One Dead Judge

Occasional lawyer, chronic beach bum and owner of a seedy motel on the Maryland shore, Dallas Henry makes the pursuit of leisure a full-time occupation in this lively sequel to Beach Money. Out of kindness, he visits cranky retired Judge Crenshaw, who swears his life is in danger and by way of explanation only offers Henry a mysterious package to open if he is killed. The judge is done in by a hit-and-run at about the same time as Henry's car is (unverifiably) stolen and a sea of lawyers descends on the town for a convention. The judge had been making waves lately, worried about a soon-to-be-paroled killer, concerned about a former partner who had come up against a ruthless developer and waging war on trial lawyer named Mack Trial. But even with all those enemies, Henry is the cops' best bet for the murderer; he's set free only after lawyer Susan, the latest of his many loves, posts bail. After the package vanishes, Henry steps up his investigation, trying to hold on to Susan while avoiding the come-hither demands of former lover Vicky, also a lawyer. A raunchy, warmhearted read only slightly spoiled by an excess of attorneys, practicing or not. (Mar.)