BUM LUCK by Paul Levine

© by Gerald So | 5:30 p.m.

Cover design:
Cyanotype Book Architects

Following Levine's 2015 novel Bum Rap (the first crossover of his Jake Lassiter and Solomon & Lord legal thriller series), Bum Luck (on sale March 28) finds Jake bent on killing a client he has just cleared of murder.

You see, despite the victory in court, Jake remains convinced the Miami Dolphins' Marcus "Thunder" Thurston killed his wife. Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord, as well as Jake's old coroner friend Charlie Riggs, believe Jake's homicidal thoughts are a sign of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Meanwhile, Jake's firm assigns him to represent the life insurance company in the case of Carla Caruana, a mixed martial arts fighter who committed suicide. Representing Carla's estate, Solomon & Lord.

Jake, a throwback to the last days of smash-mouth football, is an ideal character to voice our collective fears about CTE. While exploring treatment options, he remains at the center of a tense tale that weaves its way to the truth.