Reasonable Doubts

Starred review from August 20, 2007
In this philosophical, quirky legal thriller set in Bari, Italy, attorney Guido Guerrieri (last seen in A Walk in the Dark
) is in the throes of midlife malaise when he gets an unexpected and seemingly impossible case. Fabio Paolicelli asks Guerrieri to represent him in his appeal on a drug smuggling conviction that led to a 16-year prison sentence. Despite his confession, which Paolicelli says he made to spare his lovely half-Japanese wife, Natsu Kawabata, from being convicted along with him, he's convinced he was set up—and that his first lawyer, Corrado Macrì, was part of the conspiracy. Guerrieri is reluctant to take the case, but he does so for a host of mostly bad reasons, not the least of which is Kawabata's beauty. The mystery plot intrigues, but Guerrieri truly commands the reader's attention with his unflinching awareness of his own failings and his thoughtful musings on life and the law.

October 1, 2007
Italian defense attorney Guido Guerrieris latest case tests him personally and professionally, as the defendant, Fabio Rayban, was a member of a Fascist gang that once attacked the teenage Guido. Guerrieri would never have taken the case were it not for Raybans beautiful wife, who appears more than willing to engage in a relationship. Even as Guido struggles with his personal feelings, he determinedly pursues the case, delving into a complicated drug-smuggling operation with dangerous Mafia connections. Sections of thoughtful introspection are interspersed with tense yet realistic courtroom scenes; walks in the park with Raybans family are juxtaposed against late-night caf' rendezvous with old police acquaintances and impassioned courtroom arguments. Carofiglio, a former anti-Mafia prosecutor, clearly knows his stuff, yet the legal details do not overwhelm the story, and Curtis provides an excellent translation that is both easy to read and evocative of the original Italian. New and returning readers who enjoy an intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated lawyer hero or a moderately paced legal thriller are sure to savor the latest entry inthe Guerrieri series (following A Walk in the Dark, 2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)