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SOLOMON VS. LORD was one of the best, and funniest, novels published in 2005. The only downside to the introduction of Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord, Miami's hilariously star-crossed, mismatched legal duo, was that we had to wait until September to meet them. Fortunately, Paul Levine's second installment in this sweet apple and bitter orange pairing (and I'll leave it to you to decide who is who) has been published but a few months after its predecessor. Those who expected any sort of sophomore slump in the series from the veteran Levine should know better. THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI, if anything, eclipses the opening volume.
It is, in a word, hilarious. Steve Solomon is the consummate wisecracker, but his façade hides a canny street sense that serves him well in the courtroom trenches. Equal parts class clown and National Merit finalist, Solomon is of course attracted to his opposite, Victoria Lord, who is all right angles, a litigator who plays by the rules and follows the book. Naturally, they both learn something from each other, even as they're both dragged kicking and screaming toward it and (at least from Lord's viewpoint) each other.
Things come to a proverbial head between the erstwhile law and bed partners when Hal Griffin, a former business partner of Lord's father, retains them to represent him when he is charged with murdering Ben Stubbs, an EPA official who had the yea or nay over Griffin's most ambitious project. Solomon sees the case as a cash cow for a farm in dire need of a herd; Lord sees the case as an opportunity to go solo, professionally and possibly personally. Griffin's son, the extremely studly Junior Griffin, is along to muddy the waters. He and Lord shared a puppy love in their childhood, and they are experiencing a physical attraction so hot that someone is going to get burned. Solomon is well aware of this and is at his envious best. Is Solomon's suspicion that Junior murdered Stubbs colored at all by his jealousy? Of course not.
Solomon is further distracted by a side project whereby he hope to get his father's license to practice law reinstated, even as his dad vehemently resists. Solomon's precocious nephew Bobby is along to provide some worthy and funny commentary and, interestingly enough, to assist in solving the mystery of who killed Stubbs. As hilarious as THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI is, it is almost possible between the cleverly molded characters and sharp dialogue to overlook that the novel contains a terrific mystery, one that will keep you guessing throughout most of it.
For those who were afraid that Levine would run out of ideas, and jokes, with
SOLOMON VS. LORD, THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI should put those fears to rest. Levine is
just getting warmed up. And if you want to see what's coming later this year,
THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI also contains an excerpt from the forthcoming KILL ALL THE
LAWYERS, the next Solomon vs. Lord novel. Both will give your laugh, and
your mind, a great workout.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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