"Acts and Omissions" is a murder mystery novel that will keep you in suspense until page 425 of this 431-page pocket book. That’s what murder mysteries are supposed to do. What sets this book apart from run-of-the-mill mysteries is the strong development of the characters. You get to know them intimately.

This book could easily be converted into a screenplay for a movie or, more likely, a made-for-television movie. As a mainly nonfiction reader, I found myself getting a little impatient with the minute details of each character’s life.

But for those who want to know the characters, all the information is there. "Acts and Omissions" is the first novel for Nancy Kopp, a Rock County farm girl turned lawyer, turned novelist. She lives in Maple Bluff with her three cats and is a court commissioner for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

A 1983 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, she has always been interested in writing, mainly short stories. About six years ago she and two friends collaborated on a proposed book, but it didn’t take off.

Then, influenced by the Jeffrey Dahmer serial killings and the Kimberly Bergalis case in Florida in which a young woman contracted AIDS from her dentist, Kopp was inspired to again tackle book writing. With serial killings and a major lawsuit as the main pegs, she outlined the book that took about a year to write.

The plot revolves around Megan Lansdorf, a brilliant and beautiful Chicago lawyer, trying to make partner in her firm. She is assigned a major case in which the defendant acquired AIDS from her doctor.

The hospital where the doctor was on staff fought vigorously against the lawsuit, refusing to make a settlement. At the same time, Lansdorf is the unknowing target of a serial killer.

A number of young women were being murdered in Chicago, apparently by a serial killer, leading to the appointment of Mike O’Riley, an about-to-retire policeman, as head of the task force investigating the murders.

The pressures of O’Riley’s retirement desires and his agreement to see the case through past his retirement date add to the novel’s interest. Other characters provide strong possibilities as to whether they might be involved in the murders, building to the suspenseful mystery.

There is enough court work in the novel to take advantage of the current interest in the legal system spawned by the O. J. Simpson murder case.

A good start for the court commissioner.

It was Attorney Megan Lansdorf’s bad luck to be assigned to handle the case of patients suing a major hospital for negligence in an AIDS related lawsuit. Megan knew that if she performed well on this case, she would be eligible to become a partner at her law firm. Megan would have had a much better shot at winning the case and holding on to her temper, if the defending counsel wasn’t the arrogant and aggravating Frank Parks.

Frank Parks cut few people, including himself, any slack. He was an expert at making things as difficult as possible for the opposing counsel in a lawsuit. Well aware that he set Megan Lansdorf’s teeth on edge, Frank was looking forward to the upcoming battle.

Detective Lieutenant Mike O’Riley of the Chicago Police force was just weeks away from retirement when the horrific killings began. It soon becomes apparent that Chicago is dealing with a vicious serial killer. Asked by the Mayor to stay on and head up the investigation, O’Riley realizes that all the victims bear a startling resemblance to one another. What is even more terrifying is that all of the victims look exactly like Megan. What is the killer’s connection to Megan? Is Megan the next in line, or was she the original target?

Author Nancy Kopp’s ACTS & OMISSIONS is a taut and intriguing thriller that combines the desperation of a hunt for a serial killer with the courtroom dramatics of a high profile lawsuit.

The cover of Nancy Kopp’s novel touts the book as “electrifying legal suspense!” I put this to the test by reading it at Disney World. The result: a page-turner from beginning to end, with engrossing characters, snappy dialogue, and intriguing legal drama.

The story unfolds in Oakwood, Wis., a picturesque town where murder just doesn’t happen. Detective Jeff Gardner is summoned to investigate the brutal slaying of 4-year-old Jeremy Barker, son of Oakwood’s most prominent widower, Tom Barker. Gardner joins forces in his investigation of the slaying with Liz Stanfeld, Oakwood’s attractive assistant district attorney, herself a prominent resident due, in large part, to a recent and lucrative divorce settlement.

After her divorce, Stanfeld left Milwaukee’s largest law firm, moved to Oakwood to simplify her life, and joined the D.A.’s office. With her considerable trial experience, Stanfeld is tapped by the D.A. who is seeking to become the next U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and with whom Stanfeld has become romantically involved, to prosecute this high-profile murder.

