When Nina's husband Grady is accused of rape, he turns to Marc and Kali to defend him. Kali is uncertain where her loyalties lay. Grady denies the charge, but admits to having had sex with the woman. Furious with him for betraying Nina, Kali nevertheless goes along with his decision to keep the truth from her friend, and is determined to do her best for Grady for Nina's sake.

Deirdre Nichols, Grady's accuser, is not what Kali expected. She's a single mother with red hair, freckles, and a friendly smile. She comes across as sincere and credible. Kali knows she is going to have to put up a hell of a fight to convince a jury that this respectable looking woman is a liar.

Then Deirdre falls to her death, and the police consider Grady the prime, if not the only, suspect. Nina is frantic, Grady swears his innocence, and Kali finds herself drawn into a murder investigation in the hopes of finding another suspect while still unable to trust her own client or her instincts about him. Marc also continues to be a distraction, and as he and Kali work closely together she is tempted to put aside past hurts and get involved with him again.

It honestly pains me to report that this one was a struggle. I have enjoyed Jonnie Jacobs' previous books, including the first two Kali O'Brien mysteries. Motion to Dismiss, however, seemed strangely bland. None of the characters had much personality, including Kali herself, who seems to have little personal life aside from unconvincing developments with Marc.

The only times Kali caught my attention at all is when she was irritating the heck out of me. She seemed to me to act unethically in several instances, including her decision to withhold the truth from her friend (which I consider to be wrong). Her willingness to discuss a legal strategy that would involve having her client lie (with her knowledge) was unethical if not illegal. (I thought attorneys were not supposed to knowingly have their clients lie under oath?) This is all before page 25, so don't worry about spoilers.

I can't account for the difference in my reaction to Motion to Dismiss compared to previous books. Is it the change of scene? Do I miss the dog? The small town? I honestly don't think so; all I know is that the characters didn't come alive for me. The mystery was puzzling enough, with an ending that was truly a surprise, and some of the courtroom procedural stuff was very interesting, but I found it impossible to get involved when I didn't care about any of the characters. I guess that is the bottom line – I just didn't care.

--Jeri Wright