Violent Ward by Len Deighton

Copyright Year: 1993

Plot

LA criminal lawyer Mickey Murphy deals with his ex-wife and ungrateful son whilst trying to help his high-school sweetheart, whose husband has just bought his law firm. As he starts to fall for Ingrid again, he is suspected of a brutal murder.

I’d had it too long to trade it in. Maybe I hadn’t treated it with due care and reverence, but what is “fair wear and tear” anyway? I’d spent far more than I could afford on magic creams and maintenance. Dented, maybe, and sure the fillings showed; flaking in places and the original finish no more than a memory, but what does the bodywork matter? It’s what’s inside that makes a winner. So I sucked in the gut, dabbed on the aftershave, parted my hair, and tried to forget what I’d seen in the mirror until tomorrow morning came round again.

Violent Ward by Len Deighton