Amazon.com A lively courtroom drama， made more credible by the author's background as a physician， Chain of Custody features a rich cast of variegated characters. A former cardiologist， Dr. Michael Malone， who is now a consulting lawyer for a large Manhattan law firm， finds himself the chief suspect in the murder of his ex-wife， a successful and well-connected assistant district attorney. The chief prosecutor， Donald Gramb， has political aspirations and wants to humiliate Malone for assisting an indigent prisoner abused in custody by the D.A.'s own police officers. An old friend is insisting that Malone defend him in an effort to keep his research institute open. Malone's son Jess appears to believe that his own father is guilty， and the partners in his law firm are ready to bail out on him. The forces arrayed against the wise-talking Malone and his wily attorney， Arnie Glimcher， seem invulnerable. The resulting courtroom confrontation， the maneuvering， the surprises， and the slow revelation of deeper and deeper conspiracies is interrupted with bursts of violence， passion， and confrontation. The ending is a well-prepared surprise， and you'll enjoy all the apparently contradictory details clicking neatly into place. --Barbara Schlieper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal YA-Dr. Michael Malone， cardiologist and now practicing attorney， finds himself the chief suspect in his estranged wife's murder. His blood is found at the scene and hers is gathered from his belongings. The DNA matches. The chain of custody of the evidence has not been corrupted; the whereabouts of the sample can be accounted for at all times. Yet Malone maintains his innocence. Could someone have contaminated the evidence? For teens who have followed medical issues such as DNA testing， surrogate motherhood， and autologous blood banking， the story is a fast and enjoyable read. The protagonist has a teenaged son， Jess， who is trying to deal first with his parents' separation， then with his own estrangement from his mother due to a long kept family secret， and finally with her death and its consequences. His anger and confusion rings true and provides added relevance for young adults. The medical and scientific issues are handled without overwhelming detail. The plot keeps thickening and easily sustains readers' interest. This is a surefire selection for fans of novels that include medical or legal twists.Carol DeAngelo， Garcia Consulting Inc.， EPA Headquarters， Washington， DCCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews