Body of a Crime

In a suspenseful novel about a "no body" murder trial, defense attorney Sean Barrett faces a labyrinth of treachery constructed by the father of the woman he loves and by other members of the Los Angeles elite. A first novel.

Joining the group of lawyers who have taken to fictionalizing the workings of their profession, Eberhardt debuts with an intense and attention-grabbing case: a rare, no-body murder trial. Sean Barrett abandons his lucrative job and promising career handling criminal cases at a Southern California corporate law firm to defend Chad Curtis, who has been arrested for the murder of his former girlfriend, actress Robin Penrose. Penrose, last seen getting the worse of a fight with Curtis, has vanished; soon after her disappearance, Curtis arranged to dispose of her car. The prosecution's case looks so good that slick, media-hungry D.A. Sherman Lowenstein shows up in court to handle it personally. With the help of Craig MacDuff, a skilled PI who left the police force under a cloud, Sean begins burrowing into Penrose's past and following leads supplied in a series of phone calls from a man with a Jamaican accent. Then the murder of an associate from his former law firm ups the stakes and reminds Sean that some jobs are not to be walked away from. Eberhardt's ability to track a seemingly clear case toward complexity, then backtrack to an entirely different, equally credible picture--and to deliver the result with a final twist--makes him a storyteller of great promise.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When a murder is suspected but the body is not found, chances of a guilty verdict are slim, even with the best of circumstantial evidence. Chad Curtis, a charming young man and former professional athlete, is fortunate that attorney Sean Barrett cannot turn down the opportunity to make legal history with a rare no-corpse defense. As he builds his case, Sean soon finds himself separated from his former firm and facing sinister threats and violence. Beautiful Carrie Robinson, an attorney with skills and connections of surprising variety, may be Sean's best ally--or his worst enemy. As the violence escalates, Sean must become the chief investigator, finally discovering the bitter underlying motives of the true criminals. Eberhardt, a practicing attorney, provides a wealth of accurate and intimate legal detail in this first novel. He keeps the action moving in a cleverly designed yet tricky plot, and he develops memorable characters. Eberhardt is a talented new legal writer who can stand with Turow and Grisham.
- Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Eberhardt's promising first novel is based on his experience as the defense attorney in the longest-running murder trial in U.S. history to result in an acquittal. His story--like most courtroom dramas--provides realistic depictions of ambitious legal eagles racking up more than 90 billable hours a week. But Eberhardt has cranked the action way up with a shoot-'em-up, hack-'em-up (machetes are favored), knock-'em-dead story chock-full of bizarre and unnerving twists. Ex-jock Chad Curtis is accused of killing his sweetie, glamorous would-be actress Robin Penrose, who has mysteriously disappeared. All the prosecution has to do to convict Chad is to prove that Robin is dead--a major problem since her body hasn't turned up, even though two high-school kids swear they saw Chad kill her. Sean Barrett's decision to defend Chad proves to be a risky career move when the young attorney suddenly finds his own life threatened as he scrambles to find the real motives behind the double crosses, deceits, and treacheries. A tense, taut, terrific thriller that might just climb the best-seller lists. Emily Melton