Lachlan Smith

Leo Maxwell was raised from the age of 10 by his brother, Teddy Maxwell, who was 12 years his senior who became a prominent San Francisco defense attorney. At the beginning of the story Leo has just passed the Bar and is now Teddy's belittled "gopher"--still over-shadowed by Teddy's aggressive personality and arrogance. When Teddy is shot in the head as they eat lunch at a local San Francisco restaurant, Leo is left to pick up the pieces including that of their father who is in prison for killing their mother 19 years before. This beautifully written novel draws you into the lives of these two young men and leaves you, at the end of the journey, a bit dizzy from the twists and turns of the plots (intentionally plural) and emotionally drained by the passions exposed in the study of the relationship between these two men.… (meer)

Although some authors can write a novel in a series to also work as a standalone so that the reader can enjoy it, even out of order, PANTHER'S PREY is not one of them. This is the fourth in a series about Leo Maxwell, a lawyer working as a public defender, and too much of this novel depends on your understanding of previous books.

Most of PANTHER'S PREY, however, can be understood. Leo has worked alongside a young woman, Jordan, defending a client who confesses to crimes he did not commit. Leo has a week-long affair with Jordan--ONE WEEK. In the majority of the book, then, Leo risks his life numerous times to learn what happened to Jordan. It would be easier to accept Leo's actions if they were on behalf of a wife of 30 years.

The story drags, i.e., it is slow. It is not thrilling. I didn't much care about any of the characters, even Leo, even Jordan's father. These two characters, especially, should have more personality. Instead, they bored me.

I won PANTHER'S PREY through goodreads.com.… (meer)