Gardner and Stanfeld square off in a comical but trite “cops versus lawyers” pursuit of whodunit. Initially, Stanfeld is bothered by Gardner’s investigative techniques, and the two are frequently at odds over who and how to investigate. Kopp’s amusing, clever dialogue breathes life into the characters.

The investigation turns to the usual suspect, a ne’er-do-well whose glasses were found at the crime scene, and whose alibi leaks. Stanfeld considers him the prime suspect. Gardner disagrees and their difference in perspective contributes to animosity between the police and the D.A.’s office.

As the novel progresses, a subplot involves the growing personal interest between Stanfeld and Tom Barker. Kopp handles this relationship skillfully, with the result that readers care whether their professional relationship develops into a personal one.

Meanwhile, Gardner continues the investigation by interviewing virtually every town resident, including children, to uncover a lead. Two teenage boys, sons of prominent families, become prime suspects. Oakwood rallies to support the two unlikely young killers, chastising both the police department and the D.A. for their seemingly politically incorrect arrests.

Kopp skillfully details the extreme contrast in characters of the two suspects. One is shy, inarticulate, and clearly in over his head. The other is self-assured, charismatic, and has an I.Q. of 150. Gardner is convinced the second suspect is truly evil but his investigation turns up nothing but accolades for the teen -- until Gardner locates a former teacher. The teacher, of course, has personal baggage that Stanfeld fears make him a cross-examiner’s dream.

The suspect’s family hires a high-powered attorney to square off against Stanfeld. The legal maneuvering that follows is absorbing, thanks to the fact that Kopp is an attorney herself. As the tension mounts to bring the suspects to justice, Stanfeld and Gardner become allies in pursuit of meeting the burden of proof. Stanfeld comes to admire Gardner for his tenacity, and Gardner grows to respect Stanfeld for her legal talents and mental toughness in pursuing an unpopular conviction in the midst of a hostile community.

Stanfeld and Gardner need a break to find some evidence to crack the case in this seemingly uphill legal battle. You will have to read the book to discover how the case and relationships turn out. Kopp has woven a neat legal thriller that one would expect to unfold on the big screen.

*Patricia L. Grove, Tulsa 1981, practices with Halling & Cayo, S.C., Milwaukee

Nancy Kopp once again writes a novel that is well worth the time it takes to read it. The small, affluent community of Oakwood is rocked to its very core when a brutal kidnapping/murder of a four-year-old child occurs in its very midst.

Assistant District Attorney Liz Stanfeld, newly relocated to Oakwood, is assigned to this case, even though she does not have the seniority to merit it. She does her best to prosecute, and finds herself intimately participating in the investigation, something that she has never done before. Oakwood, putting the pressure on the District Attorney to solve the case, puts her in a difficult position when she is forced to go against her District Attorney boyfriend’s wishes. Her moral struggles eventually win out and she must face some difficult choices.

This novel, like Kopp’s Acts & Omissions, is an admirable portrayal of the moral decisions that many of us may someday have to face. Altogether a satisfying read, and will leave you wanting more chapters.

When you pick up "With Intent to Kill," be prepared to shut out the world for several hours while Nancy Kopp takes you into her world with riveting action and fast-paced drama. Fans of Margaret Yorke will recognize a kindred spirit in Liz Stanfeld, a wife dumped for a younger woman and fighting to keep her life and career in some semblance of order. Her biggest case as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office brings her into conflict with her boss (who is also her lover), the chauvinistic detective investigating the gruesome murder of a four-year-old, and her neighbors who blame Stanfeld for the arrest of the killer. Class prejudice, money and politics play their parts, too, as Stanfeld sticks to her principles and triumphs, both as woman and as prosecutor. Kopp brings her legal background to bear in writing a richly authentic plot.

Following her divorce, Liz Stanfeld decides she needs a change of scenery. She no longer wants to live or work in Milwaukee, even though she is employed as an attorney by the biggest law firm in Wisconsin. Liz moves to the affluent suburb of Oakwood and becomes Horicon County Assistant District Attorney. At thirty-five, Liz is beginning to relish life once again.

