- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; New Ed edition (4 July 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007104898
- ISBN-13: 978-0007104895
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.1 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 988,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘Lisa Scottoline has been added to my short list for must-read-authors. Her stories are filled with teeth-gnashing suspense, her characters are compelling, and her humor cuts to the heart of the issue with laser-like accuracy.’
Janet Evanovich
‘Lisa Scottoline’s greatest skill, and it is a remarkable one indeed, is to make the domestic incident, the small characters, and moments come to life and ring absolutely true.’
Stuart M Kaminksy
Product Description
Hard-hitting and unforgettable, Lisa Scottoline’s Edgar Award winning second novel Final Appeal shines with her characteristic wit and gift for inventive plot.
To Philadelphia lawyer Grace Rossi, who is starting over after a divorce, a part-time job with a federal appeals court sounds perfect. But Grace doesn’t count on being assigned to an explosive death penalty appeal. Nor does she expect to have an affair with her boss, Chief Judge Armen Gregorian.
Then the unimaginable happens: an apparent suicide in strange circumstances leads to Grace becoming involved in a murder investigation. As events spiral out of control she finds herself unearthing a six-figure bank account kept by a judge with an alias, breaking into another judge’s chambers, and following a trail of bribery and corruption that has even the FBI stumped. In no time at all, Grace under fire takes on a whole new meaning.
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First Sentence
At times like this I realize I'm too old to be starting over, working with law clerks. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
At times like this I realize I'm too old to be starting over, working with law clerks. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the second novel by LS, and also the second one i ve read from this author. The first one i read was her debut novel 'Everywhere that Mary went' which i definitely loved and to which i gave a very good review here at Amazon. However this one was a huge disappointment. The story never gets going, very weak characters that the author does not bother to dwell upon (except maybe on Bernice, but she s a dog), and the dialogue could easily have been written, probably with better results, by my 6year old niece. The only positive thing is that the book is so short that it will finish before it gets going so it does not bore you for a lenghty period of time. The plot could have been a good one which involved a ring of corrupt judges and a lawyer( obviously female) determined to expose everyone involved. But it seems to me that while this book was being written either LS was trying to meet a deadline or she was thinking about the next book. Correct me if i m wrong Ms Scottoline. Gave the book generously 2 stars cause of the sense of humour and irony the author writes with that i particularly like. Read somewhere that LS is the female version of John Grisham. From what i read so far which is not a lot i admit, all i say to this is way to go!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If Steve Martini, Scott Turow, or John Grisham, wrote from a feminine perspective this is the subject matter they would cover.
Grace Rossi, a Philadelphia lawyer, works for federal appeals Judge Armen Gregorian. When he's found dead, apparently a suicide, Grace decides to investigate, as she believes it might be murder. Its incomprehensible to Ms. Rossi that the Judge would end his life so abruptly after they had started an affair the previous evening. The plot follows Grace's investigations, and the final resolution of the Judge's death.
Put simply, this is not one of Scottoline's best works. The plot starts slowly and initially is a bit hard to follow. Scottoline's political biases are "front and center". This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when all the "good folks" are on one side of the political line and all the "bad folks" on the other, it's not hard to predict the final outcome. The description of her brief liaison with Judge Gregorian is unrealistic, as are some of the other plot devices used here. Although the story picks up considerably after a weak opening, the final resolution of the key mysteries is rather weak and may be predicable to many readers.
None-the-less Scottoline is an outstanding writer, knowledgeable about the legal system, easy to read, and not demanding of her readers. In typical Scottoline style, the key characters are not too numerous. Although this book won an Edgar for the author, it's clearly not one of her best works. If you're new to Scottoline, you may want to start with one of her later books.
Grace Rossi, a Philadelphia lawyer, works for federal appeals Judge Armen Gregorian. When he's found dead, apparently a suicide, Grace decides to investigate, as she believes it might be murder. Its incomprehensible to Ms. Rossi that the Judge would end his life so abruptly after they had started an affair the previous evening. The plot follows Grace's investigations, and the final resolution of the Judge's death.
Put simply, this is not one of Scottoline's best works. The plot starts slowly and initially is a bit hard to follow. Scottoline's political biases are "front and center". This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when all the "good folks" are on one side of the political line and all the "bad folks" on the other, it's not hard to predict the final outcome. The description of her brief liaison with Judge Gregorian is unrealistic, as are some of the other plot devices used here. Although the story picks up considerably after a weak opening, the final resolution of the key mysteries is rather weak and may be predicable to many readers.
None-the-less Scottoline is an outstanding writer, knowledgeable about the legal system, easy to read, and not demanding of her readers. In typical Scottoline style, the key characters are not too numerous. Although this book won an Edgar for the author, it's clearly not one of her best works. If you're new to Scottoline, you may want to start with one of her later books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
29 reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Not Scottoline's best work
16 Jun 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I've read three other Scottoline books and liked all better than this. Of course, this was written when she was a fledgling novelist, so she's learned much from good editors over the years. In this book, she writes in first person, which I found limiting. Supporting characters did not ring true at all. Also, her political views determine the course of the plot. This is a very bad mistake, I believe. All of the more conservative types are villians, all of the liberals are heroes. Identity of killer is predictable for that reason alone, and it's not a good enough reason. One wonders why this particular book won an Edgar Award.
In her later books, like Legal Tender and Mistaken Identity, I give Scottoline an A for plotting and an A+ for pacing. They're written in third person and her quirky characters are all interesting if not totally believable. But the books move so fast, you go with the flow anyway.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Fortunately, I didn't give up on Lisa Scottoline...
17 Nov 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Final Appeal was the first Lisa Scottoline book that I read. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers here. At least half of this book was senseless chatter, and the novel did not seem to flow smoothly. But because the other half of the time, the novel did seem to flow smoothly, I plugged away and finished the book. I didn't like the first-person, present-tense type of writing found in this book, but this has not been encountered in any of Lisa's other books that I've read so far.
Since I had bought five other Scottoline paperbacks recently, I decided to keep reading. And I'm glad I did! I have really enjoyed reading her other books so far. They are 'unputdownable-type' of books, and I'll continue to buy her books. The stories flow smoothly in Legal Tender, Moment Of Truth, Mistaken Identity, and Running From The Law, without the needless chatter found in Final Appeal. I'll be starting The Vendatta Defense today and expect that I'll not want to put it down until I finish it later today.
I still need to buy Everywhere That Mary Went, Rough Justice, and Courting Trouble. I've read all of John Grisham's books and have to say that Lisa Scottoline is now one of my favorite top-five authors, along with John Grisham.
42 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Final Appeal is a wonderful read!
2 Mar 1999
Format:Mass Market Paperback
It is easy to see why Final Appeal won the Edgar Allen Poe award! It's pace is swift, the plot line totally believable and Ms. Scottoline's characters are so real you speculate about them long after you finish this delightful novel. One can only hope Grace Rossi appears in another Scottoline novel soon!
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