No Regrets, No Remorse

September 3, 2012
Smooth prose makes up in part for the lack of likable characters in Sharp’s debut, winner of the first Poisoned Pen Press Discovery Mystery Award. Attorney Oscar Leopold sets out to defend his former law partner, Roy Flagler, against a murder charge after “Big Jack” Burdine, an unscrupulous Palm Beach, Fla., lawyer, dies in a boat explosion and suspicion falls on Roy, who was having an affair with Jack’s wife. Oscar turns for help to his former lover and current roommate, Sydney Simone, who, unbeknownst to him, secretly runs Human Pest Control, a business in which she eliminates those she considers the scum of the earth. Sydney, a tough young woman with piercings, attitude, and skewed morals, will remind many of Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander. The more mild-mannered Oscar comes off as a rather wimpy fellow, whose most daring act is to aggressively smoke in a nonsmoking restaurant.

October 1, 2012

Sydney Simone feels no compunction about being a vigilante hit woman while concurrently maintaining an existence as assistant to sculptor and part-time lawyer Oscar Leopold. When a hit goes bad, Sydney pockets her payment anyway, never dreaming that bad guy Rico will track her down. Meanwhile, Oscar's lawyer buddy Roy is arrested for blowing up another attorney, and Oscar reluctantly takes the case. Then yet another lawyer dies, and the common denominator appears to be Florida's corrupt insurance legal defense industry. Readers won't be surprised--although Oscar is--to find Sydney smack dab in the middle of the mess. Let's see how clever she is now. VERDICT Sharp's nifty and intricate plotting saves the day for this winner of the first Poisoned Pen Press Discovery Mystery Award. While the author's characters may fail to engage (why is Sydney so grim; why is Oscar so passive?), it's hard to argue with the author's fiery and satisfying conclusion. Floridian pairings: try with Michael Haskins and Steven Forman. [See Prepub Alert, 7/2/12.]

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
A West Palm Beach attorney who quit practicing to follow his star as a sculptor finds that assorted lawbreakers and officers of the court are following him as well. In a normal week, Sydney Simone would spend her time posing nude for Oscar Leopold, managing the Rose Madder Gallery, and executing some unworthy victim or two to provide cash for HumanPestControl.com, the freelance assassination bureau Oscar has no idea she runs. But the week that Big Jack Gamble loses his boat and his life to an explosion is anything but normal. Roy Flagler, Oscar's friend from law school, implores Oscar to take his case when his affair with Big Jack's wife, Lucy, gets him arrested. Oscar's success in linking Big Jack to two other Florida attorneys whose practice also specializes in defending insurance companies brings him to the unwelcome attention of Robert Jerome Walters, one of the two (the other one, Carl Seacomb, is scheduled for an early exit). Oscar's professional rivalry with his ex-lover, assistant state's attorney Sheila Katz, assumes a new edge when his defense of Sydney from a gang of street thugs leads to his own arrest. And Sydney develops problems outside her own practice: Walters' son Rico announces that he's not satisfied that the man he hired Sydney to kill died before she could put him on the spot, so now she'll have to kill somebody else of Rico's choice. Complications ensue. This high-spirited debut novel from attorney/sculptor Sharp never does tie up all its loose ends. Blame Oscar, who's both woollier and less interesting than Sydney, a heroine who deserves a starring role next time out.

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November 1, 2012
Lawyer and now art dealer Oscar Leopold is called upon to defend his former partner, Roy Flagler, who has been arrested for murdering sleazy lawyer Big Jack Gamble. Oscar searches for the real killer, with the help of his assistant and former lover Sydney. However, unbeknownst to Oscar, Sydney is a hit woman who only accepts cases in which the victim has committed heinous crimes; she was hired to kill Gamble, but someone beat her to it. When Sydney learns that her cover has been blown, she must decide how much to share with Oscar while they work to clear Roy and find Gamble's killer. Complicating matters, Oscar must defend himself from charges brought by a prosecutor, a former girlfriend. Fast pacing, multiple plotlines, and the complexity of Oscar and Sydney's relationship will draw readers into the story. A series to watch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)