However, her idyllic lifestyle is abruptly shattered when the police locate the murdered corpse of four-year-old Jeremy Barker. The victim died from continual blows to his head. The shocked townsfolk want fast answers because no one seems able to accept that a monster lives among them. Her boss Harry Washburn assigns Liz the case. She knows that she must quickly uncover the identity of the killer and follow that up with a prosecution that convicts the culprit of first degree murder even if the killer is a member of one of the most affluent families in the area.

WITH INTENT TO KILL is an exciting legal thriller that will bring critical acclaim and fan praise to Nancy Kopp. The invigorating story line provides a well written fictional account of something that could have easily been a true crime, especially the exhilarative trial sequence. The characters are all top rate, but remarkably outstanding is Liz, a fantastic protagonist, who hopefully will make future appearances. Sub-genre fans should try this novel and Ms. Kopp’s previous story, ACTS & OMISSIONS, because both are quite entertaining.

ABSENT WITNESS is Nancy Kopp’s third lawyer mystery. The author, a Wisconsin Supreme Court commissioner, had fun writing this. Characters share names (and traits) with court staffers and several prominent Wisconsin attorneys. This playfulness is carried out in the main character’s irreverent attitude.

Chicago attorney Carrie Nelson faces a mystery: Who impregnated her clients’ comatose daughter? Subplots are deftly interwoven as the plot whizzes along to the answer. On the way, Carrie deflates egotistical senior partners, hostile doctors, slumlords, and obstinate detectives. Her developing private life also keeps her busy.

Little details ring true. When Carrier reports the sexual assault of the comatose victim, she hopes hordes of squad cars will be dispatched to find the bad guy. When this doesn’t happen, the author neatly captures the chagrin of a competent civil attorney practicing outside her field. Similarly, even surprise resolution of the whodunit doesn’t end the novel -- as in real practice, trial preparation remains after the discovery period ends. Cleverly, the author tucks another plot surprise into Carrier’s discovery boxes.

There are minor annoyances. For instance, even minor characters’ appearances and manners are described in full, almost like a screenplay. Readers may resent this approach when they realize these minor characters are unimportant to the action. Similarly, the characters routinely speak adverbially: softly, wryly, bitterly. although initially on an even keel, they may “explode” at a question, Invoking inner state by outer response is standard technique, but too many such characterizations make the characters oddly labile. Still, these cavils do not outweigh the pleasures of the plot.

Lawyers looking for a fast-paced mystery will enjoy reading this one as much as the author enjoyed writing it.

* Gila Shoshany, U.W. 1987, recently retired from her position as a staff attorney for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Nancy Kopp grew up in rural Wisconsin. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history at the university of Wisconsin-Whitewater and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She served a one-year term as a law clerk to Justice William G. Callow of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She then spent three years in the litigation department of a large Wisconsin law firm. It was the good fortune of our Wisconsin Supreme Court that Nancy accepted a position as a court commissioner. As one of three Supreme Court commissioners, Nancy studies the cases, writes memoranda, and meets with the Court to make recommendations regarding matters brought within the Court’s discretionary appellate jurisdiction. In the course of her work, Nancy Kopp has read countless briefs, thousands of pages of transcripts of the examinations and cross-examinations of litigants, witnesses, physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and scientific experts of the various disciplines. In short, she has an ideal background to write a mystery thriller that will beguile, amuse, and entertain you!

A friend of ours, who recently read Nancy Kopp’s previous novel, With Intent to Kill, said, “I like Nancy Kopp’s writing. She explains legal procedure in a way a lay person can understand it. She gets inside the heads of the attorney-characters so you know what they are thinking and how and why they decide what they are going to do.”

A public relations program of any bar association that got that reaction would be considered a huge success!

