A convention for defense attorneys provides the ideal hunting ground for someone who seems intent on following the Shakespearean injunction to "kill all the lawyers" in Lisa Black’s Defensive Wounds (Morrow: Sept. 27, 2011 release). This fourth of Black’s books featuring forensic investigator Theresa MacLean abounds with suspects who have solid motives for taking on such a task.
A text message from Theresa’s daughter Rachel, employed for the summer at Cleveland’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, alerts Theresa to the first murder – that of Marie Corrigan. Marie’s abusive courtroom behavior, coupled with her history of falsifying evidence, leave the police with little sympathy for this victim.
When Marie’s murder is followed by those of two other lawyers at the hotel, however, officials realize that a serial killer is on the prowl. The police know that the second victim, Bruce Raffel, had once been Marie’s lover, but a connection to the third victim is harder to find.
To solve the case, Theresa has the less than enviable task of isolating relevant physical evidence in a hotel environment where multiple guests leave their marks on each of the rooms. Her daughter’s presence at the hotel troubles her as well, especially when she learns that Marie once defended Rachael’s boyfriend, William Rosedale, another hotel employee, from charges of rape and murder.
Theresa’s anxiety reaches its peak one night when Rachel has been date with William. Knowing that she must tell Rachel about William’s past, Theresa promises herself that she will be calm, collected, and most importantly, that she will not scream. “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?” she then screams as her daughter comes through the door.
Although readers of the works of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs will enjoy Defensive Wounds for its wealth of forensic detail, the novel also excels in this depiction of Theresa as a protective single mother. Black's use of humor in the scenes involving Theresa and Rachel lightens a potentially grim atmosphere and increases the book's appeal.
FTC disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by HarperCollins.
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