A Higher Duty

Skillful prose and a powerful opening aren’t enough to save this contrived legal drama from Murphy (Removal). In December 1960, at Cambridge University, a student dumped in a freezing river drowns, and the ringleader of the “prank,” undergrad Clive Overton, is arrested for murder. But before the case can proceed much further, the fix is in, and Overton, whose father is one of the British bar’s leading lights, gets off with a slap on the wrist. Flash forward to October 1962. Anne Dougherty’s divorce case looks promising. Since her husband not only assaulted her but tried to break into her parents’ home, where their young son was staying, she has every reason to expect she’ll end up with sole custody of the child. But a rash, unethical act by one of the lawyers involved has repercussions beyond the case. Fanciful plot developments irreparably erode suspension of disbelief. (Oct.)