Equivocal Death

January 1, 2001
Gutman's debut woman-in-peril crime thriller set amid the skullduggery of a prestigious New York City law firm provides doses of good, light entertainment but suffers from a serious case of plot overload and red herringitis. Weaving her way through the tangle is Kate Paine, a rising star at Samson & Mills and a favorite of the firm's managing partner, Carter Mills. Soon after immersing herself in an important sexual harassment case, Paine is taken aside by Madeleine Waters, one of the firm's few female partners and Mills's former lover, and is cryptically told to be careful. Before Paine has time to ask for an explanation, Waters's body is found in the Hudson River. Paine, horrified but intrigued by Waters's death, starts poking around and uncovers sinister evidence of bitter rivalries, sexual affairs and a billing scandal at Samson & Mills. When she is sexually assaulted one night in her office, she begins to fear for her life. Is it coincidence that she resembles Madeleine Waters? Then Carter Mills is shot. Did he commit suicide? In between these breathless twists and turns, Gutman, an attorney, colorfully describes what life is like for young lawyers in high-powered law firms. Her story, despite its many unnecessary sidelights and extraneous characters, maintains a measure of suspense until the end. Paine, however, disappoints as a marquee player. Weak-willed and prone to flee from trouble, she's hardly the take-charge type truly prepared to battle evil. Agent, Nick Ellison.

September 15, 2000
New lawyer Kate is thrilled to assist the managing partner at her firm--until a beautiful female partner is murdered. From a Harvard Law School grad with other tricks up her sleeve: she was also the founding director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2000
Fresh out of Harvard Law School, Kate Paine starts her career on the fast track with the big-time firm Samson & Mills. Assigned a controversial case, she's eager to please her high-profile colleagues, although she senses that something is not quite right with Madeleine Waters, Kate's idol and the only female partner. Once Madeleine turns up dead, Kate realizes that her friend had been trying to warn her. But about what exactly? As Kate delves into the firm's clouded past, she uncovers secrets that may explain Madeleine's death and prevent her own. In the style of Lisa Scottoline, Gutman brings a fresh, young, female voice to the legal thriller. This is a fast-paced, enjoyable debut featuring a woman you want to know better. Let's hope Kate Paine returns to action soon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2000
Harvard law graduate Gutman debuts with lawyer heroine Kate Paine in this well-paced legal thriller. In her first year at the prestigious firm of Samson & Mills, Kate is thrilled to be working on an important sexual harassment case with Carter Mills, whom she looks up to as a father figure. Suddenly, partner Madeleine Waters, whom Kate resembles, is savagely murdered, and Carter Mills commits suicide--or was he murdered as well? As Kate tumbles into the middle of the action, the emotional content of the novel picks up. Gutman introduces suspects with believable motives and skillfully serves up pieces of the crime puzzle, allowing the reader to move them around until they fit. The ending, if a bit too melodramatic, is still a surprise. Gutman's writing is clear but prosaic. She has the attorney dialog down perfectly but intrudes with points of law her reading audience can figure out. If she is to give legal thriller writer Lisa Scottoline a run for her money, Gutman will need to invest her bland heroine with offbeat personality traits, lovable foibles, and more psychological depth. Recommended for large fiction collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/00.]--Molly Gorman, San Marino, CA

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.