Bad Trust

June 1, 2020
In Kahn’s entertaining 11th mystery featuring St. Louis attorney Rachel Gold (after 2016’s The Dead Hand), Megan Garber and Holly Goodman, sisters in their early 40s, come to Rachel for help in dealing with their brother, Isaiah ben Moshe (formerly known as Alan Blumenthal), who manages the $12 million trust established by their father. Along with the name change, narcissistic Isaiah has turned the family business he seized in a hostile takeover into a near cult and refuses to grant his sisters’ request for money. “We’d both be better off with him dead,” Megan mutters. Rachel initiates a lawsuit to force Isaiah into mediation, but after Isaiah is poisoned, she has to defend Holly on a murder charge. Meanwhile, Rachel must also defend fashion designer Eli Contini against a lawsuit filed by an imperious client, as well as maintain her complicated but nonetheless positive relations with her various family members. It’s refreshing to find an emotionally well-balanced protagonist, who can also pull off a bit of Perry Mason showmanship when necessary. This entry is easily accessible to those who are new to Rachel’s adventures.