Staff Book Pick

Solomon vs. Lord (2005 Bantam Books)
By Paul Levine

Circumstances conspire to force two Florida lawyers with opposing personalities; by-the-book Victoria Lord and anything-goes Steve Solomon; into working together as the defense attorneys for Katrina Barksdale, a "grieving" widow who's been charged with murdering her wealthy husband during a kinky sexcapade. This basic plot is nothing new, but Levine keeps things fresh by injecting the story with interesting subplots and a full roster of quirky, lovable characters, perhaps the best of whom is Bobby, Solomon's autistic savant nephew, who has a photographic memory and a penchant for making defaming anagrams out of people's names. While Levine's two protagonists may not be Tracy and Hepburn, the barbed dialogue that flies between them makes for some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Fans of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry will enjoy this humorous Florida crime romp.