From Publishers Weekly
In a brief prologue that works more as a spoiler, San Francisco lawyer Laura Di Palma is arrested for conspiracy to murder ambitious DA Connie Gold. The book proper soon clarifies that Gold is prosecuting Laura's sole client Brad Rommel, who has been charged with murdering his missing and presumed-dead ex-lover. The pursuit of another issue, trying to stop an ex-employer's slander, puts Laura at the scene of a murder: a masked man shoots lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley during her meeting with Laura. Kinsley's last words, "designer crimes," baffle Laura until her former (and possibly future) lover, PI Sandy Arklett (who wonders if Laura was the shooter's real target), discovers that someone in the office was tailoring extralegal revenge when the law would not suffice. Before long, Brad jumps bail, claiming that someone is trying to kill and frame him, and he echoes Sandy's suspicions that Laura is at the center of things. Matera (Face Value) creates a dark world in which insinuation looms large and the crimes stack up in rapid succession, requiring significant suspension of disbelief. Laura, particularly angry and uncertain in this complex plot, finds only small relief in the resolution. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Series heroine Laura Di Palma (Face Value, S. & S., 1994), a San Francisco attorney, agains teams up with boyfriend/private eye Sandy Arkelett. First, they investigate the murder of Laura's attorney, who dies just before revealing a self-styled vigilante in her own law firm. Second, Laura lands in jail after trying to help a hometown client accused of murder.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Matera's title comes from the last words of attorney Jocelyn Kinsley, shot in her office by a masked intruder. The enigmatic phrase was overheard by attorney Laura Di Palma, who was in the office at the time, consulting with Kinsley about the possibility of suing her ex-boss and nemesis Steve Sayres for slander. Concerned that she herself may have been the intended victim, Laura and her PI pal Sandy Arkelett decide to investigate. It turns out that someone in Jocelyn's firm was arranging specially tailored acts of retribution ("designer crimes" ) for employees disgruntled with their bosses. Did someone have designs on Laura? Sayres, perhaps, or possibly local district attorney Connie Gold, whom Laura has accused of ethical violations. When another masked gunman invades the local courthouse and attempts to shoot Laura but wounds Gold instead, the plot gets yet another jerk in this true page-tuner of a mystery. Sandy and Laura's romantic relationship provides the appealing subplot. With this fifth installment in the Di Palma series, Matera once again demonstrates her mastery of characterization, plotting, and pacing. Stuart Miller

FROM THE PUBLISHER

They say that living well is the best revenge. But attorney Laura Di Palma may not have the opportunity to find out. Her former boss, Steven Sayres, keeps trying to torpedo her new solo law practice. And when his slanders cost Laura her most important client, she's pushed over the brink. This lawyer decides to sue. But before her case has even begun, labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley is shot before her eyes. Uttering the dying words "Designer crimes," Kinsley offers Di Palma the only clue to her slaying - and with it Laura's own best hope for survival. With the help of private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura's friend and former lover, she does some computer hacking and finds an intriguing message hidden in Kinsley's cryptic words: Is someone designing custom crimes specifically to target bosses on behalf of the employees they wronged? Meanwhile, Laura is also defending a high school friend accused of a grisly murder, but trouble follows close on her heels and before long she is shot at, nearly blown up, and even arrested. Living well just might be the best revenge, but survival becomes Laura's first order of business. Unfortunately, her detours off the high road could cost her more than just her career.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In a brief prologue that works more as a spoiler, San Francisco lawyer Laura Di Palma is arrested for conspiracy to murder ambitious DA Connie Gold. The book proper soon clarifies that Gold is prosecuting Laura's sole client Brad Rommel, who has been charged with murdering his missing and presumed-dead ex-lover. The pursuit of another issue, trying to stop an ex-employer's slander, puts Laura at the scene of a murder: a masked man shoots lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley during her meeting with Laura. Kinsley's last words, ``designer crimes,'' baffle Laura until her former (and possibly future) lover, PI Sandy Arklett (who wonders if Laura was the shooter's real target), discovers that someone in the office was tailoring extralegal revenge when the law would not suffice. Before long, Brad jumps bail, claiming that someone is trying to kill and frame him, and he echoes Sandy's suspicions that Laura is at the center of things. Matera (Face Value) creates a dark world in which insinuation looms large and the crimes stack up in rapid succession, requiring significant suspension of disbelief. Laura, particularly angry and uncertain in this complex plot, finds only small relief in the resolution. (May)

Library Journal