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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truth is in the eye of the beholder - Whose truth wins?, 22 Feb 2006
This seat of your edge murder mystery grabs the reader's interest from the very first sentence ... "Jack Newlin had no choice but to frame himself for murder." The reader is jump started, like a heart in ventricular fribrillation, feeling super charged, wondering why he is willing to accept the charge and the question begs to be answered, whom is he protecting? As he is hand-cuffed and taken for interrogation, his only thoughts are, can he pull this off, worried that his lies may unravel. Suspicions about his "confession" mount as he voluntarily makes a statement without the presence of a lawyer ... which is highly unusual ... since Jack Newlin himself *is* a lawyer, but one whose specialty is contracts and estates. Lisa Scottoline creates believable characters and dialogue in this novel. The personalities jump off the page and nearly come to life. Detective Stan Kovich and Detective Brinkley have been partners in the Philadelphia Police force for many years; they feed off each other during the investigation and their synergy sizzles during key phases and important turning points throughout the book. Jack Newlin calls a well established (but not the most distinguished) law firm to represent him. He hires a nearly newly minted lawyer, Mary DiNunzio, who jumps at the chance of representing this high profile case. He consoles himself that, as she is inexperienced, she is less likely to discover his lies. However, not long after interviewing him, Mary leaves with the gut feeling something does not sit right with what he said and how he responded. She is certain he is covering up for someone. Eventually Mary learns Jack Newlin's daughter, Paige Newlin is a model, 16 years old, who is "emancipated", living on her own. She discovers the victim, Honor Newlin, managed the daughter's modeling career and was emotionally abusive. This finding creates a rift between the lawyer and her client ... The Detectives examine the crime scene and one of them finds the back of a pierced earring ... which was *not* picked up by the crime scene investigators. This one clue gnaws at Detective Brinkley whose instincts are seldom wrong. He realizes everything presented so far was too clean-cut. He begins a solitary journey to examine tangential and peripheral possibilities which are being ignored by headquarters, especially Captain Walsh. There is overwhelming compelling evidence which points to Jack Newlin: he had called "9-1-1", made a statement of his guilt, his fingerprints are on the weapon. Since the the District Attorney for this case is Dwight Davis who most often wins for the state, the Captain does not want a media circus to unravel the well knit evidence which all implicates the accused. This book is a gem worth discovering! Clues are provided throughout the book which point to the "real truth". There are hair-pin twists and turns helping the the reader to conclude "not everything is what it seems." Lisa Scottoline possesses a realistic writing style balanced with a good sense of humor. Conversations and descriptions of neighborhoods and the different classes of people are presented so realistically the mind's eye can picture it all perfectly. This book is a *must* *read* for every murder mystery fan.
Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Legal Thriller, 12 Sep 2003
This was the first of Lisa Scottoline's books that I have read. It was an ejoyable legal thriller. The cover of my paperback proclaimed that I could have my money back if it wasn't as a good as John Grisham. To be honest, it probably wasn't. There were lots of nice twists and some characters were well developed (although I did find the lead character, Mary DiNunzio, a bit annoying). However, it didn't grip me in quite the same way as a Grisham book. I'd give it 6/10 - enjoyable but not quite enough to make me rush out to buy any of her other books.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
another warm and witty Philadelphian legal thriller, 2 Oct 2001
The (almost) all-woman Rosato and Associates law firm in Philadelphia is a breeding ground for young, talented, dedicated, if slightly dishevelled and naive lawyers. In this novel, the firm is contacted by a lawyer from a more prominent firm, who is looking for that naivety. He wants to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit, so he picks the Rosato firm, knowing the boss is away and counting on getting an inexperienced woman to defend him. He underestimates the integrity of Mary Di Nunzio, her best pal Judy, the policemen investigating the case, and the entire Di Nunzio family. He also underestimates the resolve of the troubled and beautiful young daughter he's trying to protect. The final denouement is unexpected, with a satisfying sense of justice being done - at a cost.
Scottoline's books are well-paced, funny without being facetious, and this is no exception. The law firm setting allows scope to develop and ensemble of characters, to avoid falling into the frequent series trap of the protagonist being under threat more often than any human or lawyer could stand.
She deserves better than being labelled 'the female John Grisham'.
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