Reviewing: "Justice in June" by Barbara Levenson

For Miami Criminal Defense Attorney Mary Magruder Katz it was a normal Monday morning in June. The month of June in Miami means rain and lots of it usually during the morning and evening rush hours. Despite the constant rain, life is good these days. Things are going well with her new boyfriend and thanks to the events in “Fatal February” a thriving solo practice.

Her latest client is going to be very high profile since it is Judge Liz Maxwell. Simplifying greatly, Judge Maxwell is being investigated by the State’s Attorney of Florida for misconduct regarding some drug cases she handled. The recent broad daylight downtown Miami killing of a confidential informant linked to some of the drug cases she handled certainly won’t help her defense at all. Potentially, not only could Judge Maxwell go to jail if the allegations are proven true, thousands of cases are in jeopardy unless Mary Magruder can prove Judge Maxwell’s innocence.

A second new high profile case in the form of her boyfriend’s cousin, Luis Corona, is also sure to generate a political and media firestorm. Luis was onboard a plane from Argentina to the US when he was arrested by the Air Marshal with the physical assistance of a number of passengers. Facing terrorism charges by Homeland Security, he may be whisked away out of the country for interrogation if Mary Magruder can’t stop it. It would help if she could have access to him to prove his innocence.

She doe shave access to her boyfriend, Carlos Martin and he has his own escalating legal nightmare. A real estate developer, he needs her assistance regarding a condo project and some very upset clients. Not only does she need to prove him innocent, she needs to find a way out of the media spotlight to salvage their romance.

With three such high profile cases, it is not surprising that the attorney becomes a subject of the local and nationwide twenty-four hour news cycle. All that incessant media attention makes it not surprising when threats against her escalate into physical violence. The question becomes whether or not she can survive the perils in the court system and outside forces long enough to prove the innocence of any of her clients. Faced with few choices and time running out on everything, disbarment might be the least painful result of what she has to do to survive.

This sequel to “Fatal February” is another good novel in this cozy style series. Author Barbara Levenson keeps readers turning the pages with her steady mix of suspense, action, and romance against the backdrop of Miami and current day politics. Along the way she examinees issues regarding the Patriot Act and other measures that, while designed in theory to protect Americans, have caused much damage to the Constitution and our freedoms. In so doing, she points out the obvious facts while never preaching to the reader.

The end result is another good novel in this series. The book can be safely read as a stand alone. However, those readers who do start the series with “Fatal February” will get more out of this enjoyable book.

Justice in June

Barbara Levenson

http://www.barbaralevenson.com

Oceanview Publishing

http://www.oceanviewpub.com

June 7, 2010

ISBN# 978-1-933515-71-7

Hardcover

312 Pages

$25.95

ARC supplied by Publicist Maryglenn McCombs in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2010