The Cut Throat

London barrister Michael crowds his first novel with an excess of arcana, however colorful, on the British courts before settling down to his main story: hero Charles Howard (a barrister himself) is charged with the murder of his wife, Henrietta, as they were about to divorce after years of incompatible marriage. Escaping from the police, Charles runs penniless through London and, by a lucky coincidence, meets a savior in Rachel Golding. Rachel remembers Charles from the time when he was known in their Jewish neighborhood by his real last name--Horowitz. She shelters the fugitive; they fall in love while trying to identify the killer in order to exonerate Charles. Their suspects include his anti-Semitic colleagues, an ex-convict who blames Charles for his sentence and Henrietta's discarded amours. After a slow start, the author provides chilling suspense and climactic surprises. (May)