(1999)OK legal thriller that centers on Nina Reilly, an attorney that takes on a member of a family that owns the local ski resort who is accused of killing his brother. He turns out to be a psycopath that puts her, her son Bob and her lover/husband Collier in jeopardy.(PW)Attorney and single mother Nina Reilly makes her fifth appearance in the bestselling author O'Shaughnessy sisters' (Breach of Promise; Obstruction of Justice) new legal thriller, this one set on the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe. Reilly's client in this case is Jim Strong, a local ski bum whose family owns the swanky Paradise resort. Jim stands accused of killing his younger brother Alex, who was stomped to death by someone wearing ski boots whose imprints on Alex's chest match the soles of Jim's footgear. But the suspect claims he's being framed by his adulterous wife, Heidi, who gave a statement to police and has gone into hiding. The case gives Reilly the willies, as disturbing events ensue that cast doubt on her client. Philip Strong, father of the dead youth and the suspect, is behaving strangely, and the victim's wife, a libidinous ski bunny made wealthy through inheritance, seems to have more feelings for Jim than for her dead husband. And the prosecutor, the passionate Collier Hallowell, warns Reilly off the case, hinting that Jim is a psychopath who killed animals as a kid and will seek vengeance on her if her defense doesn't get him off the hook. Reilly almost takes the latter advice, because she and Hallowell are in love and talking about having kids together. Their romance strains credibility and verges on syrupy: "He kissed her like he was searching for something, looking for her, only her." The central question of whether Jim is a murderer or a sap has an answer as predictable as the love scenes are corny. Sisters Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy (writing under their vaguely disguised pen name) do well to surround Reilly with a well-drawn cast of characters who provide a pleasant diversion even after the suspense has fizzled.

A plot that keeps you reading on into the night. ( )

In Acts of Malice, Jim Stronghold hires attorney Nina Reilly to hire him when he is suspected of murdering his brother in a skiing accident. As Nina delves further into the case, she is conflicted when she develops a relationship with the prosecuting attorney. Even though she wants to believe in her client's innocence, more and more hints are appearing that he is not all that he seems to be and he has a nasty side to him. Despite being warned off, Nina persists and evnetually comes to realize the evil nature of her client, and by that time she is fighting for her family's life.

There's a certain level of suspense that I enjoyed, but there was also a bit of ridiculousness and lack of believability, which stops it from being a good book instead of just a decent book. This book may hold more interest to skiers out there, since so much of the book involves skiing. By the end, the novel devolves a little and strays more into the area of ridiculousness.

Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity ( )

Lawyer Nina Reilly works to defend Jim Strong who is accused of killing his brother on the ski slopes near Lake Tahoe. Nina does her best to get the charges dropped, but can't decide whether Jim is guilty or not and whether she should trust him. Jim's wife and family don't trust him and say that he destroys whatever his enemy loves most. When he finds out that Nina has betrayed him, he sets out to destroy what she loves most, her new husband. Now she fears for her son's life also, but her former colleague and boyfriend, Paul, assures her that she has nothing to fear. Jim won't ever bother her again. This book was slow at the start, but it picks up later to where you won't want to put it down. ( )

A good but not great mystery. This is the 5th book in the O'Shaughnessy's (Perri O'Shaughnessy is the pseudonym for a sisters writing team) Nina Reilly series, but the first I've read. I had no trouble starting with #5, as the books are all free-standing.

At any rate, Reilly is a crack criminal defense attorney who lives in the mountainous Lake Tahoe region near the California/Nevada border. In Acts of Malice, she is defending the son of the owner of the oldest of the area's large ski resorts, who is accused of murdering his brother. The circumstances of the death make if very questionable as to whether this was murder or an accident, but the DA's office is adamant.

The mystery and investigation are nicely done and the courtroom scenes are good as well. The handling of Reilly's personal life are well intentioned but, I thought, only so-so. It is Reilly's romantic life, handled, I thought, in a ham-fisted and fairly improbably manner, that brought the book down several pegs for me, especially the way in which the romance intertwines with the real business at hand.

So while I enjoyed reading Acts of Malice, I won't be making a point to seek out any other of the Nina Reilly mysteries. I wish her well with her case-load, though. ( )