SUPER SUSPENSE AND A STRONG VOCAL PERFORMANCE

Already entrenched as one of the most popular authors of legal thrillers, Lisa Scottoline shows no signs of success lag. Her twelfth book, Devil's Corner, is once more headed by spunky, bright heroine, Vicki Allegretti, and peppered with trenchant dialogue.

Vicki's the kind of gal who finds trouble wherever she looks, and determinedly faces it down. She packs a wallop and a gun, sometimes in her left coat pocket "where it could shoot out an ovary." Actress Barbara Rosenblat gives a strong vocal performance as Vicki allies herself with Reheema Bristow to break up a gang dealing in cocaine and death.

Meeting an informant can be standard procedure for Vicki but when she shows up at the appointed time what she confronts is a loaded gun. By dint of determination and a lot of luck she escapes a bullet but two others aren't so fortunate. She's at a loss to understand why and how a routine meet turned into a massacre.

Her investigation takes her to Philadelphia's sleazier neighborhood, one known as Devil's Corner, a haven for no one but dealers and thieves. It's easy to discover who deals; the big question is who's behind the dealers?

A former trial lawyer and Edgar Award winner, Scottoline has delivered another rousing ride through places both low and high with the indefatigable Vicki exceeding the suspense limit at every turn.

- Gail Cooke