In Kopp’s most recent book, Absent Witness, we meet Carrie Nelson, a highly successful civil litigator. She left a sure chance to become a partner in a large and successful law firm where “billable hours” were the main driving force to join a smaller but successful Chicago firm where the best possible service to the client was the main goal. Multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements which she achieved didn’t keep her from representing a group of poor single mothers being evicted from their apartments for reasons Carrie believed would not stand up under the fair housing laws.

It was about this time that the Buckley family sought her help for their daughter, Katherine, cousin of Carrie’s best friend from college. Katherine lay comatose in a nationally renowned private mental hospital from head injuries received in an auto accident eight months earlier. Katherine was now found to be three months pregnant, the victim, obviously, of a sexual assault. Carrie went to interview the non-physician, former lawyer who was the administrator of the hospital. He had only one goal: to deny responsibility and refuse to even consider a monetary settlement. He maintained it couldn’t’ possibly be any male staff doctor, nurse, or other hospital employee. Security was claimed to be the best. The patients were all mentally ill with guardians and presumed incompetent. The position of the hospital director, hostile and belligerent from the first interview, was simple: the hospital had absolutely no responsibility in the matter.

The medical staff likewise accepted no responsibility: they had never seen anyone act “improperly” around the victim and had no idea who could have been the perpetrator. A police detective, after minimal investigation, decided it must be the victim’s boyfriend, a brilliant law student, who spent many hours sitting by her beside. The hospital signed onto that theory eagerly. The lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries at Carrie’s law firm rallied around her, offering support and help. Among those was a new attorney at the firm and Carrie soon discovered she had more then a professional interest in him.

With the hospital raising the barrier of doctor-patient privilege, how can one question the hospital staff? How does one question potential witnesses -- the dozens of present and former patients who were in the hospital with Katherine -- who have been declared incompetent?

This is the challenge facing Carrie, the civil litigator, who is now adding criminal investigation to her responsibilities since the cops are of no help at this stage.

All this comes to a head when Carrie files an action on behalf of the Buckleys against Jackson Memorial Hospital. There follow court hearings on requiring hospital staff to respond to subpoenas, and a request to allow Carrie to question present and former patients if guardians give written consent. All vigorously opposed by the hospital. How will the judge decide?

From here on the story moves fast. A suspect is found dead at his apartment, apparently a suicide . . . or was it murder? Who, in the hospital hierarchy, knows what is going on? And who is involved in a life-threatening cover-up? Is Carrie’s life in danger? Don’t miss the surprise ending!

Another interesting aspect of this novel is the naming of some of the “good guy” characters after people in the court system or the legal profession. I recognized several; it adds to the fun!

This book would be a great gift, especially from a lawyer to clients. It will, as our friend said, explain the legal system.

It’s a great way to spend $6.99!

In Evanston, Illinois, the Jackson Memorial Hospital is named as one of America’s best health care facilities for the third straight year.  Eight months ago, a pickup truck skidded into Katherine Buckley’s car, sending her into a coma.  A comatose patient all that time at Jackson, Katherine is now three months pregnant.  Her guardians decide to allow the fetus to develop, but hire attorney Carrie Nelson to learn who raped their unconscious daughter.

Carrie quickly learns that many people such as staff and family have legitimate access to Katherine.  However, easy access also exists from other patients and strangers wandering the halls of the facility.   Though her task seems impossible, Carrie finds a witness to the attack.  A mental patient has encoded the information, including the identity of the rapist, onto a computer disc.  Though Carrie now possesses the data, she sues the hospital, not realizing that someone will do anything, including murder, to end her case.

Nancy Kopp has written a top rate legal thriller that centers on some of today’s most difficult social issues, such as keeping a person alive on life support so a fetus can survive.  Ms. Kopp also tackles out of control sexual impulses that lead to perverse behavior.  The appeal of ABSENT WITNESS remains with the fantastic mystery filled with misdirection that will thoroughly entertain readers even as they think about the social issues of modern medicine.

