Publisher's Weekly Review
Copperman's witty fifth courtroom cozy narrated by attorney Sandy Moss (after 2022's And Justice for Mall) sees the heroine hopping from L.A. to her hometown of Woodbridge, N.J. She's headed east to attend the nuptials of her cousin Stephanie (aka "Skinny") with her best friend, Angie, and actor fiancé, Patrick McNabb. Shortly after the trio arrives at the Woodbridge Elks Hall for the wedding rehearsal, a scream from the kitchen pierces the air. Stephanie emerges, clutching a knife and covered in blood. The police arrive and declare her fiancé's best friend, Brandon Starkey, dead, and charge Stephanie with his murder. Sandy is bulldozed by her family into serving as Stephanie's lawyer, which means she'll have to face off against Richard Chapman, her smug ex-boyfriend who's become the local prosecuting attorney. Despite a surplus of witnesses and a curious lack of cooperation from her cousin, Sandy is determined to find out what really happened to Brandon. Sandy's wry narration ("She was moving to Oregon because... the people were very polite. We in Jersey don't necessarily see that as a plus") and a bevy of well-hidden clues make this sing. It's pure cozy bliss. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary. (Nov.)Correction: The author's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this review.
Kirkus Review
A family wedding becomes a crisis for a family lawyer. Sandy Moss isn't quite sure why she's willing to leave her adopted home in Los Angeles to attend her cousin Stephanie's New Jersey nuptials. Although Sandy's an up-and-comer in the family law division of Seaton, Taylor, Evans, and Wentworth and in a serious relationship with TV star Patrick McNabb, a visit home is sure to be filled with invidious comparisons between Sandy and her older sister, Delia, a physician who's actually married to boot. But although she's prepared to brook her share of maternal disapproval, she's not prepared for what she encounters at the rehearsal dinner: her cousin emerging from the kitchen, carrying a knife and covered in blood. Soon Stephanie, whom Sandy can't help calling by her childhood nickname "Skinny," is in the hoosegow, insisting that her cousin is the only person who can get her out of what seems like an impossible predicament. After explaining approximately a million times that she lives and works 3,000 miles away, of course Sandy capitulates, even after learning that opposing counsel is Richard Chapman, her slimy ex-boyfriend. What happens next is a slapstick version of Rashomon. Every witness gives a different account of the crime. Richard offers a ridiculous plea deal that Skinny inexplicably wants to accept. And Patrick gets a gig playing Lady Macbeth in an offbeat, off-Broadway production of "The Scottish Play." Copperman's pace is nonstop and his timing impeccable. Let the mayhem continue. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
As a child, New Jersey--born Sandy Moss, now a family-law attorney in L.A., couldn't say Stephanie, so she called her cousin Skinny. As adults, they aren't close, so Sandy is mystified when she receives an invitation to Stephanie's wedding back in New Jersey, just a few days away. Sandy reluctantly flies east for the event, dreading the inevitable family drama. Before the rehearsal dinner even gets underway, there's a scream from the kitchen, followed by Stephanie emerging covered in blood, holding a knife. After her arrest for the murder of the best man, Stephanie demands that Sandy be her lawyer. Unfortunately for Sandy, she's still a member of the New Jersey bar. Even more unfortunately, the county prosecutor she's facing is not only her old boss but a former lover, and he thwarts an orderly trial. Sandy engages a local team to assist with both the investigation and trial, hoping she doesn't get fired from her L.A. job or lose her boyfriend. The case takes surprising turns, all described with humorous asides and encounters with characters who might be from The Sopranos.
Library Journal Review
Copperman's follow-up to And Justice for Mall requires skillful legal maneuvers from a shrewd attorney dealing with an outrageous cast of characters. Los Angeles lawyer Sandy Moss flies home to New Jersey for a family wedding, dreading every minute that she'll have to spend with her extended family. She barely knows the bride-to-be, her cousin Stephanie, also known as Skinny. At the rehearsal dinner, Sandy wonders why Skinny is spending so long in the kitchen. Then Skinny emerges, screaming and covered in blood, with a knife in her hand. There's a corpse in the kitchen, but Skinny insists she didn't kill the person, and she wants Sandy to defend her. Sandy's whole life and work is in LA, but she can't refuse a request from family, so she juggles her LA cases with her cousin's hearings and trial in New Jersey, where the county prosecutor seems to have a vendetta against her. On top of all this, there's her flaky cousin. Skinny seems prepared to take outrageous plea deals, and it may take a miracle to get her off. VERDICT Readers who enjoy the humor in this legal mystery series will also appreciate the misdirection and twists that keep them guessing.--Lesa Holstine
