A U.S. vice president is accused of covering up a 38-year-old murder at the rousing start of Buffa's sixth courtroom thriller (after Star Witness
) featuring San Francisco trial lawyer Joseph Antonelli. Attending a Harvard Law School reunion, Antonelli is approached by former classmate Thomas Browning, heir to a legendary Detroit auto empire and lately vice president of the United States. Browning wants Antonelli to defend another classmate, Jimmy Haviland, who is going to be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for the murder of a beautiful law student who fell from an eighth-floor window during a Christmas Eve party in 1965. Long since ruled an accident, the affair obviously has been unearthed to enable forces in the White House to discredit the v-p (who was at the party, too), clearing the way for the Republican president to choose a new running mate. Because of his loyalty to his classmates, Antonelli reluctantly takes the case, which is being prosecuted by an ambitious Brooklyn Catholic district attorney. Buffa writes with careful attention to detail and nuance, but lengthy description and reflection sabotage the novel's pacing, particularly in the first half. The story gains momentum when Antonelli meets a beautiful, intelligent young German reporter in D.C. and the action moves into the courtroom. Political intrigue abounds and new love stirs bittersweet memories as the case comes to a truly surprising end. Agent, Wendy Sherman.
(June)
