Adam Mitzner’s latest book has a spoiler alert embedded in the title. LOVE BETRAYAL MURDER will indeed contain all three of these elements. While I will not be revealing all the particulars in this review, let the reader be warned that Mitzner will be commenting on these descriptives as he pieces together part of the puzzle that is at the heart of this terrific novel.

Any extramarital affair is sure to lead to some complications. In the hands of a master writer of legal thrillers, it produces a minefield of opportunities to explore. That is certainly the case here as Matthew Brooks and Vanessa Lyons, attorneys at a powerful law firm in New York City, begin a steamy affair, apparently unbeknownst to Vanessa’s husband, Bradley. When the affair was initiated, Matt and Vanessa were just coworkers. But Matt has just been made partner, and Vanessa is coming up for partner next year.

"Even if you think you know where the story is heading, Mitzner might have something else up his sleeve. LOVE BETRAYAL MURDER is his finest work yet --- his own THE FIRM, if you will."

In the meantime, Bradley loses his high-paying legal job and opts for a far lesser compensated position working for an activism firm. However, he still intends to keep his huge house in Westchester County, his Porsche, and the many activities that their four-year-old daughter, Zoe, is signed up for. With Vanessa now the breadwinner in the family, and with a larger payday to follow once she is made partner, the situation gets complicated. Richard Lowell, Matt’s own mentor at the firm, has all but guaranteed Vanessa’s partnership --- and typically any candidate receiving his endorsement is a sure thing.

Vanessa suggests to Matt that they cool things off with each other until after she is named partner. Then they can argue that there was no violation of the “no sex with a direct report” policy when Matt supervises Vanessa on the firm’s biggest case. They will insist that they fell for each other while working on the case but didn’t act on their feelings until both became partners. Unfortunately, this plan goes by the wayside when Matt and Vanessa are confronted separately by their respective mentors, as well as by HR, prior to the big vote. It is obvious that someone blew the whistle on them. They believe the individual in question was the extremely jealous Bradley, who would lose out on a fortune if Vanessa divorced him for Matt.

When Richard chooses not to endorse Vanessa for partner, effectively ending her chance of ever reaching that level, she is shocked and blames Matt for the turnabout. Even though Matt claims Richard was just protecting them because he believed the allegations of an affair, it is still a crushing blow to their future together. What’s worse, it appears that Vanessa has reconciled with Bradley as she sues the firm for harassment and asks them to fire Matt. She wins her lawsuit, and the now jilted Matt is out of a job. In a great conversation between Vanessa and her attorney, he compares Matt to Jay Gatsby, saying that a “Midwesterner has made good and love conquers all.”

So we’ve seen “Love” and “Betrayal.” Now the last part of the book’s title, “Murder,” will take center stage. When one leg of the love triangle is killed, the ensuing court case will be both highly emotional and full of twists and turns. Even if you think you know where the story is heading, Mitzner might have something else up his sleeve. LOVE BETRAYAL MURDER is his finest work yet --- his own THE FIRM, if you will. I am confident that those who dive into this one will agree with me.