BEAR IS BROKEN

Leo Maxwell lives in the shadow of his older brother Teddy, a star defence attorney on the San Francisco circuit; then one day Teddy is shot in a restaurant and the natural order is irrevocably reversed. As his brother hovers on the point of death Leo must find out who wanted to kill him and why; maybe his considerable shadow hides some uncomfortable secrets.

In his debut novel, Lachlan Smith neatly combines an old school legal thriller with an intriguing tale of brotherly love, rivalry and dependency. The former element is handled with pleasing skill, there is no shortage of action both in and out of the courtroom and Leo Maxwell is an engagingly flawed protagonist.

A more interesting theme is the relationship between the two brothers, one based on emotional awkwardness masking deep affection. Just how the secrets he uncovers will change the way Leo looks at the brother who has been the biggest influence in his life gives the book an interest that goes beyond whether or not Leo will get out of his latest scrape in one piece.

This isn’t, perhaps, the most original thriller you will ever read, but Lachlan Smith shows he can construct a plot that keeps readers interested and characters who are more than two dimensional, an excellent foundation from which to do something more challenging with his subsequent books.