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Lovers and Lawyers: Twelve Stories
Twelve suspenseful stories from the author of the Willa Jansson and Laura Di Palma mystery series.
A killer’s using freezing weather and plenty of water to eliminate the city’s homeless population, and a lawyer must identify the culprit before her client’s arrested for the bizarre murders . . . An off-the-grid, clandestine meeting between an attorney and her recently acquitted lover takes a twisted turn . . . In 1918, as the flu pandemic decimates America, a nanny for a wealthy family is mistaken for dead, but that’s only the beginning of her troubles . . . On a quiet Oregon beach on Native American land, a couple is debating whether or not they should get married when a stranger interrupts them . . .
These are just a few of the mysterious tales in this collection that has “tight plotting, good characterizations, and page-turning suspense. . . . Matera [is] one of the best contemporary mystery novelists” (Booklist).
Praise for Lia Matera
“[A] welcome respite from the mystery-by-formula crowd.” —Kirkus Reviews on A Hard Bargain
“A satisfying blend of emotion, suspense and mystery.” —The Pittsburgh Press on The Good Fight
“[Matera’s] skill and literary flair are everywhere on display. Every word counts, and the pieces of the puzzle fit together with exhilarating precision.” —ABA Journal on Designer Crimes
“This fast-moving tale is peppered with eccentric characters, snappy dialogue and a creative plot.” —San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle on Star Witness
A killer’s using freezing weather and plenty of water to eliminate the city’s homeless population, and a lawyer must identify the culprit before her client’s arrested for the bizarre murders . . . An off-the-grid, clandestine meeting between an attorney and her recently acquitted lover takes a twisted turn . . . In 1918, as the flu pandemic decimates America, a nanny for a wealthy family is mistaken for dead, but that’s only the beginning of her troubles . . . On a quiet Oregon beach on Native American land, a couple is debating whether or not they should get married when a stranger interrupts them . . .
These are just a few of the mysterious tales in this collection that has “tight plotting, good characterizations, and page-turning suspense. . . . Matera [is] one of the best contemporary mystery novelists” (Booklist).
Praise for Lia Matera
“[A] welcome respite from the mystery-by-formula crowd.” —Kirkus Reviews on A Hard Bargain
“A satisfying blend of emotion, suspense and mystery.” —The Pittsburgh Press on The Good Fight
“[Matera’s] skill and literary flair are everywhere on display. Every word counts, and the pieces of the puzzle fit together with exhilarating precision.” —ABA Journal on Designer Crimes
“This fast-moving tale is peppered with eccentric characters, snappy dialogue and a creative plot.” —San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle on Star Witness
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2021
11 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Lia Matera
34 books10 followersLia Matera is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law, where she was editor in chief of the Constitutional Law Quarterly. She was also a Teaching Fellow at Stanford Law School before becoming a full-time writer of legal mysteries. Prior Convictions and A Radical Departure were nominated for Edgar Allan Poe awards. The Good Fight and Where Lawyers Fear to Tread were nominated for Anthony and Macavity Awards. She has written nine novels, including the critically acclaimed Face Value. Matera lives in Santa Cruz, California.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 30, 2022
Lovers and Lawyers by Lia Matera is a collection of 12 short stories. A wildly imaginative range of contemporary and historical mystery topics. No cookie-cutter plots; no room in a short story for lag.
Homeless people freeze to death (not solely due to natural exposure); In 1918 a woman survives the Spanish Flu, flees across country (pursued by a marshal) to join fellow Anarchists in a far-reaching national strike (Teamsters vs. "Wobblies"), flees back across country to rejoin a beloved friend; A lawyer is tricked attempting a romantic tryst with her client; An actress commits crimes for publicity; A multiple-personality suicide; A lawyer is framed by her past actions; and more.
Homeless people freeze to death (not solely due to natural exposure); In 1918 a woman survives the Spanish Flu, flees across country (pursued by a marshal) to join fellow Anarchists in a far-reaching national strike (Teamsters vs. "Wobblies"), flees back across country to rejoin a beloved friend; A lawyer is tricked attempting a romantic tryst with her client; An actress commits crimes for publicity; A multiple-personality suicide; A lawyer is framed by her past actions; and more.
Displaying 1 of 1 review