Champion's winning eighth Bomber Hanson legal whodunit (after 2004's Easy Come, Easy Go
) finds stuttering Tod Hanson still working for his father, Bomber, a delightfully pompous Southern California defense attorney ("I help people in trouble, not people who are
trouble"), even though Tod would much rather compose music than investigate ("I have been locked in indentured servitude"). After much angst, Bomber agrees to represent a cute college student, Pia Franceschi, who stands accused of shooting her lecherous landlord. Pia professes innocence, though the victim turned up dead in her bed. Pia's obnoxious father, Fabrizio ("Call me Fab") Franceschi, can't resist playing amateur detective and muddling the case, while Tod chases down clues more like a bumbling dachshund than a bloodhound. The verdict? Tight, light reading but not lightweight. (Nov.)
