PEOPLE VERSUS KIRK

No, this isn't another Anatomy of a Murder: the psychology and law are a bit too undigested here, the central mystery is a little too easy to guess, and much of the stagy, folksy dialogue is awfully dated. But Traver remains a master of low-key courtroom drama, and most of this unpretentious murder-trial novel is genially readable. The narrator is trout-fishing Michigan lawyer Frederick Ludlow, who's been hired to defend young Randall Kirk—accused of murdering (by drowning) lovely Mrs. Constance Spurrier, with whom he was having a longtime affair. The problem, however, is that sullen Randy claims to have no memory of the time surrounding the murder! Furthermore, he seems to forget even more while in jail. So Ludlow, with help from retired Dr. Hugh Salter, wants to get court permission to use hypnotism to recall Randy's memory: there's a pre-trial hearing on the subject, a mini-history of hypnotism, and a Ludlow victory. But Randy seems oddly resistant to hypnosis—and Dr. Hugh gently persists while the trial begins, with heaps of evidence against the defendant. Meanwhile, the issue focus moves to the question of "impaired consciousness" as a defense to a crime (was Randy sleepwalking or something when—if—he did it?); and though this isn't quite as interesting as the "irresistible impulse" question in Anatomy of a Murder, Traver pursues the legal precedents at length. And finally, the doc's hypnosis having succeeded at last, Randy remembers all and takes the stand, detailing how he was in fact programmed into killing his beloved Constance—by the most likely suspect. This windup twist is far from new to mystery fiction (it goes at least as far back as Wilkie Collins), but Traver documents it more seriously and authentically than most. And for those who don't mind the creakiness here—likable Ludlow's wheezy humor, the chunks of technical exposition, or some truly unreal conversational outbursts from 28-year-old Randy ("How can mere clumsy words ever tell the state of enchantment, of suspended ecstasy and bliss, that came over me when we two were together")—this is a nice old-fashioned read, with special appeal to hypnotism buffs and armchair lawyers.