Book Review: In Her Defense

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

In Her Defense     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Stephen Horn
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Legal Setting
HarperCollins, May 2000, $25.00, 400 pp.

In Washington DC, no one in the legal profession or the judicial system quite understands why attorney Frank O’Connell has thrown away the silver spoon to become, ugh, a public defender. However, ethics aside, Frank wonders if he is heading to the pits of legal hell when he suddenly becomes the lawyer to renowned socialite Ashley Bronson, who admits she killed former Commerce Secretary Raymond Garvey.

Ashley blames Raymond for driving her father to suicide. Frank and private investigator Walter Feinberg make inquiries seeking a link between Garvey and Ashley’s father. The duo also looks to see if someone else could have potentially killed the cabinet member in order to throw doubt in the minds of the jury. However, the more Walter and Frank dig, the more questions surface as the CIA becomes involved.

IN HER DEFENSE is a fabulous legal thriller that will place Stephen Horn near the top of the sub-genre list with his debut novel. Frank is a complex character struggling between personal ethics and the seeming failure of his career change. The support cast augments the tale with intelligence as they provide insight into the judicial system or into Frank’s personal life and that adds depth and motives to the lead protagonist’s personality. The story line is sharp whether the subplot augments the legal side or Frank’s personal life. Fans of legal thrillers will toot the author’s horn for this wonderful novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner