4 and 1 / 2 stars

Jake Lassiter, former pro football player turned lawyer, hears the verdict in his latest trial. Thunder Thurston is found “not guilty” in the murder of his wife. Jake is astounded and very angry. He knows Thunder did it. He begins to fantasize about killing his client. After talking to friends Victoria Lord and Steve Solomon, he decides instead to set him up for a long prison term. But how to go about it? He knows who supplies Thunder’s drugs and put the proposal to his prosecutor friend. His friend gets angry.

Jake comes up with plan after plan, none of which seem to pan out. Meanwhile, the prosecutor is trying to get a grand jury to investigate Jake on jury tampering charges.

In true Lassiter style, Jake gets himself into hot water again and again. It seems things just come out of his mouth at the darndest times. All of Paul Levine’s books have a touch of humor to them. It adds to the complete immersion in the novel. Some of the cases his secretary presents to him are a laugh a minute.

Jake takes on another case in the interim about obsessing about Thunder and getting in trouble. It is the case of a woman who commits suicide, but doesn’t die until the early morning hours after her one year waiting period is over. She has two children. Although she took the pills before midnight, the law is unclear about whether the insurance company is culpable or not. Jake is defending the insurance company, but doesn’t really want them to win the case.

The reader is left wondering if Jake is getting disillusioned with the law. Lately, he is getting cases he doesn’t want to win. This is unlike the past where he wanted to win at almost any cost.

Another subplot of this book is that Doc Riggs and Granny are getting very worried about Jake’s headaches and occasional loss of temper. Doc Riggs urges Jake to go see a neurologist. Jake, of course, puts it off.

While in Los Angeles, he meets the wonderful Dr. Gold. He finally undergoes the brain scan.

This is a very well written book and most enjoyable. It’s Jake Lassiter at his best. Paul Levine does a remarkable job writing and plotting this book. It has it all: humor, suspense, twists and turns. Can’t wait for the next in the series to come out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.

Jack Lassiter who was a Dolphin player and now a lawyer who has just won a case that he feels is guilty. Loves the Florida lifestyle. Lives with Granny (not really sure how she is related) and his nephew, Kip. The next case is to defend the insurance company against the orphans of a cage fighter who took some pills and drank just hours before her policy would support paying her for a suicide. The thing is she actually was not dead until the next day. He has to look into concussion research and meets Dr. Gold. Lots of twists and turns in the story.