cover image REEF DANCE

REEF DANCE

John DeCure, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (368pp) ISBN 978-0-312-27297-5

A reef dance is surfing jargon for being stuck in one place and unable to move, aptly reflecting the dilemma of attorney J. Shepard in this edgy, in-your-face legal thriller. Stuck in the deepening grind of custody cases and a workload so overweighed that lawyers refer to clients as "Mother," "Father" and "Minor," not out of insensitivity but through sheer necessity, Shepard spends his days in a rut, unable to get out from under his staggering caseload and dreaming of surfing. One day a high-profile case involving baby-seller Sue Ellen Randall leads him, through many roundabout routes, back to his deceased mother and her uncertain fate. The author spent two years defending parents and children in dependency court before becoming a state bar prosecutor; he's also contributed to Surfer magazine and Surfer's Journal. The resulting confluence of two wholly disparate genres will appeal to some fans and leave others indifferent. DeCure vividly evokes the courtroom milieu, and has a flair for action scenes, particularly a violent set-to with a heavy: "I leapt from the bushes and clamped him hard from behind driving him up to take his feet off balance. We went down with a thud in a cloud of soft dirt, my left arm pinned beneath his chest, and I lost my grip for a second. He felt my hand letting go and freed himself enough to drive an elbow into my chin, popping me back and stunning me." Undeniably effective. But most readers, and mystery fans in particular, will find that surfing and detection make for an uneasy mix. (Sept. 17)