THE HIDDEN MAN
By
Uneven Underwood once again--with a suspensful start and a flat-footed follow-through. Young lawyer sleuth Rosa Epton (Double Jeopardy) is defending pleasant housewife Sarah Atkins, accused of vehicular homicide in the accidental death of rock-star Jonathan Cool--whose 18-year-old companion Cheryl has lied in her statement to police about the accident. Will Rosa be able to break Cheryl's story under oath? That's the initial grabber here. But Rosa soon seems more intrigued by the actions of Sarah's schoolteacher-husband Peter--whose behavior becomes more and more mysterious, climaxing in his sudden disappearance on the eve of the trial. Diverging storylines that never really mesh, a leaden fizzle of a windup: disappointing work from a usually reliable veteran.