False Witness

Margolin’s daffy latest legal thriller (after An Insignificant Case) gets lost in the weeds. Corrupt officials framed Portland, Ore., attorney Karen Wyatt for cocaine possession, putting her behind bars, but she’s released early when her lawyer uncovers exonerating evidence. Three years later, a civil suit has made Karen wealthy, though she continues to work. Her latest client, Jack Blackburn, has been charged with murdering a man named Terrance Cogen by bashing in his skull. Karen’s probing quickly enmeshes her in a complicated mystery involving a congressman who claims he was abducted by aliens and the leak of sensitive information from within the local district attorney’s office to Walter Zegda, a brilliant former high school quarterback who runs a motorcycle gang. As Wyatt tries to fit the pieces together, she also seeks revenge for her own imprisonment. For a while, it’s almost exhilarating to watch Margolin add layer upon layer to the overstuffed plot, but the resolution disappoints, and a few far-fetched moves on Wyatt’s part make it hard to suspend disbelief. It’s not one of the author’s better efforts. (Nov.)