MOVE TO STRIKE

The fifth novel featuring defense attorney Nina Reilly takes the widowed lawyer and her associates on a fox chase though the backwoods and courtrooms of California and Nevada, and into a family's dark past. Laural Merlington's voice is smooth and gentle--perhaps too much so for this witty, fast-paced thriller--and better suited to romance or children's writing. Her characters are distinct and fully defined, but the narrative voice she provides comes across as flat, sometimes undermining the writing. But the action speaks for itself, and listeners will be thrilled by the investigation and courtroom high jinks as Nina defends her son's best friend, a rebellious teenager accused of killing her high-profile uncle. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]