Here's a debut legal thriller with a definite edge of truth, as black British criminal lawyer Nicola Williams takes us into the fascinating, frustrating world of her fictional counterpart, Lee Mitchell. Lee is resigned to working the cases that nobody else in her chambers wants, and occasionally being mistaken by court personnel and other lawyers for one of her criminal clients. Then she gets what at first seems to be a dream case--defending a high-profile financier on a shaky fraud charge. It's only after some digging that Mitchell realizes she and her client are being set up, and trying to do something about it opens up several very nasty cans of worms. Williams, who has been writing poetry (and winning prizes for it) since she was 14, has a cool, unique voice that marks her creation as a definite keeper. --Dick Adler