Necessity

A lack of subtlety undermines Buffa’s provocative eighth legal thriller featuring attorney Joseph Antonelli (after 2005’s Trial by Fire), in which senator Kevin Fitzgerald of California stands accused of fatally stabbing President Walter Bridges, a “mindless narcissist” suspected of conspiring with the Russians, on Air Force One while the plane was parked at the San Francisco airport. Fitzgerald claims he had to kill Bridges to save the country, invoking the legal doctrine of necessity (“there are times when it is not only your right, but almost your duty to kill”). Fitzgerald’s wife is sure he’s innocent, despite his confession, and persuades a reluctant Antonelli to take on her husband’s defense. The trial bafflingly takes place in state court, given that the murder of a president is a federal crime. Despite Buffa’s own legal experience, the courtroom scenes are unconvincing, and a subplot involving an extramarital affair that Antonelli conducts with a knockout named Tangerine can’t rescue the main story line. Even readers opposed to President Trump and his policies will find little to like in this outrageous scenario. (Apr.)