Donald L'Abbate

The Chinatown Houdini Bandits Donald L'Abbate

Jake Carney, the wise-cracking, recovering alcoholic lawyer and his crew are back with two new legal adventures and stories of New York City's Chinatown. In this, the fourth book in The Broken Lawyer series, Jake is hired by an elderly Chinese man to represent one of three bank robbers whose mysterious escape following the robbery earned the trio the nickname, the Houdini Bandits. Faced with more questions than he has answers, and with his client's life hanging in the balance, Jake and his investigator Tommy Shoo, delve into the history of Chinatown searching for answers. Just when Jake believes he has everything under control, the case takes a surprising and unusual turn and Jake discovers his own life could be at risk. At the same time Jake works to save a young girl from a long prison term as a major drug trafficker. Jake's gut tells him she is innocent of the charge, but he needs her help to build a defense and the girl refuses to cooperate. After finally gaining her confidence, but still needing more information, Jake is forced to make a difficult decision, one that affects many lives. In the end smart lawyering, the love of a mother, and a sympathetic ADA all come together to save the girl.