Fatal Flaw (Victor Carl Series, 3) - Softcover

Lashner, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060508183 ISBN 13: 9780060508180

Publisher: HarperTorch, 2004

Synopsis

Some victims deserve nothing less than the truth . . .

Ethically adventurous Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl usually does the right thing, but often for the wrong reasons. When old law school classmate Guy Forrest is accused of murdering his beautiful lover, Hailey Prouix, in their Main Line love nest, Carl agrees to represent him -- while keeping silent about his own prior romantic involvement with the victim, and his present determination to see that his client is punished for the brutal crime. But once Carl sets the machinery of retribution in motion, it may be impossible to stop it, even after his certainty begins to crack. Now Victor Carl must race across the country to uncover shocking truths: Who, really, was Hailey Prouix? And why is a killer still waiting in her shadow?

About this title

Review

Fatal Flaw is a rare delight: a legal thriller with freshness and vitality, qualities too often lacking in this sometimes-tired genre. This third entry in the Victor Carl series opens with a bang, as Victor finds fellow lawyer Guy Forrest on the front stoop of his lover's house, stark naked in the pouring rain, a gun beside him, the lover's bloody corpse on the bed inside. He sure looks guilty--but then, little is as it looks in this exceedingly well-plotted tale. The first 30 pages alone deliver several jolting revelations that change what we thought we knew, and the surprises keep coming right up to the last few pages.

Fortunately, William Lashner is as fine a wordsmith as he is a plotter. The settings are crisply evoked, from Philadelphia and Las Vegas to the dirt-poor Appalachians. All the characters are vivid, and a few--including the murder victim--are well-nigh unforgettable. But it's the narrative voice of Victor Carl that really carries the book. Cynical, funny, streetwise, and ethically flexible, he's an exceptionally engaging guy. And, like some of the wisecracking private eyes he resembles, he can deliver both breezy sarcasm and real emotional power. My suggestion: Reach past those other legal thrillers and put Fatal Flaw at the top of your reading list. --Nicholas H. Allison

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author William Lashner is the author of seven suspense novels that have been published in more than a dozen languages throughout the world. A graduate of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, he lives with his family outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060508183
• ISBN 13: 9780060508180
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 576