LAW AND ARDOR

In Wyler, Ind., hometown to lawyer Andrew Broom (Mom and Dead, 1994, etc.), no one has more clout or class than the Bissonets. Retired, 80-ish patriarch Edgar lives with wife Jane in a house edging the golf club. Early one morning, though, his rigid body is found on the seventh fairway—first declared a heart attack, then murder, with his broker son, Matthew, accused of the killing. In the past, Edgar's devotion to his beautiful Chilean secretary, Elena, who worked with him on his autobiography in his soundproofed quarters at home, provoked lots of gossip in Wyler. Now, his having included Elena in his will provides the prosecution's motive in Matthew's trial, with Andrew defending. A surprising verdict sets Andrew to some rethinking and some reinvestigation, uncovering motives and methods left unexplored by his first, lackadaisical efforts. A few mildly interesting peripheral characters help enliven a humdrum story in which most of Andrew's energies seem focused on the pleasures and perils of golf. Enthusiasts of the game may find it entertaining. For others—sleepytime.