Thriller

Feared by Lisa Scottoline is a disappointment. The plot about reverse discrimination combined with a murder mystery doesn’t have enough unique qualities to propel us toward the ending. Lisa seems to be going through the motions on this Rosato & DiNunzio series. The suspenseful ending is only slightly satisfying. Her standalone books are a better bet for this prolific writer. ( )

I picked this up and skimmed the first couple lines--and, completely unexpectedly, I was hooked. I bombed through the whole thing in just a couple of days, knowing nothing about any other books in the series, and I was never once lost. Writing a series book that can also be a standalone takes some serious skill, and I'd say Scottoline has accomplished that very well.

Yeah, the English major snob in me had moments of eye-rolling disbelief...but in the end, I didn't care. Or rather, I did care because I actually ended up liking it. Because you know what? It turns out this book was exactly what I needed right now. A bunch of strong, powerful women running their own worlds, loving their careers, supporting each other professionally and personally--both colleagues and friends--and choosing to only hang out with men that loved and supported them, too. It's so easy to feel alone in life, and so often it seems like that's what books focus on: the chosen one, the reluctant leader, the odd one out. But for once, I found a book where everyone had a role but also shared roles. Collaboration was way more important than competition. Communities of women and families and neighborhoods mattered more than individual egos, at least to the main characters.

The world is enough like an episode of Black Mirror right now. People are lonely and afraid. I never expected a legal thriller to remind me that there is an alternative. Books don't just have to show the world as it is or at its worst--they can also show us the best possible reality. So while I don't buy for a minute that lawyers with reputations to uphold would accuse other lawyers of murder without actual solid evidence, I also prefer to focus on the family that believes in their child and supports her even when they don't totally understand her choices.

Sometimes it's nice to dream about a world where eye-rolling disbelief exists instead of being par for the Twitter course. Where good and evil can be a little bit easier to spot and--more importantly--to stop.

So yes, I'm me, and I'm going to talk about the things that annoyed me. But who cares? I had enough fun reading this book to relax and enjoy the ride anyway.

Quote Roundup

p. 27) Mary was totally confused, since she thought they were talking about the Way of the Tao, not the Way of the Sage, and in any event, she had been raised Catholic, which was My Way Or The Highway.
There was some really great humor in here. Or maybe I just appreciated it because I went to school with so many (Irish) Catholics in Massachusetts.

p. 122) Frankly, Detective Krakoff's behavior in this situation seems perfectly reasonable to me, however much it frustrates Bennie. There's no reason at all why he should have to give information out to a random person--never mind a person who actually could have some bearing to his case. Throughout this book there were numerous instances where I wondered just how blurred the boundaries were between fiction and reality, because these lawyers say some crazy things and go to some surprising places that I would have thought would compromise their cases. It made me question the "legal" part of "legal thriller".

p. 164) Another instance that strained credulity: one lawyer calling another's client to harass them about the case. I get that this is part of his character, but it just seems wildly implausible. Is it?

p. 217) "You have read that President Richard Nixon stated, 'I am not a crook.' It went down in history as a statement that everybody remembered, because to deny something so absurd gives it credibility that it would not otherwise have."
Um, actually, if I'm remembering my history right, it was more like it got remembered because he actually wasa crook and it turned out that the denial was the absurd part. Maybe not the best example.

p. 238) More unprofessional behavior that seems like it could be grounds for being disbarred. But funny.

p. 340) "You're vaguely aware that there's a code of ethics for attorneys, aren't you?"
A question to ask of every lawyer in the book!

p. 369) Can't say I was totally happy with the murderer. I mean, it was great from a plot perspective, but it strained credulity a bit. "All of a sudden..." No kidding!

And now that I apparently wasted my quotes on complaints, I'd like to wrap up with a few more things that I liked:

> A pregnant main character. Seriously, how often does that happen? And she's not resentful that the baby's going to ruin her life, though she does worry, and she works out her worries with help from her husband.
> A wonderful, lively character with cerebral palsy who is enjoying life.
> Said character is loved by his family and friends, with no hint from anyone that he is a burden.
> A supportive husband who has his own life and is not a doormat but also likes and supports his wife's friends.
> Neighbors who are there for each other, whether the "other" is well-known or someone new! The Tonys! Little old lady clubs!
> Women characters who support each other instead of going all Mean Girls (they easily could have, in the hands of a different author).
> Women taking control of their lives, but also seriously listening to, considering, and acting on input from others--because no woman is an island, and no one always knows what's best for themselves.
> Women deciding what they want in life and pursuing it, whether that's career, romance, family, something else, or a combination of the four.
> Realistic emotional development--and stalling out.
> Men who support women, both as women and as fellow human beings. We saw this in husbands, coworkers, clients...all over the place, despite the overarching theme of sexism.

So yeah...maybe not a literary feat, but a very fun book that really hit the spot for me right now. ( )

Rosato and DiNunzio are sued for reverse discrimination by three lawyers claiming they were not hired because they were male, with the vindictive Nick Machiavelli as counsel. Bennie and Mary are horrified to hear that their one male employee has interviewed at other law firms and, inadvertently, made damaging comments. Then, John Foxman is murdered in his apartment, and the primary suspect is the firm's wacky senior associate, Judy Carrier. As the firm's reputation plummets, their clients in a major anti-trust case in which John was a critical piece decide to fire them, even though most other counsel was conflicted. The very pregnant Mary DiNunzio tries to help in the anti-trust case and the murder investigation. As always, there is much drama in South Philly, with the Tony's, the DiNunzios, the church volunteer group, and ultimately, Nick's own mother. Excellent legal thriller that keeps readers guessing. ( )

Easy read but silly ( )