NT Gilty

Gordon's first novel is a laborious legal thriller that makes the serious mistake of casting a moral monster as its main character-a move that takes the seasoned talent of a Frederick Forsyth or a Jim Thompson to pull off. The monster is financially strapped criminal attorney Brad Crawford, who, in order to win an assault case, kills the three adolescents who would have been key witnesses against his client. Ironically, the cops blame the murders on the client; he is 20-year-old Kenny Froemmer, a petty drug dealer but son of a wealthy Michigan auto-paint magnate and real estate developer. Throughout, flat characters who speak stilted dialogue are moved like pawns in a by-the-numbers plot that wends its way through a monthlong trial. Along the way, Crawford develops what he thinks is the perfect crime, despite his leaving the murder weapon in his house, as well as incriminating evidence regarding his car and its eponymous vanity plates that are recognized by a PI friend. The villain's comeuppance comes up in two twists in the story's final third, which keeps a fast pace only to sputter out at the climax. Gordon's trial material has convincing authenticity, but any jury of readers is likely to judge his novel guilty of a fatal flaw, beyond a reasonable doubt. (Jan.)