MURDER FOR THE PROSECUTION

Moments before she's scheduled to argue a case before the California Supreme Court, Rachel Brandwyn—surrounded by fellow appellate attorneys who ``couldn't possibly have shot Rachel''—is killed by a revolver tagged as evidence in another murder case. Only Rachel's fellow attorneys could have known where to find the weapon; and when Bill Kelly and Beret Holmes, two of her junior colleagues, are able to alibi each other, the police ask their help in gathering the information that will pin down the killer. Though they succeed in uncovering motives for each of the eight remaining suspects—Rachel had accused one of sexual harassment and two others of torpedoing their own cases; another pair is secretly engaged, and one is the father of Rachel's unborn child—Bill and Beret are right to be modest about their detective skills: they're as fumbling and dim as the mystery-mongering and character-drawing here. A first novel studded with psychological insights like this: ``The trigger was pulled again, and a third spit was heard, or actually not heard by anyone but the shooter.''