Fatal February [Hardcover]

Barbara Levenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009

For half Jewish, half Southern Baptist Miami criminal defense attorney Mary Magruder Katz, life starts to spin completely out of control when a minor fender bender turns out to be an unlikely shot from Cupid's bow.The other car's driver, isn't just a distracted driver; he's distracting, not to mention charming, handsome, and mysterious. Hardly before she knows what hit her, Mary breaks off her engagement, jumps into a sizzling new romance, gets fired from her former fiancé's highbrow law firm, starts her own practice, and lands her first client, Lillian Yarmouth.But Lillian isn't just any client; she's the prime suspect in what's become the Miami society murder of the year. While investigating Lillian's alleged crime of passion, Mary finds that this case, like all matters of the heart, is anything but black and white. And Mary has clearly stumbled onto something that has someone seeing red.February may be the shortest month of the year, but Mary's got some long days (and nights) ahead. This month could be a real killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Levenson's lighthearted if somewhat thin debut, Miami lawyer Mary Magruder Katz agrees to defend Lillian Yarmouth, accused of stabbing her philandering husband to death in their ritzy Coconut Grove home. Meanwhile, Mary's personal life gets complicated after real estate developer Carlos Martin rear ends her car. In a wildly improbable twist, instead of just exchanging insurance information, Carlos asks her to close a $6-million property deal after discovering she's a lawyer. She accepts, though technically Carlos is selling property he doesn't actually own yet. After the deal's done, they make love in her firm's office to celebrate, but Mary's fiancé, who happens to be her boss, catches them in the act and fires Mary. Happily, Carlos helps her set up her own office, and she finds solace in defending Lillian. The surprises regarding the cosmic scales of justice that surface after the Yarmouth murder trial lend extra punch, though some foreshadowing would have made for a more satisfying resolution. (Feb.)
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About the Author

Barbara Levenson has lived in Miami for the past 32 years. Barbara has served as a prosecutor, and run her own law practice where she focused on criminal defense and civil rights litigation. Barbara was elected to a judgeship in the circuit court of Miami-Dade County where she still serves as a senior judge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Oceanview Publishing; 1St Edition edition (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193351552X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933515526
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara has lived in Miami for 35 years. She has worked as a prosecutor, run her own law office and served as a judge in Miami-Dade County. She was born and raised in Central Ohio and is a graduate of Bexley High School. She was the first woman elected to the Columbus Board of Eduacation and the first woman to receive the Ohio Newspaper "Man of the Year" award. Barbara spends the summers in Quechee, Vermont. She and her husband bred and showed German Shepherd Dogs for twenty years and still have two shepherds who assist her in writing mystery novels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great debut novel, May 19, 2009

By 

Patricia Ann "bookmark" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatal February (Hardcover)

I can't believe this is Barbara Levenson's first book.
The plot has already been summarized, so I'll not repeat was already said.
Fatal February was a little bit of everything---murder/mystery and legal thriller, without the blood and gore of some books in this genre. The author added just the right amount of romance without making it sappy, just a little saucy. Then she sprinkled it with a touch of humor---not the humor of Evanovich, but just the right amount without making it a comedy.
There were some twists and turns and the ending was two thumbs up.
I hope Levenson will continue writing and make this a series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Lawmaker Writes A REAL GOOD Mystery!, August 14, 2011

By 

A Very Merry Shakespeare "Amy E. Lignor" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatal February (Hardcover)

The word `allegedly' is what gets a great deal of people into trouble. In fact, for a woman by the name of Lillian Yarmouth, the press has already made sure that everyone in the greater Miami area has declared her 100% guilty of stabbing her husband with an antique silver letter opener. The problem? She's not guilty.

Mary Magruder Katz is Lillian's attorney. And when the story first begins, Mary is having one heck of a bad day. All she wanted to do was take her car to the car wash and get home through the ridiculous Miami afternoon traffic. What Mary doesn't count on is being rear-ended by a man in a Corvette whose a real obstinate - yet, handsome - jerk. As the hands of fate will do at times, that small accident escalates into a whole new life for Mary. You see, Mary is an attorney, and the driver of the Corvette - Carlos Martin - just happens to be on his way to a real estate closing. He hires Mary on the spot and throws money at her, as she drives this particular jerk to his closing and does the "attorney" deeds that she was paid for. What she doesn't know, is that this particular real estate closing is slightly against the law.

Because of Carlos, and Mary's complete and utter attraction to the man, she suddenly finds herself without a job, a fiancé, and struggling to start her own private law firm. She is also suddenly sued by her old boss (A.K.A. the fiancé) for "sleeping" with a client, and is being investigated by the Bar. While going through all of this, Mary also has to deal with a new man in her life, some seriously difficult staffing issues in order to get an assistant with a brain, and trying like heck to defend Lillian Yarmouth and discover who, exactly, was the real "letter opener wielder."

From the McMansions (which are now called `Starter Castles') in Miami, to the "Concrete Canyon" where Lillian lives, this author does a fantastic job of showing Miami to the world. The affairs of the heart, as well as the underhanded business dealings, keep the book humorous as well as fast-paced for the reader. And unveiling the real criminal in all these twists and turns is a whole lot of fun!

A wonderful new name in the mystery realm! Readers will love jumping on board for the passion, thrills, and suspense that Ms. Levenson provides!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the World, Mary Katz Magruder, July 7, 2011

By 

Carla C. Thomas "CC Thomas" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fatal February (Hardcover)

AFatal February is the debut novel of Mary Magruder Katz, a wise-cracking legal eagle whose life is turned upside down in the carwash. (I'm not just talking about a fender bender here!)

Mary's life is going great: a lawyer in a prestigious law firm, engaged to the partner at the firm with a huge rock--career and professional life just humming along. Then her car is rear-ended by some hot-tempered hottie at the car wash and within the week, Mary has lost her job, her fiance, her ring and been brought up on ethics charges!

That's not even the crime itself in this novel! Along with all that, she has to set up her own law practice and defend a woman accused of murdering her husband in what looks to be an air-tight case.

Her life leaves me exhausted just trying to describe it, much less live it myself. And I loved every minute of it! I loved the absolute abandon of Mary Magruder Katz who often jumps first and then thinks through things later. It makes her moves and the plot so much juicier and really keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. You really never know what's going to happen next.

Another thing to love: Carlos. He is an amazing character and one of those who is so real he just jumps off the page. I am going to delude myself into believing that he is real. What's not to love? Hot Latin temper, great sense of humor, protective, he cooks (!!), and he is head over heels for Mary.

One last thing to love: the author's sense of ease in writing the book. Since I have absolutely no criminal background (either as a jailbird or police), I often get bogged down in books that are too heavy on the procedural stuff. It seems as if when some lawyers or criminal investigators turn to writing, they forget that most of their reading public don't know all the jargon and inner workings and don't bother to explain it. Levenson isn't like that. She explains each step of the criminal and legal proceedings in a way that is easy to understand and enjoy.

Currently, there are only two Mary Magruder Katz books on the marker but I hear number 3 is on it's way. I can't wait!