In Dunham's worthy sequel to Wishful Sinful
(2004), attorney Tal Jefferson is still trying to escape her past—her flameout in the big city after losing a capital case and her tendency to bury her sorrows in a bottle. She's back home in Wynnton, S.C., making a meager living and being watched over by her tough-as-nails office manager, June Atkins. But when Tal and childhood friend Travis Whitlock fish a severed head from the Wynnton River, Tal and June are thrown into a firestorm of racism, thievery and murder. The head, it turns out, belongs to June's estranged husband. When a second body turns up near the Whitlock farm, both the authorities and vicious thieves with nothing to lose target Tal and June. Tal is a superb mix of hard edges and open wounds, a weary fighter trying to redeem herself whatever the cost. While Tal is sure she deserves no happy ending, readers will stick with the series to prove her wrong. (Dec.)
