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Steve Winslow #1
The Baxter Trust
Sexy young Sheila Benton loses a multi-million dollar trust if she's involved in any scandal, so it probably would have been wiser not to do drugs, run around with a married man, and find a dead blackmailer on her kitchen floor. Defending her from a murder charge is a tough first case for attorney Steve Winslow, particularly since her trustee won't pay him, and he can't afford to quit his day job, driving a cab.
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First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 2, 2013
The Baxter Trust is little "hokey" in places, but, overall, it's a good novel.
April 25, 2020
This entire series will be a re-read, beginning with this fist one.
.
It's funny that I remember really liking this book way back
when I read it the first time. This time however I thought
the main character was a bumbling fool and how was he
going to win this big murder trial. Well as it turned
out the ending is very flimsy and so-o-o darned
circumstantial that I could not understand why I ever
thought this was an interesting (or clever) book.
I will say however that I will give this series another
chance with book #2 ("The Anonymous Client")and
see if the cleverness and interest come roaring back to me.
.
It's funny that I remember really liking this book way back
when I read it the first time. This time however I thought
the main character was a bumbling fool and how was he
going to win this big murder trial. Well as it turned
out the ending is very flimsy and so-o-o darned
circumstantial that I could not understand why I ever
thought this was an interesting (or clever) book.
I will say however that I will give this series another
chance with book #2 ("The Anonymous Client")and
see if the cleverness and interest come roaring back to me.
September 7, 2018
Love Steve Winslow and his friends. Snappy courtroom dialog. Interesting mystery.
September 5, 2011
Parnell Hall is one of those mid-list authors who has churned out a book annually over the past three decades, making a decent living at it, without hitting any home runs. His mystery series include Private Eye Stanley Hastings and, more recently, The Puzzle Lady (currently enjoying a steady run at St Martins Press’ Minotaur Books). Like many authors, though a number of his recent books remain in print, most older ones have fallen by the wayside. None of the older titles included sale of electronic rights and Hall has seized on the opportunity to bring out his entire ouevre as ebooks, first for Kindle and now as Nook books as well. This also provided the opportunity to restore to print his first series, the adventures of Steve Winslow, struggling criminal lawyer, who is modelled somewhat on Perry Mason and Paul Drake. The first title, The Baxter Trust, was published in 1988.
Sheila Benton is a multimillionaire heiress to the Baxter fortune but there's a hitch: she doesn't get the money till she's 35 and, at 24, she's dead broke, living in New York city. She's got a very hot Wall Street broker as a "pretty boy" boyfriend, Johnny Dutton ... but then he's still married. Her uncle Max is sole executor of the Baxter trust and doles out just enough for Sheila to make the rent on a very basic apartment. It gets a little more complicated because she also has a fondness for cocaine, something Johnny can supply. So when Johnny takes a flight to Reno, Nevada one morning to begin divorce proceedings against his wife, Sheila is without her drug supply. Worse, in her mailbox that morning, a blackmail note appears and, though she visits the police, they seemed inclined to dismiss her. Distraught, she turns to Uncle Max for some spare cash (for a fresh hit of cocaine but Max doesn't know that) and, while she's out getting her score, a dead body is left on her apartment floor. Frantic, she mails herself the cocaine, disposes of other incriminating bits around the apartment and then leaves for a payphone to report the body to the police. When the police arrive there seems no doubt Sheila is guilty: the corpse has her kitchen carving knife in its back with only her finger prints on it. What to do? She looks through the yellow pages and finds "Steve Winslow, criminal laywer" and offers him the job. Having been out of work for a year (he doesn't tell her that), and driving a cab nights to make ends meet (he definitely doesn't tell her that!), he rushes to her aid looking decidedly more hippy than legal beagle. Oh, and he doesn't own a suit. Will she trust him to take the case? Can he prove she's not guilty?
This was a fun, breezy read that will lead me to read others in the series. Light-hearted, no gore, and with believable characters and a reasonablu entertaining mystery to unravel, it's hard not to smile at the antics -- like the court room scenes (this is the first time Winslow has actually been in court) or his ability to bluff his opponents out of the court room. It's not flawless, but it's also a first novel and hits the spot with delight to spare.
