IN HER DEFENSE

In this mystery, a former lawyer gets drawn back to the courtroom to defend her husband’s mistress, accused of his murder.

Riversedge, New York, located four express train stops from Manhattan, is “an impostor of a small town.” Along with its posh setting, upscale mom-and-pop stores, and “enormous brick-face library,” the town is known for its attorneys. The best and brightest congregate at the members-only Riversedge Law Club. Ingrid DiLaurio, an ex-lawyer, is not a member. She is the host of Too Busy To Die, a nationally popular podcast that focuses on “streamlining the mess in all of our lives.” Messiness becomes her business after her husband is found dead and Opal Rowen is arrested. Opal is a former friend, single mother, ex-stripper, and Ingrid’s husband’s mistress. But it’s Ingrid that Opal calls from the police station. “You owe me, Ingrid,” she ominously demands. Ingrid agrees to take her case, but while there is no murder weapon or apparent homicide, she is cautioned by a Law Club member: “Don’t let this thing suck you in…the ending is not under your control.” Also out of her control: a suspect judge, a corrupt prosecutor, and a second death. A former colleague—one whom Ingrid blames for sabotaging her law career—resurfaces with an offer to help mentor her in exchange for a favor of her own. Almost as satisfying as a good whodunit is a good “What really happened?” mystery, along the lines of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. Secrets are rife in Riversedge, and the characters clearly know more than they are letting on. But Impellizzeri does a good job of teasing out pieces of the puzzle without readers feeling as if they have been cheated (“There is a truth that no one will know now except Ingrid…the only other person who knows how Peter died…is dead”). A former corporate lawyer, the author writes crackling courtroom drama scenes (as when, defying conventional wisdom, Ingrid puts Opal on the witness stand). This is the auspicious beginning of a series—a compelling invitation to join the Club.

A gripping legal thriller that will grab readers from the get-go.