By D.W. Buffa
When Sen. Jeremy Fullerton is found dead in his car on a fog-drenched San Francisco night, police immediately arrest a young black man at the scene. Did the cops nab the right guy? As they say on the Senate floor, "Nay."
Fullerton had enemies everywhere, though, and defense attorney Joseph Antonelli, making his fourth appearance in Buffa's novels, is stumped. As the whos in the whodunit roll out tantalizingly, Buffa (himself a former defense lawyer) expertly lays out the chessboard of the courtroom and its inhabitants, who range from crusty to cunning. Less convincing are the romantic interludes, philosophical musings and political commentary used to pad the page count. "Too bad we don't have somebody with Nixon's mind and Reagan's manner," a former governor tells Antonelli. Maybe, but is this a political thriller or The O'Reilly Factor? (Warner, $25.95)
Bottom Line: Add it to your docket
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