Sworn to Defend by
Carolyn Wheat
pbk out March 99
(No Exit Press)
at £5.99
Ever since Scott Turow wrote 'Presumed Innocent' and John Grisham hit the
best-selling trail, the American market has been flooded with legal
thrillers. Only a limited number have made it to this side of the Atlantic,
however, and as a result British readers have missed out on several
talented writers. Carolyn Wheat's books about criminal lawyer Cassandra
Jameson have been earning accolades in the States for a long time and it is
good to see that No Exit Press have now taken her up. In this book, Cass
enjoys a rare luxury - she is actually assigned a client whom she fervently
believes to be innocent. Yet it soon becomes clear that Keith Jennigan has
a dark past: she learns that he stalked his former girlfriend Tobie and
threw acid in her face, disfiguring her for life. Meanwhile, Cass is
consulted by glamorous Nellis Cartwright, whose odious ex-husband claims
she has stolen items from his precious collection of netsuke, small
Japanese carved figures. Eventually, in time-honoured fashion, the two
strands of the story intertwine.
The novel is most memorable for its interesting and credible picture of New
York life. One suspects that was the author's ambition, for in some
respects, the mystery element is the least satisfying aspect of the book.
The culprit's motivation, although unusal and carefully explained, is not
altogether convincing. Furthermore, the pace and wit that are the hallmarks
of Lisa Scottoline, another American writer working in much the same
territory, are not much in evidence here. The sub-plots are rather
ponderous and some judicious cutting might have been in order.Yet on the
evidence of this book, there is not much doubt that Carolyn Wheat is an
accomplished novelist and one hopes that some of her earlier novels in the
same series will surface here in the course of time.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Sworn to Defend by
Carolyn Wheat