THE DEFENSE

Buffa's courtroom drama is supposed to be suspenseful. The Honorable Leopold Rifkin asks Joseph Antonelli, an ever-victorious defense lawyer, to take a child-rape case. The case haunts Antonelli for the years this book takes to end. Buck Schirner's indifference as Joe may befit the arrogant, undefeated attorney. However, his voice is still unchanged as Rifkin orates on ancient philosophers, the classics, and the ethics of the Law. As Lisa, the woman whom Antonelli lives with, who detests lawyers, no sound of conviction is heard either. Schirner infuses none of the characters with life. The author goes unassisted by the reader in this stiff, sophomoric story. R.N. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]