I was a little worried at the beginning of Paul Levine’s TRIAL & ERROR, the fourth installment in the Solomon vs. Lord mystery series. Apparently, the nephew Bobby, who suffers from some form of Asperger’s syndrome, can now speak with dolphins. Um … no. If you can get by that conceit, things get much better, but that’s still a tough one to take for the sake of disbelief.

For those who don’t know the series, Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are defense lawyers, their styles are diametrically opposite one another, and they are partners both in business and in life. They jointly care for Solomon’s teenage nephew, who is somewhat of a prodigy when it comes to memorizing facts and word games, but who is painfully vulnerable when it comes to the social sphere.

The charm of the books – on display in the first three titles: SOLOMON VS. LORD by Paul Levine, THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI and KILL ALL THE LAWYERS – comes from the contrast between Solomon’s reckless rule-breaking behavior and Lord’s prim-and-proper, by-the-book approach, leavened with the intelligent quirkiness of Bobby, who usually manages to help them solve the case. It’s all rollicking good fun, and well-plotted.

Bobby has made the acquaintance of two dolphins at a local water park. One night, he is witness to an infiltration by an animal rights organization which frees the dolphins to swim into the open water. One of the activists is shot dead by the park owner, and another one is captured by the police.

Solomon decides to defend the living activist from a charge of felony murder – a convoluted charge that causes the living criminal to be guilty of murder even if he was unarmed – but Lord takes the opposite side and will prosecute for the state. It is from this that an even deeper mystery begins to unfold.

Levine is good with plot details, and he is judicious about using Bobby as the catalyst to help solve the case. The interaction between the two lawyers is believable, and while they bicker constantly, you also can detect the affection beneath all that, making them a likable couple. We’re witnessing the dynamic growth of Bobby, as he takes up pitching for his recreational baseball league, and we get to see the development of the relationship between the mercurial Solomon and the earnest Lord.

This adds up to quite an enjoyable read. I just hope Levine tones down Bobby’s miracles in the future, but I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, and that’s something one can’t always say. –Mark Rose

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI by Paul Levine
• KILL ALL THE LAWYERS by Paul Levine
• SOLOMON VS. LORD by Paul Levine