Kane

In the first book of Blake's (Garden of Scandal) new series set in the small fictional town of Turn-Coupe, La., lawyer Kane Benedict has taken on Berry Associations, an unethical funeral service company bent on forcing small funeral homes out of business by price gouging. When Kane's grandfather, owner of Compton's Funeral Home, decides to fight back, Berry sends his ""cousin"" Regina to dig up dirt on the Benedicts. Regina only agreed to help because she feels she owes Berry for his generosity years before, but by the time she finds her spine, Berry's holding her young son hostage. Unfortunately, a dependent, male-dominated heroine, a dearth of romantic chemistry and a fatuous courtroom scene in the final pages, are millstones that weigh this entry down. (Mar.)