cover image Shoot the Lawyer Twice

Shoot the Lawyer Twice

Michael Bowen, . . Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (228pp) ISBN 978-1-59058-529-0

Milwaukee lawyer Rep Pennyworth and his English professor wife, Melissa, latter-day incarnations of Nick and Nora Charles, deal with an assortment of unrelated concerns in Bowen’s engaging fourth mystery (after 2006’s Putting Lipstick on a Pig ). Some of these are legal, such as a would-be rapist’s trial for piracy; some ethical, such as a brooding young Catholic co-ed who may be concealing evidence in another case; and some as apparently frivolous as excessive political correctness in the classroom or the marketing of topical thriller novels. The murder of a greedy professor who dabbled in borderline extortion, however, forces the couple to take a more serious look at the cast of obsessive, eccentric characters inside and outside the academy who are bound and determined to get what they want no matter who else gets hurt. Bowen’s characters are amusing even when exasperating, and his leads are especially pleasant people to spend time with. (Oct.)