Dr. Michael Malone is the former Assistant Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mount Zion Hospital in New York. Disenchanted with medicine, he has become an attorney focusing on medical malpractice. His wife Sally is also an attorney, and during their marriage worked in both the district attorney's office and private industry.

Early in their marriage Sally wanted a child, but for medical reasons it seemed improbable. So she arranged for a surrogate mother to carry Michael's child to term. After Jess was born, his birth mother refused to relinquish him. Sally then initiated a nine-month courtroom battle for custody, which she won. At her insistence, their son Jess was never told about his natural mother.

As the book opens, Sally and Michael are jostling for position in their acrimonious divorce case, which is headed for court. Suddenly, Sally is discovered murdered in her home. Because she is found in the freezer, forensics is unable to determine the time of death.

At the crime scene, there is no evidence of forced entry, and only the teen-aged Jess and Michael had keys. When Michael's blood is found at the scene and Sally's blood found in his apartment, Michael becomes the prime suspect. Charged with manslaughter, he quickly finds out who his friends are. His divorce attorney Arnie, and his buddy Lt. Figlio, (N.Y. Harbor Patrol) are among the very few left.

This is a very well constructed, complex novel that has many unexpected twists. The technology that is the underpinning for plot development is relatively new. The novel bounces from the courtroom to the laboratory, but because the plot is complicated, there is little space left for real in-depth character development.

Does the book suffer? It depends on what you're looking for. If the intellectual challenge of working through the puzzle is your guiding force, then you will love this book. That is, if you're able to understand the many legal and medical acronyms used by the author.

The insight into the legal world's behind-the-scenes machinations is chilling. From this attorney's experience, I regret that the portrayals are, unfortunately, fairly accurate.

Since the story is essentially event-driven rather than character-driven, the fact that the characters don't evoke too much involvement on the reader's part may not be an serious impediment to the enjoyment of Chain of Custody.

--Thea Davis