Lia Matera: Designer Crimes (2021)

From the Publisher:
A high-profile San Francisco lawyer scrambles to save her career, her client, and her life in this mystery by the author of Face Value.
When a cash-cow client bails, attorney Laura Di Palma is certain her old boss is out to ruin her. She visits labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley to sue the creep for slander, but their meeting is cut short when Jocelyn is shot by an intruder. As she lays dying, she whispers a cryptic clue to Laura: "Designer crimes."

Assisted by her friend and former flame, private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura searches for the meaning behind Jocelyn's last words. Meanwhile, she must defend her one remaining client, an old high school friend accused of murder. His girlfriend left town -- a bucket of blood in her wake.

Sandy wonders if the bullet that killed Jocelyn was meant for Laura, and when someone tries to shoot her, she begins to agree. Now, Laura must decipher who's out to kill whom and why -- before someone makes certain her only client is her last...

"Complex and satisfying for Ms. Matera's faithful readers, who have come to expect such brain-burners from her." -- The New York Times
"[Matera's] skill and literary flair are everywhere on display. Every word counts, and the pieces of the puzzle fit together with exhilarating precision." -- ABA Journal
"Matera once again demonstrates her mastery of characterization, plotting, and pacing." -- Booklist

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes. A Laura Di Palma Mystery. The Mysterious Press / Open Road Media, ISBN: 9781504066716 (June, 2021), eBook, 2176 KB (ca. 224 p.), $7.99.

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes (USA 2007)

From the Publisher:
They say that living well is the best revenge. But attorney Laura Di Palma may not have the opportunity to find out. Her former boss keeps trying to torpedo her new solo law practice, and when his slanders cost Laura her most important client, this lawyer decides to sue. But her case hasn't even begun when labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley is shot before her eyes. Uttering the dying words "designer crimes," Kinsley offers Di Palma the only clue to her slaying. With the help of private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura's friend and former lover, she goes to work untangling Kinsley's cryptic words. Meanwhile, she's also defending a high school friend accused of a grisly murder, and trouble follows closely at her heels -- before long she is shot at, nearly blown up, and even arrested.

Living well just may be the best revenge, but survival becomes Laura's first order of business. Unfortunately, her detours off the high road could cost her more than just her career...

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes. A Laura Di Palma Mystery. Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 1416572805 (August, 2007), 244 p., $14.95.

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes (USA 1996)

From the Publisher:
"Di Palma is one of the smartest, most open-minded sleuths in the lawyering trade... -- Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Lia Matera is back with her biggest and best mystery yet-as San Francisco Bay Area attorney Laura Di Palma tackles two cases that have her running for her life and from the law!

They say that living well is the best revenge. But attorney Laura Di Palma may not have the opportunity to find out. Her former boss keeps trying to torpedo her new solo law practice, and when his slanders cost Laura her most important client, this lawyer decides to sue. But her case hasn't even begun when labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley is shot before her eyes. Uttering the dying words "designer crimes," Kinsley offers Di Palma the only clue to her slaying. With the help of private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura's friend and former lover, she goes to work untangling Kinsley's cryptic words. Meanwhile, she's also defending a high school friend accused of a grisly murder, and trouble follows closely at her heels -- before long she is shot at, nearly blown up, and even arrested.

Living well just may be the best revenge, but survival becomes Laura's first order of business. Unfortunately, her detours off the high road could cost her more than just her career...

"Laura's fifth appearance may be her best one yet." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Lia Matera just keeps getting better." -- Sara Paretsky

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes. A Laura Di Palma Mystery. Pocket Star Books, ISBN: 0671001965 (July 1996), $5.99.

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes (USA 1995)

From the Publisher:
Lia Matera is back with her biggest and best mystery yet -- as San Francisco Bay Area attorney Laura Di Palma tackles two cases that have her running for her life and from the law!

They say that living well is the best revenge. But attorney Laura Di Palma may not have the opportunity to find out. Her former boss, Steven Sayres, keeps trying to torpedo her new solo law practice. And when his slanders cost Laura her most important client, she's pushed over the brink. This lawyer decides to sue.

But before her case has even begun, labor lawyer Jocelyn Kinsley is shot before her eyes. Uttering the dying words "Designer crimes," Kinsley offers Di Palma the only clue to her slaying - and with it Laura's own best hope for survival.

With the help of private detective Sandy Arkelett, Laura's friend and former lover, she does some computer hacking and finds an intriguing message hidden in Kinsley's cryptic words: Is someone designing custom crimes specifically to target bosses on behalf of the employees they wronged?

Meanwhile, Laura is also defending a high school friend accused of a grisly murder, but trouble follows close on her heels and before long she is shot at, nearly blown up, and even arrested.

Living well just might be the best revenge, but survival becomes Laura's first order of business. Unfortunately, her detours off the high road could cost her more than just her career.

Her best work to date, Designer Crimes proves once again that Matera is "one of the best contemporary mystery novelists... too good to miss." (Booklist)

Lia Matera: Designer Crimes. A Laura Di Palma Mystery. Simon & Schuster, ISBN: 0684803127 (April, 1995), 240 p., $21.00.