My Review (5 stars out of 5)
Having left his job as a Virginia divorce lawyer, Charlie Trust now drives a cherry red 1969 Mustang and spends his time watching the ocean from a borrowed house on Carbon Beach. But the owner of the house interrupts Charlie’s peace when he suggests the former lawyer might dish out some legal advice to a friend. The friend turns out to be Emma Scott, estranged wife of a Hollywood television producer. Unwilling to turn the woman down flat, Charlie agrees to a conversation, but she insists he look over some ‘papers’ belonging to her husband – papers that point towards a huge money-laundering operation. Pretty soon Charlie is wishing he could dig himself out of the hole he’s just made, but then Emma Scott disappears, and Charlie is left in no doubt that he’s headed for a big pile of trouble.
Set in 1990’s Malibu, this is book 2 in the Charlie Trust thrillers. Beginning slowly, the story eases the reluctant lawyer into an increasingly dodgy situation, as the repercussions of what he has taken on slide into ever more dangerous territory. For one thing, though he has recently passed the bar exam, he has no experience of how things work in California. With no office, no staff, and no clue as to how to proceed, Charlie grabs at a chance to meet one of his legal heroes in the hope of gaining some much-needed advice.
As with all of Mr Needham’s books, this was an easy read (even allowing for the legal jargon). The author’s descriptions of Carbon Beach, famous Hollywood restaurants, and encounters with a few showbiz stars (including OJ Simpson and Farah Fawcett), give the story a realistic setting, while keeping me on edge with an underlying layer of tension that had me captivated all the way through.
Another stonking good read from one of my favourite authors.
Colin Garrow 