Here’s the beach read that will provide a diversion from the cares of this troubled world. PLAYED! is all about legal shenanigans, sexy affairs, clandestine meets and baseball.

Milton Bernstein, a successful middle-aged St. Louis corporate lawyer, won the DNA lottery for the brains and workaholic ethic from some ancestor. His younger brother, Hal, inherited the athleticism, good looks and charm from some other branch of the family tree. Each brother has made the most of his talents, put aside any differences, and remain good friends.

"This comedic screw-up is laced with legal legerdemain, clever dialogue, clandestine encounters and stakeouts, but above all, brotherly love between two men who come to one another’s rescue in a classic thriller ending."

Milton’s client list reads like the who’s who of Missouri’s wealthiest country club set, while Hal, now in his 30s and once a shoo-in for the big leagues of baseball, works at the country club as a lifeguard. A motorcycle accident robbed Hal of his future as a major league pitcher, but he seems content with his lot in life. He is as successful with perfecting his courtship of beautiful ladies as his older brother is of navigating the intricacies of corporate law.

However, neither is prepared for the red-hot Cherry, the unhappy third wife of Milton’s legal nemesis, Leonard Pitt. He’s that guy all over the Midwestern billboards and TV who pledges to solve all of your legal problems. Milton is in the midst of bringing a class action suit against Pitt for an insurance fraud scam, while unbeknownst to either of them, Hal has succumbed to the charms of Pitt’s wife, who mysteriously lures him into an affair.

Hal finds himself in desperate need of a lawyer, but as good as Milton is in the deadly game of corporate affairs, he can’t do anything to help his brother, who is a prime suspect in a murder gone wrong. Milton’s hands are tied. The only legal advice he can give Hal is that he needs a lawyer --- a class A trial lawyer.

This comedic screw-up is laced with legal legerdemain, clever dialogue, clandestine encounters and stakeouts, but above all, brotherly love between two men who come to one another’s rescue in a classic thriller ending.

Michael A. Kahn is the award-winning author of nine prior Rachel Gold legal thrillers, and this stand-alone novel offers similar witty dialogue and intriguing twists and turns. In private life, Kahn is a lawyer by day and a no-longer frustrated writer by night. Married with five children and five grandchildren, he finally gave in to his wife Margi, who got tired of his saying, “I could write a book better than that,” and said, succinctly, “Then write one…or please shut up.” I am glad he put his pen where his mouth is.