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CRIMINAL INTENT by William Bernhardt Ballantine Books, August 2002 358 pages $23.95 ISBN: 0345441737 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Tulsa attorney Ben Kincaid cannot refuse when his childhood priest, Father Daniel Beale, asks for legal representation at an ecclesiastical trial conducted under the auspices of the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Oklahoma. Ben knows little or nothing about canonical law, but does his best to defend Father Beale against a charge of Conduct Unbecoming a Priest.

On the surface, the charge involves Father Beale's temper tantrums against his vestry, his questioning of established church theology, and his allowing radical political groups to meet at the church. But underlying it all is the widely-held belief that Father Beale is responsible for the recent murder of one of his parishioners. The police haven't charged him, but most of his parishioners have already tried and found him guilty in their own minds.

Ben is relieved that his defense of Father Beale before the bishopric tribunal is successful. Little does he suspect that soon he'll be defending Father Beale in a criminal court, after another parishioner is murdered and Father Beale, with blood literally on his hands, is placed under arrest.

The case against Father Beale is damning and only Ben is convinced of his innocence. Even Ben, though, is having trouble explaining away the growing list of incriminating evidence, so he and his staff begin looking for an alternative suspect, recognizing that finding the real killer is Ben's best (and possibly sole) hope for saving Father Beale. The suspense mounts as the trial begins and Ben's team races against the clock, uncovering more wrongdoing at the Father's church than anyone had suspected, but will they find what Ben needs to keep Father Beale from a jail or, even worse, a death sentence?

Criminal Intent is a worthy addition to the Kincaid series. As always, Bernhardt's courtroom scenes are stellar -- compelling and engrossing and completely believable. The plotting is tight and all that the most demanding reader could ask for -- lots of twists and turns, none of them contrived. It's not all plotting and suspense, though. Bernhardt's characters are multi-dimensional and as real as can be. Ben Kincaid has grown as the series progresses, and even new readers will be caught up in the changes Ben undergoes during the course of Father Deale's trials. The theological issues that are an integral part of this novel are fascinating. Bernhardt explores and explains them thoroughly, while never falling into the trap of didacticism.

Mystery lovers, whether fans of legal suspense or not, will not want to miss Criminal Intent. This one can only win Bernhardt (and the always-enjoyable Ben Kincaid) an even larger, and well-deserved, following.