LOCAL RULES

Called upon to serve as the defense attorney for a young man who is accused of murdering his best friend, Jordan Marshall quickly discovers that his client has been set up and is forced to confront the entire town for the truth.

An overeager sheriff's deputy sparks the quirk of fate that finds Jordan Marshall, former prosecuting attorney in San Antonio, acting as defense for a young man accused of murder in a tiny Texas town. Hauled in to the Green Hills courthouse on a speeding violation, Marshall is appointed by the presiding judge to represent the murder suspect in his arraignment. But what should have been a five-minute pro forma exercise takes on life-changing importance as Marshall, convinced that justice is being ill-served in the case, uncovers another murder and turns up a big-city number of small-town secrets. In swiftly moving prose and with an affectionately rendered, credible cast, Brandon (Loose Among the Lambs) delivers a solid string of riveting, detailed courtroom dramas?and some moving bedroom scenes as well. A few holes in the plot and an obvious red herring do little to impede the pleasures of time spent in the company of Marshall and the Green Hills' citizenry.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Jordan Marshall, a San Antonio lawyer, is on his way to the beach when he's stopped for speeding in Green Hills, Texas. In lieu of paying a fine, he's asked by Judge Waverly to represent young Wayne Orkney, charged with attempted murder as a result of a beating administered to his best friend, Kevin Wainwright. Although confused by the severity of the charge and the prosecution's unyielding resolve to send Orkney to prison for a long, long time, Marshall agrees. When Wainwright unexpectedly dies in the hospital, the charge escalates to murder. Marshall, a step behind everyone in town, finally begins to piece the case together after he establishes a relationship with the judge's devoted court reporter, Laura Stefone. The court's attitude toward Marshall's hapless client is based on the fact that everyone assumes he killed local golden girl Jenny Fecklewhite just before he beat Wainwright. There's no hard evidence to tie him to the girl's death, but justice will be served if Orkney gets life for Wainwright. The resolution of the case lies in the not-so-distant past. Readers who place Grisham and Turow at the top of their courtroom suspense list will be forced to revise the rankings. Excellent. Wes Lukowsky

The author of the popular Loose Among the Lambs writes of small-town murder.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.