The Letter of the Law - Hardcover

Lipton is a truly evil man. Casey is not particularly likable either: her hardscrabble background has propelled her into a sterile, loveless marriage to a wealthy man, and her childhood dream of defending indigent clients now seems like a remnant of youthful idealism. The novel's more interesting figures are Donald Sales, the law student's father, a traumatized Vietnam veteran whose grief and rage fuels the narrative, and Bob Bolinger, an Austin cop who believes that Lipton is a serial killer responsible for other, similar crimes across the country. Like Lipton's pathology, which is unveiled long after his guilt is proven to the reader's (if not the jury's) satisfaction, Casey's change of heart--about her client, her husband, and her ideals--is late and lukewarm. Before it occurs, Tim Green has a chance to showcase his heroine's courtroom skills and illustrate why she's among the fastest legal guns in the Lone Star state. A workmanlike addition to a popular genre, Letter of the Law won't keep you up at night, but it's a satisfying hammock read on an Indian summer afternoon. --Jane Adams