Bad Lawyer (Otto Penzler Books) Book

Sid Kaplan is a fallen-from-grace Manhattan lawyer whose career self- destructed after drugs and booze chased him all the way to the bottom of the barrel. After a long battle to become sober and regain his self-respect, he's eking out a living in a crummy one-man office when a big case comes his way. The client, Priscilla Sweet, is accused of murdering her husband, a drug dealer whose bloody death is not in dispute. But Priscilla's motives are. Is she an abuse victim who pulled the trigger in self-defense or a crafty villain who killed her husband for money? Sid's not sure, but the prospect of a juicy trial sure to garner headlines (and new clients) makes him put his misgivings aside and take the case. With the help of Julia and Caleb, the two friends and associates who stuck by him during the bad times, he sets out to clear Priscilla and win back his reputation. But the more he learns, the more he wonders whether Priscilla is all she says she is. When his best friends are killed, he digs even deeper. Priscilla is the most interesting character in the book; multifaceted, by turns winning and chilling, she drives David Cray's second gritty, well- crafted thriller (after Keeplock) to a truly shocking conclusion worthy of O. Henry. Even after reading and rereading the penultimate chapter, the coup de grâce meted out in the courtroom doesn't completely make sense. But that won't keep it from lingering in the mind long after the final sentence. --Jane AdamsRead More