Perri O’Shaughnessy Case of Lies

Case of Lies

Perri O'Shaughnessy

Delacorte, Jul 2005, $25.00

ISBN: 0385337957

With her teenage son accompanying her, attorney Nina Reilly feels she has gone complete circle having recently left her former lover Paul van Wagoner behind in Carmel and returned to her hometown of South Lake Tahoe to practice law. Her masseuse Chelsi offers a deal of two rubdowns in exchange for legal advice to her Uncle Dave Hanna, which Nina agrees.

Two years ago, someone robbed three people at the Ace High Motel, but before leaving, that person shot and killed Dave's pregnant wife, schoolteacher Sarah. No one was caught and the three witnesses quietly fled town. Dave sued the motel, but ran out of money and wants to drop the case. His niece and brother-in-law feel he should pursue his suit. Nina accepts the case, but also hires the son of her office assistant, private investigator Wish Whitefeather to see if he can uncover the identity of the killer. Neither realized at the time the twists the investigation will take involving card shark mathematicians Yale grads, wealthy Texans, a trek to Germany, a serial killer and the return of Nina's ex husband.

CASE OF LIES is an exhilarating legal thriller in which Reilly is at her best in her latest appearance, which says a lot since this series is consistently a best seller. The storyline seizes the audience from the moment most of the players appear on the stage starting with readers wondering what the connection between two blackjack card-counting experts have with a motel murder and other spins follow that all seem reasonable, even the final chiller. Though more investigative than legal, series fans will immeasurably relish the newest life of Reilly CASE OF LIES.

Harriet Klausner