By Phillip Margolin
For most junior associates at big-time law firms the most exciting part of the day might be a morning stop at Starbucks. Not for Daniel Ames. When the young Portland, Ore., lawyer comes to suspect a corporate client may knowingly be marketing a harmful drug, he finds himself the scapegoat in a tangled conspiracy. Soon he's discovering dead bodies, dodging bullets and getting arrested for murder. Margolin wins points for an engagingly twisty plot, but paper-thin characters and a hackneyed narrative make this thriller a case study in cliches. Ending chapters with shots suddenly "ringing out"? Only Snoopy should get away with that. (HarperCollins, $26) Bottom Line: Barely passes the bar
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