Book Review: Fatal February by Barbara Levenson

This is an entertaining and fun read, filled with legal procedures.

Fatal February (Mary Magruder Katz)
by Barbara Levenson

• File Size: 335 KB
• Print Length: 265 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 193351552X
• Publisher: Oceanview Publishing (February 1, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005Y2AEBY

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Legal Procedures
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: February 1, 2009
For half Jewish, half Southern Baptist Miami criminal defense attorney Mary Macgruder Katz, life starts to spin completely out of control when a minor fender bender turns out to be an unlikely shot from Cupid’s bow.

Review:
Mary is a feisty defense attorney who works in a prestigious law firm with her fiance of five years.  One morning her car is rear-ended coming out of a car wash. She is ready to berate the loud, pushy driver until she gets a full look at the man’s Latin good looks and charming smile. Then things begin to spin out of control.

Carlos grabs Mary to serve as his attorney on a real estate transaction with some strange arrangements. When client relations heat up, Mary and Carlos are caught in a compromising scene by her boyfriend who fires her on the spot. She fires him as a fiancé and off she goes to set up her own office with encouraging support from Carlos.

Mary lands a new client through a referral from her brother who is an estate attorney. Lillian Yarmouth is accused of killing her husband though she claims she found him on the bed already stabbed and bleeding. The police and prosecutors fail to do a thorough job of investigation so Mary is pretty sure she can win a dismissal at an early hearing.

Mary has to fend off some nasty, low-blow proceedings brought by her ex who is more angry about losing to Mary than losing Mary. She is also coping with slashed tires, rocks thrown windows and a ransacked home.

I like Mary’s ‘go get ‘em’ attitude even though she did seem a little reckless (for my conservative nature.) Carlos is a little suspect but you have to appreciate that he is there giving Mary moral-- and other--support. It was fun that he was always sharing Spanish quotes that didn’t “seem to translate very well.”

I enjoyed the several court room scenes where Mary really kicked butt. Ms. Levenson also blends in some commentary on the lack of resources for proper investigations. This is an easy read with writing that flowed well with a chatty feel to it.  The characters are cute and Mary’s dilemmas make for fun revelations, especially with a little extra digging at the end of the case.

I picked this title out of my “Free Kindle” TBR library as it had “February” in the title. I am very glad I got to read such a fun mystery and I would be glad to read more from this author. I recommend this to fans of light, cozy mysteries and those who enjoy legal procedures and courtroom entertainment.

This was my choice for February from my Kindle Free Reads library shelves.

The story is set in Miami, Florida for my 2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge. This is also a New Author for me.