The Last Billable Hour

This fine mystery debut benefits from the author's background as a lawyer, a yeasty sense of humor and stylish writing. Set in San Mateo, Calif., the plot concerns wimpish young associate lawyer Howard Rickover, hired by Leo Slyde of Tweedmore & Slyde, a law firm with immense profits from ``SVM,'' Silicone Valley Millionaires. Howard soon realizes that flashy Leo is making crooked deals concealed from Gerry Tweedmore, the conservative partner. The other members of the firm envy Leo's successful wooing of clients and the women in the office. When he is stabbed fatally during a party on the premises, everyone is a suspect. And now Howard comes into his own: casting off his timid persona, he teams up with detective Sara Nelson to eventually prove a case against the murderer of the vulture who had posed as ``legal eagle.'' Mystery buffs will look forward to more inventions by the author, perhaps starring Rickover and Nelson as lovers and sleuths. (Mar.)