Sheila Benton is a multimillionaire heiress to the Baxter fortune but there's a hitch: she doesn't get the money till she's 35 and, at 24, she's dead broke, living in New York city. She's got a very hot Wall Street broker as a "pretty boy" boyfriend, Johnny Dutton ... but then he's still married. Her uncle Max is sole executor of the Baxter trust and doles out just enough for Sheila to make the rent on a very basic apartment. It gets a little more complicated because she also has a fondness for cocaine, something Johnny can supply. So when Johnny takes a flight to Reno, Nevada one morning to begin divorce proceedings against his wife, Sheila is without her drug supply. Worse, in her mailbox that morning, a blackmail note appears and, though she visits the police, they seemed inclined to dismiss her. Distraught, she turns to Uncle Max for some spare cash (for a fresh hit of cocaine but Max doesn't know that) and, while she's out getting her score, a dead body is left on her apartment floor. Frantic, she mails herself the cocaine, disposes of other incriminating bits around the apartment and then leaves for a payphone to report the body to the police. When the police arrive there seems no doubt Sheila is guilty: the corpse has her kitchen carving knife in its back with only her finger prints on it. What to do? She looks through the yellow pages and finds "Steve Winslow, criminal laywer" and offers him the job. Having been out of work for a year (he doesn't tell her that), and driving a cab nights to make ends meet (he definitely doesn't tell her that!), he rushes to her aid looking decidedly more hippy than legal beagle. Oh, and he doesn't own a suit. Will she trust him to take the case? Can he prove she's not guilty?
This was a fun, breezy read that will lead me to read others in the series. Light-hearted, no gore, and with believable characters and a reasonablu entertaining mystery to unravel, it's hard not to smile at the antics -- like the court room scenes (this is the first time Winslow has actually been in court) or his ability to bluff his opponents out of the court room. It's not flawless, but it's also a first novel and hits the spot with delight to spare.
September 3, 2013
i love the stanly hastings series and this is by the same author but its not stanley, its a lawyer who was a out of work actor that is now a out of work lawyer (he got fired on his first case at a law firm) and is driving a taxi
a girl calls him from his ad in teh phone book and hires him to defend her. she has a large trust fund but cant touch it till she turns 35
she gets a blackmail letter in teh mail and then finds a dead man with her knife in his back in her apt
she calls the police who end up arresting her. she doesnt want her uncles lawyers so this one takes the case and by blackmailing her uncle gets a retainer
so they go to trial and he does a real good job and she ends up getting off when her uncle has a shoot out and tells the lawyer what really happened, that he was really her dad who she thought died, but the lawyer never tells her
the other guy who the uncle killed ended up killing her mom when she was 4 by tampering with her breaks.
it was a good book tho i really like the stanly ones better i'll go ahead and read this series too
a girl calls him from his ad in teh phone book and hires him to defend her. she has a large trust fund but cant touch it till she turns 35
she gets a blackmail letter in teh mail and then finds a dead man with her knife in his back in her apt
she calls the police who end up arresting her. she doesnt want her uncles lawyers so this one takes the case and by blackmailing her uncle gets a retainer
so they go to trial and he does a real good job and she ends up getting off when her uncle has a shoot out and tells the lawyer what really happened, that he was really her dad who she thought died, but the lawyer never tells her
the other guy who the uncle killed ended up killing her mom when she was 4 by tampering with her breaks.
it was a good book tho i really like the stanly ones better i'll go ahead and read this series too
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2008
Mix Earl Stanley Gardner with some smart humor and you have a great read. There were some scenes that had me laughing out loud. I'm reading my way through all of Parnell Hall's books (Hailey is a pseudonym) and I'm loving his stuff.
June 7, 2020
A young out of work lawyer in NY has the case of a lifetime fall into his lap because his client has no money until she turns 35. She finds a dead man in her apartment and is arrested because her alibi is that she was out buying cocaine...
This was a quick read that I enjoyed.
This was a quick read that I enjoyed.
June 18, 2012
A wealthy young heiress is in big trouble and doesn't know who she can trust. She chooses a lawyer from the yellow pages. What she doesn't know is the phone number is a front for a newly established lawyer who's never had a client and who's still driving a cab to support himself. Good stuff.
July 29, 2012
I loved this book. Fairly well written easy to read. Great story line.
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June 24, 2013Good
September 29, 2015
It was an enjoyable read and I think I will probably read more in the series. I did like te protagonist.
July 18, 2016
Excellent work, I have never laughed so hard reading any book. The main character is quite lively.
June 19, 2012
Not as good or nearly as fun as "Juror" but a reasonably entertaining, quick read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews