Against the Law

In defense lawyer Eberhardt's second legal thriller (after Body of a Crime), the web of political, criminal and family secrets that entraps the governor of Hawaii and a host of others is nicely constructed--and thankfully so, because the characters are mostly generic and dull. Minutes before the governor and a teenage call girl are murdered in a Honolulu hotel suite, the governor ritually eviscerated, there had been a nasty confrontation between the pro-development gov and Peter Maikai, an old and ailing native environmental activist. Ambitious prosecuting attorney Brian Reed quickly goes after Maikai, handing the case over to Cathy Darnold after her lover, assistant PA Dan Carrier, begs off because Maikai helped raise him. When Maikai dies of a heart attack during pretrial hearings, Reed, now running for governor, claims that justice has been served. But Dan disagrees and starts his own unofficial investigation, which eventually reveals some very high people in a series of criminal cover-ups--and a staggering personal surprise. The climax, set during a hurricane, pits Dan and a long-lost love against the primary villain, spinning the intricate, often graphically violent plot into an ambiguous solution that is oddly satisfying. Eberhardt remains a writer to watch. Literary Guild selection. (July)