Novela en la que se basó Stanley Kubrick para realizar la película que lleva el mismo nombre ( )

Victor, a down-on-his-luck lawyer, recognizes trouble when he sees it, but slipping between the sheets with an old lover is the "sweetest deceit of all." And even if he knows better, a woman as desirable as his one-time fiancee Julia makes succumbing to her charms an all but foregone conclusion. The aftermath, though leaves Victor with a major post-coital hangover. Julia's husband has been murdered and it's looking more and more like the cops think Victor did it. ( )

This is the 7th book in the Victor Carl series. It kept me interested, and it had a good plot with many twists and turns.

Victor may be rekindling a relationship with his ex-fiance (who cheated on him with, and married a urologist). Just when things start to get good, police come knocking at Victor's door. He is a suspect in the murder of this urologist. Everything points to Victor, and the cops don't seem to be trying very hard to find the truth, so Victor does his own investigating. Will he clear his name, will he save his new relationship with his ex?

I am indifferent about this book, it is the first I've read in the series, but I am not excited to read more. I really did not like the character very much, and formed no attachment to him. If I stumble upon another book by this author, I would probably pick it up (it was entertaining), but I won't go out of my way to read more. ( )

Seventh in the Victor Carl, Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer, series.

Carl finds himself defending his First and Only True Love, Julia, against a charge of murdering her husband.

This is a plot that stands or falls on Lashner’s ability to write about obsessive love--and he mostly fails.

There is practically nothing to this plot, and Lashner’s trademark twists are not terribly interesting. Starting with the previous book, Carl’s internal monologue about himself and his motives, which in the earlier books gave depth and texture to the plots started wearing thin, and with this book, it’s downright boring. What you realize is that through 7 books, Carl has not really developed. In each book, he seemingly has some revelation about himself that almost always seems to have disappeared by the next one. And so he continues to be ever grasping after money--big house in the rich suburbs, nice Jag, cute wife--and it’s now old.

At the end of the book, Lashner says that he and Carl are going to take a couple of years off, and I agree--they both need a rest. When a new Victor Carl comes out, I’ll probably buy it, but rather warily--Lashner may not know how to take this series to the next stage.

Well, it was terrific while it lasted. ( )

There’s nothing easier than falling in love with an old girlfriend. That’s what Philly lawyer Victor Carl finds out when he hooks up again with a femme fatale who’s definitely bad for his health.

In the middle of the night, a knock on Victor’s door can only mean trouble. Two cops invite themselves in, asking where Victor has been. They also ask him about a doctor named Wren Davis. Victor sends them packing. As soon as they leave, a beautiful woman steps out of Victor’s bedroom, a towel around her naked body. "Who was that?" she asks. "The cops," says Victor. "What did they want?" she asks. "To tell me that your husband is dead."

Her name is Julia. She’s ridiculously lovely. Women like her date athletes and marry tycoons. They don’t hang out with second–rate lawyers on the edge of insolvency. But back in the day, Julia had agreed to marry Victor Carl. Then she deserted him, running off to marry a doctor. Now she’s back and she’s trouble with a capital T. Her husband has been murdered, Julia’s incriminated, and there are big bucks at stake. Naturally, Victor is on the case. ( )