Presumption Of Death (2003)

After narrowly escaping disbarment in her last book, spunky attorney Nina Reilly is burning up the courtroom again. This time, Pam and Mary O'Shaughnessy -- the sisterly brain trust behind the best-selling series -- have the sexy single mom traipsing through the suburban wilds of California's Monterey County in search of a deadly arsonist. Granted, a story about a lawyer defending an innocent client is hardly groundbreaking. But Death offers enough steamy sexual tension, curiously bewitching characters (like a schizophrenic preteen and a promiscuous flight attendant), and head-spinning plot twists to make for a fiery read.