I just finished a fantastic novel called FAMILY CLAIMS, one of the Pinnacle Peak mysteries by Twist Phelan. In it, Arizona lawyer Hannah Dain must figure out how a real estate deal she was putting together went bad. When it looks like the firm may be liable for a mistake she made, Hannah is compelled to investigate further. Danger follows, of course. The threat to Hannah becomes greater as she gets closer to the truth. Meanwhile, she already has her hands full between placating her distant father and snarky sister in their “dysfunctional family” firm, taking care of a friend’s cat, handling her ambivalent feelings over an old lover and trying to figure out who’s stealing the office supplies.
Phelan’s descriptions of the Arizona heat and desert landscape are evocative. (I have to say, though, that I’ve been to Arizona in August, and, Twist, if you think 101 degrees of dry heat is bad, you should come to Maryland in August–90 degrees with 90 percent humidity is MUCH worse.) The story has a strong plot that builds to a nail-biting finish, vivid characters and realistic details about due diligence and transactional work that show off Phelan’s legal acumen, as well as her writing chops. And if you check out her Web site, you’ll see the author is an impressive person, too.
I’m happy to see another lawyer making such creative use of her background. I highly recommend this book and look forward reading more from the Pinnacle Peak series.
