Old City Hall

What appears to be an open-and-shut murder case turns out to be anything but in Rotenberg's overstuffed debut, a legal thriller. After celebrated radio host Kevin Brace (aka the “Voice of Canada”) confesses to killing his wife, Katherine, in their Toronto apartment, he refuses to utter another word, even to his attorney, Nancy Parish. The police, including homicide detective Ari Greene and ex-lawyer-turned-cop Daniel Kennicott, try to piece together a motive, while rookie prosecutor Albert Fernandez gears up for his first murder trial. As Greene and Kennicott dig deeper into Brace's life, they discover links not only to an ex-wife and son but also to Katherine's own checkered past. Rotenberg, a criminal lawyer, is at his best evoking the courtroom duel between Fernandez and Parish, but too many underdeveloped characters and unnecessary subplots may leave some readers feeling the eventual trial wasn't worth the wait. (Mar.)