SOLOMON vs. LORD (Solomon & Lord Series) [Kindle Edition]

Paul Levine (Author)

Book Description

Victoria Lord follows all the rules...
Steve Solomon makes up his own...
When they defend an accused murderer, they'll either end up in ruin, in jail...or in bed.

Steve Solomon is the sharpest lawyer ever to barely graduate from Key West School of Law. Victoria Lord is fresh from Yale, toiling for an ambitious D.A., before Solomon gets her fired. And Katrina Barksdale is a sexy former figure skater charged with killing her very wealthy, very kinky husband. With all three tangled in Miami's steamiest trial of the century, the case is sure to make sparks fly, headlines scream - and
opposites attract.

(Note: The "Solomon vs. Lord" series has been nominated for the Edgar, International Thriller, Macavity and James Thurber awards).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former attorney and reporter Levine delivers a funny, fast-paced legal thriller, his first since 1998's 9 Scorpions. Circumstances conspire to force two Florida lawyers with opposing personalities;by-the-book Victoria Lord and anything-goes Steve Solomon;into working together as the defense attorneys for Katrina Barksdale, a "grieving" widow who's been charged with murdering her wealthy husband during a kinky sexcapade. This basic plot is nothing new, but Levine keeps things fresh by injecting the story with interesting subplots and a full roster of quirky, lovable characters, perhaps the best of whom is Bobby, Solomon's autistic savant nephew, who has a photographic memory and a penchant for making defaming anagrams out of people's names. While Levine's two protagonists may not be Tracy and Hepburn, the barbed dialogue that flies between them makes for some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Fans of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry (who supplies a blurb) will enjoy this humorous Florida crime romp.
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Review

"Remarkably fresh and original with characters you can't help loving and sparkling dialogue that echoes the Hepburn-Tracy screwball comedies. A hilarious, touching and entertaining twist on the legal thriller." -Chicago Sun-Times

"Hiaasen meets Grisham in the court of last retort. A sexy, wacky, wonderful thriller with humor and heart." -Harlan Coben

"Authentic dialogue, rich characterizations, complicated relationships and even pathos bolster Solomon vs. Lord. Unique plot twists and well-placed humor help, too. Levine makes the most of his characters, as well as the South Florida setting both in and out of the courthouse." -South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"A funny, fast-paced legal thriller. The barbed dialogue makes for some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Fans of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry will enjoy this humorous Florida crime romp." -Publishers Weekly

"Some of the juiciest and funniest lingo I've read in a thriller in a long time." -Connecticut Post

"The writing makes me think of Janet Evanovich out to dinner with John Grisham." -MysteryLovers.com

"The repartee between Solomon and Lord is some of the greatest dialogue I have read in years, and is reminiscent of the very best of what we heard from Dave and Maddie in the early episodes of 'Moonlighting." -Bookreporter.com

"Paul Levine has written a terrific courtroom drama that's also funny as hell." -Dave Barry


"Twice as good as Scott Turow and John Grisham, and four times the fun." -Armchair Detective

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 588 KB
• Print Length: 576 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007RTS9VE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,905 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #94 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Series

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and loads of fun November 14, 2005

By Craig Clarke VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I love a good courtroom novel, and Solomon vs. Lord is a great courtroom novel. With suspense, romance, humor, and a huge heart, this first entry in a new series is the story of two attorneys and their tempestuous relationship in the face of Miami's most media-saturated murder trial. It's a lot of fun -- imagine Moonlighting, but with lawyers.

When Victoria Lord is fired from her state's attorney's office job, Steve Solomon, the counselor for the defense, takes her on as his partner. Immediately, the sparks fly (Victoria likes to go by the book, but Steve says "when the law doesn't work, work the law") and we just know -- despite the fact that they evidently can't stand each other, and that she is engaged to South Florida's avocado king -- that these two are going to end up together.

But that's just the fun part -- the real story involves the death of local millionaire Charles Barksdale and the arrest of his wife Katrina for his murder. As a friend of the accused, Victoria takes on the case, with Steve, against her former employer, state's attorney "Sugar Ray" Pincher.

Meanwhile, Steve has his own problems: social services is trying to take his mildly autistic nephew, Bobby, away from him. Steve rescued Bobby from Steve's drug-addicted sister, Janice, but Dr. Doris Krankovich believes Solomon to be an unfit parent. These, along with Steve's father issues and Victoria's indecision about who she truly belongs with, make for a dense, involving novel that still manages to be a quick read.

Author Levine (a writer for JAG and the author of the Jake Lassiter series of crime novels) effortlessly combines humor and suspense, with several laugh-out-loud throwaway lines buried among the drama. The cracks come fast and furious, right along with the suspense. Bobby's ability with anagrams will delight word fans, but the real draws are the main characters, especially Solomon and Lord. Levine knows that it is just as much fun to watch people fall in love as it is to watch them win a case, and he gives us plenty of both, resulting in a book that is a true pleasure to read and is a fine addition to the ever-growing canon of novels with wacky South Floridian characters (see Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and Dave Barry for more examples). I'm already looking forward to the sequel, The Deep Blue Alibi.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back Paul Levine! October 21, 2005

By David Montgomery VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Paul Levine, author of the Jake Lassiter detective series, returns to writing novels after several years in the Hollywood wasteland working on such TV shows as "JAG" and "First Monday." The result is "Solomon vs. Lord," a hilarious, touching and entertaining twist on the legal thriller that makes Levine's return a welcome one.