Breakneck pacing and an attention to procedural detail distinguish Kopp’s latest (after Absent Witness), a legal thriller centered around two controversial issues – gay rights and abortion. Following the acquittal of two gay bashers in criminal court, attractive Wisconsin attorney Ann Monroe agrees to represent the young victim, Bill Robinson, in a civil suit. Ann suspects that there was an egregious breach of conduct on the part of the D.A. and possibly even the jurors, which caused Robinson’s assailants to be set free, but when she probes further, she finds that all the major players are unusually tight-lipped about the case. Meanwhile, a fundamentalist group known as the Lambs of God, which doesn’t take kindly to her firm’s liberal bent, has labeled Ann the Antichrist and begun sending her threatening letters for her interference in its Planned Parenthood protests. As the threats and attempts on Ann’s life escalate, she begins to realize that there may be a connection between the two cases. The novel’s frenzied pace and constant action help keep the tension high. . . .

After being dumped by her fiancé two weeks before their wedding, Wisconsin attorney Ann Monroe buries herself in her work and doesn’t give a thought to dating again. Her latest client, Bill Robinson, the victim of gay bashing, wants her to try his case in civil court since he lost in a jury trial and his attackers went free. Ann looks at the trial court records but wonders how anti-gay people were placed on the jury with neither the judge nor the prosecutor recusing them.

Another client of Ann's, a Planned Parenthood clinic, comes under attack from a group of extreme religious fundamentalists known as the Lambs of God. Preacher Charles Tremaine, an enemy of Ann, leads these zealots. She tries to thwart him once again but she becomes a target of attack from a sub-group within the main church. A frustrated An calls upon her friends for help and they come up with links between the two cases that puts the lives of Ann and her allies in danger.

Fans of Nancy Taylor Rosenberg will definitely want to read Nancy Kopp’s latest legal thriller. The heroine is a strong woman who doesn’t let fear get in her way from doing the right things even if it means wearing rubber underwear. Her support allies are equally admirable though Charles and his horde pale in comparison. Although the author provides an extremely exciting novel, there is a clear social message about hate crimes that Ms. Kopp cleverly works into the plot.

Ann Monroe has a history as a crusader for justice, even when it is for an unpopular cause. She has caught flak for this before, even to the point of being stoned by radical unChristian Christians. Now she has taken on three cases that bring her back into the line of fire.

First off is the case of a young gay man who was severely beaten but his attackers got off scot free and now he and his family want to file a civil suit. Then there is the case of two high school students who are being penalized for administering life saving “drugs” to a classmate. Finally, an old enemy has resurfaced and is leading attacks on the local Planned Parenthood clinic. Ann has faced Reverend Tremaine before; this time it may cost lives. Arson, attempted murder, and more innocuous attacks all must be suffered as she sorts through to the truth in an effort to stop the violence. At her side is a new love that has the potential of healing her burned heart.

It is always a pleasure to discover an author new to me, and Ms. Kopp is no exception to this. I suspect this is part of a series, though it stands alone so well that I may be disappointed in this. Unlike many legal thrillers, FINAL JUSTICE is not polluted with excessive profanity or weighed down with too much detail. Ann is a heroine that is easy to like, as were all of the supporting cast members. The romance between her and Ken played just enough of a role in the fast moving story but did not interfere with the mystery. I truly look forward to tracking down Ms. Kopp’s backlist now.

{A]n engrossing and very suspenseful mystery that takes place mostly outside the courtroom.

This is an excellent novel with an exciting, gripping plot and well-developed, believable characters.

Kopp has developed a very strong character in Ann Monroe. . . . She is willing to stand up for what she believes to be morally right in the face of unreasoning anger. Yet she also is vulnerable enough to want to share her life with a new love, after she had been unceremoniously dumped by her fiancé a mere seventeen days before her wedding.

The author is a Wisconsin Supreme Court Commissioner who is thoroughly familiar with trial practice, though certain events had to be compressed in time in order to fit the periods required to move the book along. The reader gets a good look at motion practice and the day-to-day pressure facing attorneys, . . . [t]his is an entertaining and ultimately satisfying tale of an attorney who puts service to her clients above her own safety.

FINAL JUSTICE is a smoothly written, rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. Kopp "ups the stakes" at every turn, which kept me turning the pages until the satisfying conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a fast-paced, action-packed story.