Say hello to squabbling Miami lawyers Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord.
SOLOMON vs. LORD was nominated for the Macavity Award and the James Thurber Humor Prize. Publishers Weekly wrote that “fans of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry will enjoy this humorous Florida crime romp.”
THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award, and KILL ALL THE LAWYERS was a finalist for the International Thriller Writers award. TRIAL & ERROR was called a “quick and tightly crafted caper” by Publishers Weekly, which also praised the book for its “endearing wit and memorable characters.”
Though steeped in the crime fiction genre, the legal thrillers often revolve around the personal conflicts between Victoria Lord, a by–the–book lawyer, and her ethically challenged partner, who lives by his own code, “Solomon’s Laws:”
1. “When the law doesn’t work, work the law.”
2. “Lie to your priest, your spouse, and the IRS, but always tell your lawyer the truth.”
3. “I will never break the law, breach legal ethics, or risk jail time…unless it’s for someone I love.”
Mysteries or Legal Thrillers?
There is a long debate whether to term crime fiction “mystery” or “thriller.” (Or in the case of this series, “legal thrillers”). Without getting into definitions, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Wikipedia lists Paul Levine as both a writer of legal thrillers where he is termed a “major author” and a mystery novelist, and more generally a writer of crime fiction.
Whatever you call the “Solomon vs Lord” series, it is, in the words of the Chicago-Sun Times: “remarkably fresh and original with characters you can’t help loving and sparkling dialogue that echoes the Hepburn-Tracy screwball comedies. A hilarious, touching and entertaining twist on legal thrillers.”