Miami attorneys Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are as different as night and day. He's impulsive and free-spirited. She's regimented and always by-the-book. When the pair is forced together to help defend a millionaire heiress accused of killing her husband, they make an unstoppable pair.

Steve is also locked in a desperate battle to win custody of his autistic nephew, as brilliant and funny a kid as you'll find in any novel. The scenes between the two of them are so moving yet humorous they'll have you laughing through the tears.

Despite a predictable setup, Levine's book is remarkably fresh and original, with characters you can't help loving, and sparkling dialogue that echoes the Hepburn-Tracy screwball comedies. "Solomon vs. Lord" is the first in what we hope will be a long and successful series.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting yet charming legal thriller. September 27, 2005

By Cynthia L. Clark

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Sounds like a contradiction in terms doesn't it? But it's not. Paul Levine has crafted a well written legal thriller with charming, witty and sometimes irascible characters.
Solomon is a seasoned defense attorney, who lives by his own "rules." Lord is a new prosecutor still believing that justice will prevail and life is fair. When Solomon and Lord find themselves on opposites sides in court, their sparring lands them both in jail for contempt. When the trial continues, so does Solomon's antics. Lord takes the bait which costs her not only the trial but her job. As if heaven sent, she receives word (overheard by Solomon), that a rich friend's husband has just died during their kinky sex. Solomon immediately anticipates that this woman will be charged with murder. Reluctantly Lord join forces with Solomon to defend the wealthy widow. During the defense, we are treated to a cast of delightful secondary players including Solomon's ward, Bobby, his nephew, a savant, that he rescued from his drugged out mother and her sadistic friends. Bobby has a habit of taking names and rearranging their letters to interesting sexual anagrams. Bobby can also recite everything he hears. During the course of the murder trial, Solomon must deal with the return of his sister (Bobby's mother), and a child services agent intent on removing Bobby from Solomon's care.
Solomon vs. Lord is fast paced, witty, and yes, charming. I can't wait for the next in the series. If you like mystery, humor, with a dash or romance, then this is the book for you!

More About the Author

PAUL LEVINE worked as a newspaper reporter, a law professor and a trial lawyer before becoming a full-time novelist. Obviously, he cannot hold a job. Paul claims that writing fiction comes naturally: he told whoppers for many years in his legal briefs. His books have been translated into 23 languages, none of which he can read.

He has won the John D. MacDonald fiction award and has been nominated for an Edgar, a Macavity, the International Thriller Writers Award, and the James Thurber Humor Prize. More info at www.paul-levine.com

What's new? "Lassiter" and "Last Chance Lassiter" are Paul's latest entries on Kindle. "To Speak for the Dead" continues its bestseller status more than 20 years after its hardcover publication.

Writing in USA TODAY, Larry King called the Lassiter series, "Mystery writing at its very, very best."

To Speak for the Dead
Night Vision
False Dawn
Mortal Sin
Riptide
Fool Me Twice
Flesh & Bones
Lassiter
Last Chance Lassiter

A Miami Dolphins linebacker turned hard-nosed lawyer, Lassiter has been described by Booklist as "one of the most entertaining series characters in contemporary crime fiction" and by The Miami Herald as having "a lot more charisma than Perry Mason ever did."

Also now available on Kindle: "Illegal," a thriller set in the world of human trafficking; "Impact," a legal thriller set at the Supreme Court; "Ballistic," in which a homegrown terrorist group takes over a missile silo in Wyoming; "Paydirt," in which a down-and-out bookie attempts to fix the Super Bowl; and "The Road to Hell," four original short stories.

Paul's other work includes the "Solomon and Lord" series, featuring mismatched Miami lawyers Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord:

Solomon vs. Lord
The Deep Blue Alibi
Kill All the Lawyers
Habeas Porpoise

"Fans of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry will enjoy this humorous Florida crime romp," Publishers Weekly wrote of "Solomon vs. Lord."

Paul wrote 20 episodes of the TV series JAG, which gave him an opportunity to steer a nuclear submarine and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, all without endangering national security. He is a graduate of Penn State University where he majored in journalism and the University of Miami Law School where he majored in the swimming pool. He passed the Florida Bar exam in his first try in what he suspects was a computer glitch.

He was a trial lawyer with the mammoth international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he did not even pretend to know all his partners' names. He specialized in "complex litigation," cases so abstruse that even lawyers charging 500 bucks an hour didn't fully understand them. He tried hundreds of cases and handled appeals at every level, including the Supreme Court. Along the way, he filed expense accounts nearly as creative as his legal briefs.

Paul says he enjoys writing more than lawyering because he no longer keeps time sheets and gets to work in his underwear. He formerly lived in the hills of Southern California, which he claims are populated by rattlesnakes and coyotes, and those are just the Hollywood agents. Paul recently moved back to Miami, a place Joan Didion once called "a rich and wicked pastel boomtown." But to Paul, it's just "home sweet home."

More info at www.paul-levine.com
Follow Paul @Literary_Lion