This was my first book in this series, chosen because it is also the first with a GR 4. average rating. It's a pretty good mystery, actually more than one mystery, that was apparently unraveled in the courtroom by the perseverance of attorney Jake Lassiter. Like the Solomon vs. Lord series, the action takes place in and around Key West, and Jake's family situation is a bit like that of Steve Solomon. Nevertheless, the characters are quirky, and dialog is sometimes amusing. Given the genre and the locale, it is inevitable to compare Paul Levine with Carl Hiassen. Hiassen is funnier, and his story-telling unfolds more skillfully. His plots are harder to figure out, whereas I guessed the likely villain. Still I enjoyed the story up to a point. The courtroom becomes a theater at one point, in which Lassiter suggests that a psychologist hypnotize the defendant, even though he had no idea what the outcome would be. I doubt this would have been suggested by a responsible attorney or that a judge would permit such an experiment. This is followed by an apparent denouement in a Perry Mason-like courtroom scene in which Jake breaks down the witness and elicits a confession. After the trial, in order to sew up loose ends, the author adds a preposterous epilogue which, I felt, weakened the entire story.

I listened to the audio version that was narrated by Luke Daniels. He did a pretty good job, except toward the end. The compound KCl (potassium chloride) played a prominent role in the denouement. Even after calling it "potassium chloride," Mr. Daniels mispronounced the abbreviated form as kay-see-one rather than kay-see-ell, which really grated on my ear. Didn't he or someone involved in the production take high school chemistry? ( )

I have always enjoyed Paul Levine’s books. They crackle with self-deprecating humor as well as provide a good legal drama/mystery. I haven’t read many of his Lassiter series, having concentrated on the Solomon/Lord series. Kip, who is constantly making reference to scenes and characters from movies, resembles his autistic nephew in his other series. A touch of humor never hurts.

Jake Lassiter is an ex-Miami Dolphin, a linebacker known mostly for the time when he recovered a fumble and then ran the wrong way having to be tackled by his teammates before disaster ensued. On another occasion he blocked an extra point attempt with his helmet. the ball getting stuck in his face mask. He wanted it considered a touchdown, but the refs ruled it a safety; it took two weeks to get the ball out of his helmet.

One night sitting at a bar with a friend, a blonde walks in and shoots and kills the man sitting on the next bar stool. Turns out the dead man was her father and Lassiter agrees to represent Chrissy Bernhardt.

Lassiter has a strict code of ethics: he won’t permit his clients or himself to lie. “I remembered what a writer once said about another lawyer, the disgraced and now deceased Roy Cohn: ‘He only lies under oath.’ Well, why not? That's when it counts.”

He represents all sorts of interesting, if sleezy, characters who often return the favor by helping him on his other cases. Roberto Condom was represented on a charge of smuggling dope in the intestines of boa constrictors. “When the constipated and ornery snakes were discovered by Customs, Roberto was charged with drug importation as well as cruelty to animals. Roberto showed up for trial with Bozo, his pet six-foot boa, curled around his neck, pleading that he loved snakes and would never do such a thing. The jury was out only twenty minutes, and Roberto walked. At Christmas, I was rewarded with a snakeskin jacket that looked familiar, but it took me three months to figure out that I hadn't seen Bozo in a while.”

Occasionally, Levine meanders off into making some kind of political observation. For example, I am not an environmental nut, believing in moderation in all things except consumption of Dutch beer. I am more pained by an inner-city child without a home than a heron without a nest. I don't understand people who treat a man sleeping in a cardboard box as if he were invisible but race across the street to curse at a woman wearing a fur. Sorry, but I care more about people than minks, which I always considered uptown rats. At the same time, I am opposed to fat-cat business-industrial types, such as a certain rotund, cigar-smoking radio host who calls people like Baker "environmental Nazis." There is a balancing to be done between the needs of a growing populace and the preservation of the wild. If I had to choose between Baker and those who would pave the wetlands, drill for oil on the reefs, and ravage the forests, count me with the tree huggers. Now while I might totally agree with him, it seems oddly placed and even though the story does have something to do with water rights, could have been more effectively integrated into the story.

