Bum Rap is a legal thriller with a touch of
romance. Jake Lassiter, a former NFL
linebacker and Victoria Lord and Steve Solomon, law partners and lovers are all
Miami defense attorneys. Solomon is
arrested for murder and Lord hires Lassiter to defend her partner.
Solomon was
hired by Nadia, a Russian bar girl working at a night club, to retrieve her
passport from the club’s owner, Nicolai Gorev.
Gorev had helped Nadia immigrate to the United States in return for her
work scamming customers at the club and was holding her passport as collateral. Nadia had fallen in love with a customer and
wanted her passport back so she could move on.
But at the meeting in Gorev’s office, the club owner ends up dead of a
gunshot wound from Nadia’s gun. Nadia steals
a sack of diamonds from the wall safe and slips out the back door and Solomon
is caught holding the gun when the police arrive. Solomon tells the police that Nadia pulled
the trigger but she has disappeared. Now
it’s up to Lassiter to convince a jury of Solomon’s innocence or find Nadia and
deal with her unpredictable testimony.
Meanwhile we
learn that the Gorev and his associate, Benjamin Coben (aka Benny the Jeweler)
are being investigated by the Feds for diamond smuggling. Solomon’s trial has already begun when they
find Nadia living with her newfound love in Pennsylvania. She cuts a deal with the Feds to testify
against Benny the Jeweler in exchange for a free pass for her involvement in Gorev’s
death. To complicate matters further,
Lassiter develops feelings for Lord. So
here he is, defending a client he’s not sure is innocent while day dreaming
about the guy’s girlfriend. He finds
himself questioning his ethics in both his personal and professional lives.
Bum Rap is what we call an airplane book at Men
Reading Books. It’s an enjoyable quick
read without much intellectual stimulation.
The characters are entertaining and somewhat likable but the plot is
light on substance. Perfect for the
hurry up and wait chaos that is air travel.
Thanks to Net
Galley for the advance look.
Just finished Bum Rap. Liked it. Entertaining and fun. After reading a little about the author, one might consider this book a crossover story. Like when TV's Chicago PD and Law and Order: SVU have a story that overlaps both shows with actors appearing in the other show.Turns out that Levine has an ongoing series featuring Jake Lassiter as well as another series featuring Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord. Kind of liked the Lassiter character so I'll try and find some other titles. Levine has been nominated for a slew of awards so I'm sure the next book will also be well presented.
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