Trial & Error (Solomon vs. Lord, Book 4)

by Paul Levine

Book Overview

When an ecoterrorist is charged with murder, it's Victoria Lord for the state, Steve Solomon for the defense. And when lovers do battle, it's winner take all.The love-hate relationship of Solomon and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440242762
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 267 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 0.8" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Delightful Fluff

Levine scores another home run with the latest in the Solomon vs Lord series. He continues to combine the off-ball humour that comes with Carl Hiaasen country -- Is Miami really this zany? --with a well-done lawyer-courtroom thriller. The tale zips along effortlessly, with enough character development to retain interest, and concludes satisfyingly with a scene that must be every sports-challanged nerd's dream of vanquishing the star athlete bully. One usually expects this sort of series to fizzle after the first couple of items, but this hasn't happened here -- though Solomon's Laws now have far less wit than in the original volume and are a bit of a bore. I for one will look forward eagerly to the next outing of Soloman and Lord

Trial and Error

Trial and Error is another great book in the Solomon vs. Lord Series. Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are the stars of these books. The pair are lovers, law partners, and complete opposites. Victoria is the sophisticated, dedicated by the book kind of lawyer. Steve is somewhat crude, lackadaisical, and easygoing. I've read several of the previous books in this series and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Going into this book, I was a little concerned that it wouldn't achieve my high expectations that I've come to have for books in this series. So far, the relationship and work life of Steve and Victoria has been filled with amazing chemistry, humorous banter, and incredible explosive action that has grown into something that seems like a real couple. My initial concern had been that that this level of brilliance couldn't continue now that Steve and Victoria had finally gotten together. I should never have worried. In Trial and Error, Steve and Victoria find themselves in a real spot this time. Steve's nephew Bobby has found a new hobby, he's learning dolphin. His dolphin friends become the target of an apparent dolphin-knapping. In the process, the kidnapper becomes the suspect of a murder. Who becomes his lawyer? Steve Solomon, of course. Who is the prosecution? You guessed it, Victoria Lord. You just know it's going to be an interesting trial.

Solomon and Lord are Back

Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are back and on different sides of the courtroom. They are at odds on a high profile court case and Victoria has been chosen to prosecute and Steve to defend. It's fun how these two have to try and maintain their relationship while trying not to kill each other in the courtroom. I love these books - the stories are great and the characters are fun!

5 stars

Though Bobby Solomon might be classified as a challenged child, he's also a challenging one, at least for his foster-dad/uncle, Steve. Recently, the boy has become fascinated by dolphins and taken to visiting a pair of them at a local aquarium, even late at night, after hours. When it happens again, Steve is called out and rather than simply having to discipline the child and go home, he finds himself chasing a Vader masked thug who is in the process of dolphin-napping, catching another one, and becoming involved when the dolphins' caretaker kills a third. Under the law, the one animal rights' activist who was caught will be charged with murder. Perhaps that would be the end of it, but then, almost simultaneously Steve is hired to defend him and Steve's lover/partner, is assigned as special prosecutor to represent the Florida in the same case. It seems that the defendant, Gerald Nash, is also the D.A.'s nephew. Despite misgivings and all advice to the contrary, Solomon and Lord find themselves once more on opposite sides of the courtroom. Yet, something is not adding up; Steve knows that there is more to the case than there seems to be on the surface, and he will use the law, both the actual, recognized law and his own spin on it, Solomon's laws, to make sure that true justice is served. ***** If I ever needed a lawyer, I would want Steve Solomon on my side. While this case is fascinating, especially if you adore dolphins, the character development is what keeps me coming back to this series and has put it on my list of favorites. The stories and the people that make them come alive will make you laugh - a lot, touch your heart, and challenge your mind. Who could ask for more? ***** Amanda Killgore

VERY SATISFYING

In many ways, this is Paul Levine's best entry in the Solomon vs. Lord series. In the past, the author seemed to concentrate most of his attention and best lines on the main character, the outragous Steve Solomon, the highly unorthodox, wise-cracking, "do anything to upset your opponent to win a case", defense attorney. Solomon is just as wild in his antics in "Trial and Error", but Levine has delved deeper into the character of his live-in-lover and law partner, Victoria Lord. She is usually the by-the-book, well-prepared, logical attorney who is constantly exasperated by Steve's unorganized, play-the-hunch approach to solving a problem, and spends most of her time unsuccessfully trying to get him to play by the rules. But in "Trial and Error", Levine masterfully engineers a plot where Solomon and Lord end up facing each other in court. The result is that Victoria Lord uses a little of what Steve Solomon taught her, along with her own methods, to parry Steve at every turn. It's great fun to see the sparks between them, and the evenly matched repartee and court proceedings. Levine also deepened the stakes emotionally by making his autistic, savant nephew, who lives with him and Victoria, part of the plot. Bobbby's ability to figure out the language of dolphins and communicate with them puts him in danger when the two dolphins he has started a friendship with get kidnapped from a local "Sea World-like" facility. Without giving away the plot, Bobby endangers his own life when he tries to do something to save the dolphins, behind Victoria's and Steve's back. It forces Victoria and Steve, who have strong parental feelings for the boy, to work together to save him, while still being combative in their court case. It's very rich and rewarding writing. I can only hope that we will see more of Solomon and Lord. If this book is any indication, they haev some wonderful adventures ahead - for them and us.