Levine must have a rather jaundiced view of the legal system: Clients are customers, referral fees are kickbacks, experts are whores, and bondsmen are bloodsuckers. Client development is ambulance chasing. Pro bono work means getting stiffed for a fee. A retainer means "pay me now for work I may or may not do later." Lawyers' hourly bills are exercises in creative writing, in which our clients pay not only for our time but also for expensive lunches and dinners and the time we spend deciding what to order. Our "research time" often gets us paid to learn what we should have known or to relearn what we have forgotten.

In order to avoid any possibility of spoilers let me just say this one is fascinating with allegations of false memory, the possibility of implanted memory, a daughter killing her father, a trial with no question of the client’s guilt, a psychiatrist in love with the dead man’s wife, an uncle who wants his niece convicted, and a lawyer sleeping with his client.

Good story with page-turning trial dialogue. ( )

When I read a thrilling suspense novel, I want one that will keep me on the edge of my seat, make my heart pump, and keep my mind thinking as to the whys and whats of the story. This book, by a fantastic author, is one that did all those things and so much more. When Paul Levine created Jake Lassiter and this kind of story, he created it with his readers in mind. He really hooked me from chapter one, and still, days later, has me hooked on his work.

I won't go into a lot of detail here. Other than to say that Jake Lassiter's character is phenomenal. I mean who wouldn't be phenomenal when they started off as a big time line backer, and decided to go all lawyer-y? Jake did. And he rocked at it. In this particular Jake Lassiter novel (yup, there's more....nope, I haven't read them! YES, I WILL be going back and reading the other 6 novels!), Jake is minding his own business when a beautiful young woman shoots the man (who happens to be her daddy!) next to Jake. That's when the twists, the turns, and the ups and downs hit head on, and take the reader for an incredible ride!

Paul Levine blends suspenseful thrills, amazing and,at times, comedic characters, rolls them into a plot line that is fast paced and intense, and throws them out for unforgettable murder mystery novel. High 5 star praises, two thumbs up, and a new forever fan from this reader! I can't wait to go back and read more about Jake Lassiter, and, hoping that this isn't the last that we have seen of the fantastic author and his lawyer! ( )

Flesh & Bones is a legal mystery psycho-thriller.

Jake Lassiter, former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins turned lawyer in south Florida, is minding his own business one evening. Enjoying a glass of Glenmorangie, discussing his lifestyle with his best buddy, Rusty MacLean, when a tall blonde women walks in and shoots the man sitting next to him.

Chrissy Bernhardt, a very spoiled and somewhat girly model, has just killed her father over abuse she suffered as a child. However, Chrissy's memories are suppressed and its up to her lawyer to find out the truth behind why Chrissy killed her father.

Jake doesn't want to take on this particular case, but he is drawn to it like bees on honey. Digging through Chrissy's past, we learn of her half-brother, who now controls all of their father's business holdings. He agrees to pay for Chrissy's legal counsel and you are left wondering what his true motives are.

As Jake continues to uncover the truth, he finds that not everyone is as they seem. The skeletons in the closet are many and its up to Jake to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to save Chrissy from the fate she has brought upon herself.

I liked this book, the gritty, somewhat sarcastic humour was very enjoyable to read and it blended into the story with a natural clarity. Jake is a pretty decent hero, who believes in the truth and will stop at nothing to get it. His humour is entertaining to read, and leaves you giggling with his retorts and comments. Chrissy was annoying to read, I dislike the prissy types of ladies, however, she is supposed to come across this way, you have a love/hate relationship with her character.

The flow is great, the plot twists and turns while sometimes predictable, still kept you turning the pages, just to see if you were correct or not! I didn't like the fact that Jake begins to have feelings for his client! Seriously, do we need to have every hero fall in "love" with every "heroine" or vice versa? To me, it makes love less than its purpose, you know this relationship would never last in the real world, the two people are totally opposite of one another and if it wasn't for good looks, animal magnetism and sexual energy, there would be nothing there. I wish authors would use love as it is meant to be, built on a foundation of trust, not the lust that appears in these covers, do not confuse that for love.

Flesh & Bones is a great thriller, sure to keep you turning the pages, or hitting the button on your eReader that is! I wish this book had been in print format, I think the added behaviour of turning the pages would have added to the overall excitement in the outcome of the story. Mystery fans will definitely love this book! ( )