Defense for the Devil

""Evil infects some people... it gets into the system and stays like a virus that is never killed,"" seasoned criminal lawyer Barbara Holloway reflects, in the fourth thriller by Wilhelm (The Good Children) to feature the Eugene-based attorney. Maggie Folsum's abusive ex-husband, Mitch, has come tearing back into her life, threatening Maggie and ransacking the inn she operates. The dirt that Holloway's investigation turns up on Mitch piles higher and higher--until he's six feet under it and his good-guy brother Ray stands wrongfully accused of his murder. Holloway agrees to defend Ray, hoping to secure long-in-arrears child support from Mitch's stash of dirty money. She's up against a corrupt organization run by a man named Palmer, whose cleverness and casual violence are frightening, but she believes that she can outwit them. After Ray's trial, and as the tension mounts, Wilhelm employs an overused device for the disappointing denouement: Palmer's arrogance undermines his ingenuity. The nuances of courtroom procedure are compellingly presented, however, including a sophisticated look at the complex psychology of a jury. (Feb.)