Like many of the great lone-wolf characters, Joseph Antonelli has become an individual about whom we want to learn more, and hear more. Just as we struggle with the personal charms and failings of Harry Bosch or Adam Dalgliesh or Dismas Hardy or Guido Brunetti, we come to believe in them, their fallibilities and their small victories.

D.W. Buffa has created a character that endures, and draws the reader to his next book. And like the best dramas, whether profound or merely popular, the surrounding characters are also alive and thoroughly interesting in their own right. Whether it is the inventive quirks of his judges, or the contemporary take on talk show hosts and media types, Buffa creates a compelling story.

In Trial By Fire, he adds a media mogul who deserves our concern, a love for Australia and Berkelely that comes through loud and clear, and a plot twist that makes you glad you read his well-constructed story. I can't wait to see what Antonelli is doing next! ( )