Suspicion

Climactic plot twists telegraphed well in advance pull much of the punch from this romantic legal thriller by the author of Silver Lining. Washington, D.C., defense attorney Kate Logan is working to clear a client wrongly convicted of murder, when her sleazy ex-husband, Eric, seeks her help to stave off a blackmailing call girl. Then the blackmailer gets killed and Eric, the chief suspect, vanishes. Their bratty daughter, Alison, insists that Kate help her fugitive father, so, with the aid of police detective Mitch Calhoon, she takes on that case, too. Both murders turn out to be related, involving such familiar elements as a hooker who knows too much and a senator with a skeleton in his closet. Before the climax, most of the perpetrators and their motives are already known, and heavy-handed foreshadowing makes a kidnapping and other elements all too obvious. For those who simply enjoy the ride, however, Heggan creates believable characters and spins a pleasant romance between Kate and Mitch. (Jan.)