Her, Too

This page-turner from Kistler (The Cage) makes up for some uneven plotting with sharp prose and a ripped-from-the headlines premise. Law firm partner Kelly McCann is known for successfully defending her clients from sexual assault allegations. Flush from her recent victory for Dr. George Benedict, a prominent research scientist, she accepts an invitation to a dinner party at his home, where he assaults her. Going to the police or the press would jeopardize Kelly’s job and reputation, and the nondisclosure agreements she’s brokered with several of Benedicts’ previous victims prevent them from speaking out on her behalf . Instead, Kelly reaches out to these women and orchestrates a convoluted plan for revenge. Things do not go smoothly, however, and, one by one, Kelly’s accomplices turn up dead. Kistler, a former trial lawyer, brings authenticity to the proceedings, and while the story gets off to a slow start and is pocked by occasional plot holes, it’s bolstered by potent feminist rage. This burns hot. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (July)