THIS FATAL WRIT

There's virtually no courtroom give-and-take in this new case for super-barrister Antony Maitland, but it's even talkier than previous outings. As a favor to dear family friend Clare, Maitland reluctantly undertakes the defense of Clare's lover--investigative journalist Harry, accused of learning some missile secrets from Fenton Laboratory and then selling them to Russia. Harry looks very guilty indeed, and even more so when a prosecution witness is found murdered (in Clare's garden) and Harry disappears. And, as a result of his dedicated work on the case, Maitland himself is open to accusations of treason; the cop on the case mysteriously seems to loathe Maitland beyond the call of duty. Good talk, but far too much of it, especially since the plot is pale and the suspects (mostly at the Laboratory) are paler. For sedate Anglophiles only.