BURNING MARCH

Disbarred Philadelphia lawyer-turned-p.i. Dave Garrett (The January Corpse, The February Trouble) responds to a call from Emily Voss, the bookkeeper at his old firm, to find that she's been burned to death in her apartment before she could tell him what the trouble was. Despite the Fire Marshal's lack of interest, Dave knows the fire was set, but who hired the matchlighters? The main suspects are Tom Richardson, Dave's old boss -- and Emily's longtime lover and sole legatee -- and the firm's lesser fry: Dave's old mentor, Vince DeAndrea, a trial lawyer prone to alcoholic blackouts; assistant managing partner Jerry Huyett, who doesn't mind firing people all that much; Roger Palmer, a labor lawyer with an attitude; Michael Flora, a new associate whose contracting links with certain New Jersey relatives make up for his lack of smarts; and wheelchair-bound Susan Minnik, whom Dave will shortly be taking a close personal interest in. Routine work for Dave, smartly told, with Philadelphia locations as memorable as the characters aren't.