A tobacco company is sued by the widow of someone who died from lung cancer. Such cases have come to court in the past, and have never succeeded: in the eyes of the tobacco industry, the consequences of losing are unthinkable. And so they make millions of dollars available to Fitch, a shady individual with little time for legal niceties, to ensure that things work out in their favour. But someone has spent years planning for this occasion, and once the trial starts, Fitch is contacted by someone who offers to guarantee a verdict he'll like...

I picked this up second-hand, thinking it was one I'd not read before. But I soon recognised the story, so I have read it - must have been more than five years ago though. Anyway, it's a good read, very competently written, and kept my attention all the way through.

The outcome was never really in doubt, but there was a fair amount of suspense as Fitch and his team seemed to be on the verge of discovering who was behind the scheme to fix the verdict, and I wasn't able to put it down, as they say. Worth getting another one next time I'm in the second-hand shop.

Completed : 13-Mar-2008