Lia Matera. Where Lawyers Fear to Tread (1987) 168 pp. [pbo]
Lefty law student Willa Jansson is thrust into the position of editor-in-chief of her law review when fellow student Susan Green, who had been editor, is found murdered at her desk. The suspects include the other editors, several members of the faculty, a prominent alumna, and Willa herself. When two more members of the editorial staff end up dead, Willa and fellow editor Larry Tchielowicz determine to find the killer before they suffer the same fate. The novel is set in the fictional “Malhousie Law School” near San Francisco’s Civic Center. Malhousie is an obvious stand-in for Hastings College of the Law, author Matera’s alma mater (where she was also editor of the Constitutional Law Review).
Hubin; MRJ