Designer Crimes: A Laura Di Palama Mystery

240 pages. Royal octavo (9 1/4" x 6 1/4") bound in original publisher's quarter red cloth with gilt lettering to spine over yellow boards in original pictorial jacket. First edition. They say that living well is the best revenge. But attorney Laura Di Palma may not have the opportunity to find out. Her former boss, Steven Sayres, keeps trying to torpedo her new solo law practice. And when his slanders cost Laura her most important client, she's pushed over the brink. This lawyer decides to sue. But before her case has even begun, labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley is shot before her eyes. Uttering the dying words "Designer crimes, " Kinsley offers Di Palma the only clue to her slaying - and with it Laura's own best hope for survival. With the help of private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura's friend and former lover, she does some computer hacking and finds an intriguing message hidden in Kinsley's cryptic words: Is someone designing custom crimes specifically to target bosses on behalf of the employees they wronged? Meanwhile, Laura is also defending a high school friend accused of a grisly murder, but trouble follows close on her heels and before long she is shot at, nearly blown up, and even arrested. Living well just might be the best revenge, but survival becomes Laura's first order of business. Unfortunately, her detours off the high road could cost her more than just her career. Condition: A near fine copy in a fine jacket.