Breach of Promise - Hardcover

O'Shaughnessy, Perri

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385318723 ISBN 13: 9780385318723

Publisher: Delacorte Press, 1998

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy has won the acclaim of critics nationwide for her complex, suspenseful legal thrillers that feature one of the most interesting heroines in legal suspense fiction today. Nina Reilly is a tough, tenderhearted, and unpredictable Lake Tahoe attorney with a one-woman practice, a young son, a genuine sense of humor, and an interesting love life. Now, in Breach of Promise, Nina takes on the biggest case of her career, a high-profile, high-stakes palimony suit that could make her millions or ruin her financially. Little does she suspect that it will place her dead center in a bizarre and perplexing murder investigation.

At glitzy Lake Tahoe, couples break up every day, but none quite so glamorous or successful as Lindy and Mike Markov. The scenario starts off in the standard way: Mike's met a younger woman and wants out. The problem? Mike and Lindy built a $200-million business together and Mike claims he doesn't owe Lindy a dime since they never married.

Ready to fight, Lindy hires Nina Reilly to represent her in her palimony suit. Lacking the resources to handle a case with stakes this high, Nina hires an expert litigator in palimony law, who in turn brings in a jury consultant to ensure that the makeup of the jury is to their advantage. Now Nina's working with a desperate, unstable client and slick big-city legal professionals on the kind of case—full of passion, raw emotion, and explosive secrets--that could make a fortune for a struggling lawyer. Or drive someone to commit a shocking murder—for love, money. . . or the right verdict.

With all of the storytelling power, authentic legal detail, and insight into the dark recesses of the human heart that have made her the hottest woman writer of legal thrillers, Perri O'Shaughnessy takes readers into the courtroom and far beyond it in her latest masterpiece of legal suspense.

About this title

Review:

Fans who have been eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Nina Reilly series won't be disappointed by Perri O'Shaughnessy's latest, Breach of Promise. The creator of Invasion of Privacy and Obstruction of Justice has crafted a tale of love and murder gone awry in the material age.

Palimony--birds do it, bees do it, Liberace's heirs do it, and so do Mike and Lindy Markov. When Mike falls for Rachel, a young and beautiful vice president at Markov Enterprises, he tells Lindy (his companion and business partner of many years) that their relationship is over, leaving her, in effect, to go soak her head in one of the Markov Super Spas they've invented and sold to countless arthritics. Desperate to retain her fair share of their $250 million fortune, Lindy hires Nina to pursue a palimony suit against Mike, tempting her with an enormous percentage if they win their case.

O'Shaughnessy thus leads into the deceptively simple, deeply disturbing philosophical conundrum around which she weaves her tale of intrigue: What would you--what would anyone--do for money? As Nina pursues her case, O'Shaughnessy tests the boundaries of traditional courtroom-drama fiction by playing with the conventions of narrative form, but she remains true to the genre's ethic of devious surprises and fast-paced action.

Granted, Nina is a lawyer rather than a private investigator, and her smooth style bears little resemblance to, say, the sardonic goofiness of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, but she may strike a chord with fans of Sara Paretsky's Chicago sleuth, V.I. Warshawski. Both Nina and V.I. cling stubbornly to their independence and sense of fairness as they wage battle against institutionalized forces of greed; and both O'Shaughnessy and Paretsky use engaging characters, tight plotting, and clever dialogue to lure their readers into wrestling with legal and moral dilemmas. --Kelly Flynn

From the Publisher:

Early praise for Breach of Promise:

"O'Shaughnessy offers up a gripping courtroom drama...all packed into a riveting story that will hold readers--especially fans of Grisham and Turow--spellbound."
--Booklist

Praise for Perri O'Shaughnessy's previous Nina Reilly novels:

Motion to Suppress:

"A real puzzler, with twists diabolical enough to take to court."
--The New York Times Book Review

Invasion of Privacy:

"[A] . . . deft, multileveled tale of legal and criminal treachery."
--Publishers Weekly

Obstruction of Justice:

"Nina Reilly is one of the most interesting heroines in legal thrillers today."
--San Jose Mercury News

About this edition

• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0385318723
• ISBN 13: 9780385318723
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448