Write to Die

Two trials, one for the murder of a movie studio executive, the other for authorship rights to a script, intertwine in this, for the most part, entertaining legal mystery. The evidence presented in the former, a spot of blood and a video showing a man fleeing the crime scene, points squarely to the studio chief, a Viagra-happy septuagenarian. In the latter, a one-time world-famous actress, not noted for any literary talent, claims to have authored the disputed script fifteen years earlier. The snappy dialogue between the likable protagonists — the lead lawyer, who, despite linebacker size, is highly sensitive about his third-rate education, and his new associate, a strikingly beautiful graduate of a prestigious law school — drives the plot forward at a steady clip, leading to what one anticipates will be a gripping conclusion. The denouement, however, is anticlimactic (hence the “for the most part” in my opening sentence). Instead of flowing from trial evidence or emerging from clues unearthed outside the courtroom, the outcomes in both cases are the result of happenstance. Still, it is worth opening the covers of Write to Die and enjoying the ride if not the final destination.