Indefensible
A Kate Lange Mystery by Pamela Callow
Review: After an attorney is arrested for killing his wife, he hires his young associate to defend him, even though she has limited criminal trial experience, in Indefensible, the second mystery in the Kate Lange legal mystery series by Pamela Callow.
Randall Barrett had been arguing with his ex-wife Elise earlier in the day, but at the time she fell from her balcony to her death, he claims he was somewhere else. Their son, Nick, a 15-year-old boy with a learning disability, claims otherwise, that he saw his father club his mother, and toss her body over the railing. But Nick's relationship with his father has always been distant and troubled, and it's not clear whether he is a witness or has simply made up the story. Though a senior member of a law firm that bears his name, Randall's partners want to distance themselves from any potential scandal, and refuse to help. Left on his own, Randall hires an old classmate from law school, Eddie Bent, to do some leg work, and Kate, an associate at the firm who believes in his innocence, to represent him in court. But the enormity of the task facing Kate causes her to doubt whether she's up to the task, especially knowing that a man's life -- a man she deeply respects -- is at stake.
Indefensible is a superbly plotted and suspenseful thriller, with solid characters and a riveting, dynamic storyline. The legal aspect actually comes quite late in the book, with much of what precedes it setting up a complex, though absorbing family drama. With little to slow the action, readers will be hard-pressed to set this book down before its surprising denouement.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Indefensible.
Acknowledgment: Planned TV Arts provided a copy of Indefensible for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Indefensible: Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Indefensible by Pamela Callow
Publisher: Mira Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2922-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2922-0
Publication Date: December 2010
List Price: $7.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): When Elise Vanderzell plummets from her bedroom balcony one gorgeous summer night, her children awaken to a nightmare.
Their mother is dead.
Their father is charged with her murder.
Lawyer Kate Lange knows all about nightmares. She's survived the darkest period of her troubled life and the wounds are still raw. Now she's been handed a case that seems utterly unwinnable: defending her boss, high-profile lawyer Randall Barrett. A prosecutor's dream suspect, Randall is a man who was cuckolded by his ex-wife. A man who could not control his temper. A man who had argued bitterly with the victim the previous day in full view of the children.
With limited criminal law experience, Kate finds herself enmeshed in a family fractured by doubt. Randall's teenage son is intent on killing him. His daughter wants only to feel safe again. And the entire legal community would like nothing better than to see Randall receive a public comeuppance. As Kate races to stay a step ahead of the prosecution, a silent predator is waiting for the perfect time to deal the final blow.