaining only John Grisham (who in my opinion never wrote a good book after A Time to Kill, his first). I’ve read Scottoline, O’Shaughnessy, Wilhelm, Woods, Siegel, Richard North Patterson, Fyfield, Lescroart and many, many others. I love my busman’s holidays. Michael Connelly’s latest, The Lincoln Lawyer (Little Brown, $26.95, 404 pages), which immediately soared to the top of the bestseller lists, currently awaits my delectation, and I show more hope to be telling you more about that one soon.

One legal thriller writer who doesn’t get much attention, but should, is Rose Connors. She, unlike many writing in the genre, understands courtroom procedure and the way attorneys prepare for trial, as well as the corruption inherent in the system and how to remain starry-eyed about justice nonetheless. I’ve been following her work since Absolute Certainty in 2002 (Pocket, $6.99, 288 pages), through the excellent Temporary Sanity (Pocket, $6.99, 384 pages) and, most recently, Maximum Security (Pocket, $6.99, 307 pages).

Maximum Security isn’t going to fool anyone with any knowledge of the law for any length of time; the answer to this mystery is pretty darned obvious. That’s disappointing, but oddly enough, not fatal. Why? Because Connors has reached the point with her series that learning what’s happening to Marty, her son Luke, Harry, the Kydd and Geraldine (the evil prosecutor) seems like an equally important reason to read the book. Connors doesn’t disappoint on that score, and even adds a few more distinctive and fascinating characters to the mix.

The story itself is fairly straightforward: a rich man dies and his widow stands accused of his murder, having allegedly plotted to make it appear to be suicide. The motive is clear: only one month has passed since the suicide clause in the man’s life insurance policy has become null and void, and there’s a double indemnity clause besides, making the policy worth a nice, ripe $2 million. The evidence looks pretty bad for our femme fatale who, to make matters worse, confesses that she had had every intention of divorcing her husband. Marty is ambivalent about handling the case, not least because the woman she’s defending is Harry’s law school sweetheart. The tangles untangle with a fair bit of ease, but getting there is lots of fun.

I’m hoping that Connors will be back on her game of unguessable mysteries with her next title, False Testimony. But until then, Maximum Security will do. show less

At the urgent request of Harry Madigan, Marty takes on the defense of Louisa Rawlings, a woman suspected of murdering her wealthy husband. Harry is Marty's law partner. He's also her lover -- but he used to be Louisa's.

Marty is simultaneously intrigued and disturbed by her new client. Louisa Rawlings is Marty's polar opposite. Glamorous and charismatic, she's entrenched in the good life, openly coveting every luxury money can buy. District Attorney Geraldine Schilling believes Louisa was motivated by greed, and to Marty, that motive seems all too plausible. It also seems too tidy. Marty's gut tells her the murderer was motivated by something far more personal.

As the evidence against Louisa mounts, though, Marty begins to doubt her own show more judgment. The people she normally turns to for perspective are incapable of helping her. Her young associate, Kevin Kydd, is so bewitched by Louisa that he's in danger of jeopardizing his entire career. And Marty fears that Harry might be too....

Illuminating the law even as she entertains, Rose Connors once again proves that she is a consummate storyteller whose legal expertise and passion for the law shine through on every page. show less

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