Review: Justice Delayed

Sam Spader was hired by a large law firm in Seattle before she'd even passed the bar. As a new associate, she had generally worked for a family law specialist or the company's corporate attorney. On the day that a new client walked in the door and specifically asked for Sam, she was convinced there was an error, but spoke to the client anyway. Lucretia Lacey wants Sam to find out if her friend was murdered. When the head of the law firm insisted that she drop the new client, Sam walks away and never looks back . . . well, hardly ever. She immediately sets up a private practice, begins calling on her uncle on the police force, and gains another client - - this one VERY strange. Vanessa Van Dyke wants Sam to prove that she is the heir to a $100million fortune before it is claimed by the state as abandoned.

Sam's investigations on the Van Dyke case take her all over the country, searching for birth certificates, marriage certificates, family Bibles, and living witnesses. Mrs. Lacey's case brings her into contact with Seattle PD and several mysterious deaths. In the midst of the chaos, Sam must set up an office, hire a staff, and decide what to do about the gentleman who has suddenly decided he wants her in his life.

Sam Spader is young and taking on the State of Washington in her first solo case. JUSTICE DELAYED is well plotted - which is important in any mystery. Both of Sam's ongoing cases are interesting: a murder with a dying woman's clue; and an abandoned estate in need of heirs. Where the book loses somewhat is that 1) Sam is beautiful; 2) she has a convenient relative on the police force; 3) she already has enough money to set herself up in a single practice; and 4) she suddenly acquires a wealthy suitor too good to be true. I was completely with Sam with walking out on her previous employer. The diagloges and Sam's conversations with herself are witty and consistent. I even enjoyed Uncle Pete on the police force. But the trust fund made thing a bit too easy, and the wealthy suitor just didn't quite work - it was too easy. That said, I DID enjoy JUSTICE DELAYED, because the mystery and the court case work. It was fascinating. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Caverly comes up with next. Is Sam coming back?

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Book Review: Justice Delayed