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. " ...smart, agreeable mystery...The likable Winslow proves a clever, thorough investigator and an entertaining trial lawyer. Hailey brings his plot threads together with finesse." - Publishers Weekly "Hailey has done a fine job of detailing a murder mystery that contains some of the best courtroom dialogue put down in a very long time. His scenes out of court are good, but those taking place in court are superb." - Phil Thomas, Associated Press "Truly outrageous legal high jinks overlaying an original plot concept—plus, Winslow is fun to be around." - Kirkus Reviews "A winning tale of intrigue with a smash ending." - United Press International

when Out-of-work Lawyer Steve Winslow Enlists Himself As A New York City Cab Driver To Pay The Bills, He Thinks He's Hit Rock-bottom. That Is Until Sheila Benton, Heir To A Multimillion Dollar Fortune, Finds His Number In The Yellow Pages And Calls Upon Steve To Defend Her. Of Course Her Case Is Only A Minor One. It Seems That A Blackmailer Was Found In Her Apartment In An Uncomfortable Position -- With A Knife In His Back. Only Sheila Can't Seem To Convince Anyone That She Isn't Responsible For Killing This Man. So Without Even The Smallest Bit Of Evidence, The Ex-actor, Now Lawyer/cab-driver Begins A Series Of Legal Maneuvers To Take Sheila Out Of The Light Of Suspicion While Bringing Himself Back Into Business, All In A Day's Work.

publishers Weekly

crime Reporter Hailey Marks His Debut As A Novelist With This Smart, Agreeable Mystery Starring Shaggy-haired Ex-actor And Starving New York Lawyer Steve Winslow. Orphaned Heiress To A Multimillion-dollar Fortune, Pretty, Perky Sheila Benton Drops Off Her Boyfriend At The Airport; He Is On The Way To Reno To Divorce His Wife. Later, She Visits The Trustee Of Her Estate, Her Proper, Wealthy Uncle Maxwell Baxter, Who Keeps Her Strictly Within The Trust Fund's Stingy $200 A Month Allowance, And Begs A Few Extra Dollars. She Returns From His Sumptuous Apartment To Her Pad And A Grim Discoverythe Corpse Of A Stranger, Perhaps The Man Who Recently Phoned And Tried To Blackmail Her. The District Attorney Indicts Her. Instead Of Placing Her Fate In The Hands Of Her Domineering Uncle, However, She Thumbs The Yellow Pages And Comes Up With Winslow. There The Fun Begins. Hailey Knows His Down-and-out Lawyer And His Savvy Justice-system Authorities Quite Well. The Likable Winslow Proves A Clever, Thorough Investigator And An Entertaining Trial Lawyer. There Are Byzantine Plot Twists And Shifting Suspects Here, But, Despite The Complexity, Hailey Brings His Plot Strands Together With Finesse. (june)