Powers of Attorney

First-time novelist Latt delivers a terrific thriller ripe with romance, intrigue and legal convolutions. When Kate Alexander decides to defend Sandra D'Arcy, accused of enticing her construction-worker lover to kill her wealthy husband, the beautiful, intelligent lawyer finds her personal and professional lives intertwined in an intricately woven tapestry of love, deception and betrayal. A competition between old law school chums for the office of District Attorney and the battle for a coveted partnership at Kate's prestigious firm combine with a spicy series of sexual liaisons to create compelling commercial fiction. Latt's quick, easy narrative voice makes an effective contrast with the slow, tense pace at which the courtroom drama develops. Kate and Sandra head a cast of intriguing, multifaceted characters that also includes Kate's lover, a partner in the firm, and her murder-trial nemesis, a female deputy D.A. More stereotypical figures--a snotty Southern belle, the D'Arcy clan's controlling matriarch and a handsome, self-serving criminal defense attorney--slightly detract from a generally high level of intrigue but do serve to keep the action moving towards a surprising and satisfying happy ending. Latt makes her mark among the recent pack of lawyers turned novelists with this juicy read. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate. (Sept.)