Rating: 
Summary: Not her best.....not her worst.
Review: I've been a Scottoline fan since FINAL APPEAL, and I've enjoyed watching her evolve into an accomplished writer. Having said that, I must agree with 'booklover10' and say that Scottoline's latest effort has left me a bit flat. The book centers on beautiful Anne Murphy, up and coming associate at the all-girl firm founded by Philadelphia legal eagle Bennie Rosato. Anne, in the middle of a difficult case, decides to take an unplanned week-end off at the beach. She leaves her house in the care of an acquaintance, with deadly results. Thus begins the story of mistaken identity, obsession, and a red herring plot so obvious as to be annoying. I liked Anne and her dogged determination to find the killer, but the story becomes so outrageous as to ridicule common police procedures and it stretches credibility to the absolute breaking point. I will continue to read Scottoline because everyone is entitled to a lapse or two, but I wish better things for Bennie Rosato and her partners. They're smarter than this!
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious!
Review: Young attorney Anne Murphy was poised for a working 4th of July weekend at the Jersey shore when her world was rocked by a front-page newspaper story about the brutal murder of Philadelphia lawyer ... Anne Murphy! Her thoughts immediately go to the hapless young woman she left house-sitting her place and her cat, and then to the supposedly incarcerated man from her past who tried to kill her once. Even though she's slated to begin a career-making trial, Anne decides she'd better "stay dead" 'til she can figure out what's going on. With some covert help from her co-workers at the all-woman Bennie Rosato law firm, she sets out to investigate who wanted her dead, why, and where that person is. And it's a wild ride from there. Lisa Scottoline's irrepressible humor emerges here and there to inspire giggles in the midst of suspense, and it all works very well. Having found her last couple of novels a bit stuffy, I have to respectfully disagree with fellow reviewers who found this one too light. I thought it struck just the right balance. In fact, I gobbled it up in one day and loved every word of it.
Rating:
Summary: excellent crime drama
Review: Beautiful, sassy and bright lawyer Anne Murphy left California and moved to Philadelphia, where she took a job at the legal firm of Rosato & Associates. In her present case, she is representing her old friend in a sexual harassment lawsuit and is particularly pleased when a legal point goes her way. She decides to head out to the Jersey Shore for the Fourth of July Weekend and has her friend Willa is cat-sitting her precious feline. When she reads about her own "death" in the newspaper, Anne immediately realizes that Willa was shot in the face and since there is a strong resemblance between them, the media and Bennie and friends thought it was she who died. When she reveals herself to them and explains it was probably her stalker who followed her to Philadelphia after he escaped from jail, the gang puts a ring of protection around her. Although she is grateful for their friendship and kindness, she is determined to take control of the situation, which comes to a head on the night of July 4th. Lisa Scottoline, renowned for her legal thrillers, has written an excellent crime drama starring characters from previous novels. The friendship between the women is a beautiful thing to behold and is only one of the reasons readers will stick with this book until the perpetrator either is caught or succeeds. COURTING TROUBLE is Ms. Scottoline's best work to date. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A female lawyer trails a dangerous stalker.
Review: Anne Murphy, the main character in "Courting Trouble," moved from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to join the all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates. Although Anne is beautiful, bright and ambitious, she is not particularly happy. She has few friends in Philadelphia and she has been estranged from her mother for many years. Anne soon discovers that her past is about to catch up with her, since she has a secret that haunts her constantly. While she was living in Los Angeles, Anne met a man named Kevin Satorno who professed to be in love with her. Kevin's "love" turned into obsession, and he started calling Anne constantly and stalking her. Eventually, when Anne refused his advances, Kevin threatened her with a gun. Fortunately for Anne, a passerby heard her screams, and Kevin was apprehended and sent to prison for aggravated assault. In an attempt to put the past behind her, Anne has moved to Philadelphia to start a new life. Unfortunately, Kevin is now out of prison and he is coming after Anne once again. An attempt is made on Anne's life, and although she survives, someone is else is killed in her stead. For a while, everyone thinks that Anne is dead. Should Anne pretend to be dead so that she can consider her options? Should she go to the police and enlist their help? Or should she ask her colleagues at Rosato & Associates to help her catch Kevin before he finds out that she is still alive? Lisa Scottoline, the author of "Courting Trouble," is an enormously talented writer, as she proved in her wonderful novel, "The Vendetta Defense." However, she stumbles badly here. Scottoline attempts to keep the tone lighthearted and amusing throughout the book, but the "Nancy Drew" antics of Anne and her friends at the law firm are lame and hare-brained. There are no interesting police procedural matters or courtroom theatrics to liven up the proceedings. In addition, although the main characters are likable enough, they are undeveloped and the plot is run-of-the-mill. The denouement of this "thriller" is flat and improbable. A romance is thrown in, but even this does not give the book the lift that it needs. Scottoline makes the point that people need friends to support them in times of trouble, and that we all should try to stay connected to members of our family. Certainly, these are important messages that most people would endorse, but they are delivered in a heavy-handed manner that weakens the book. "Courting Trouble" is a trifle. It is inoffensive, run-of-the mill, light summer reading, with very little substance.
Rating: 
Summary: A new author for me
Review: "Courting Trouble" is the first novel I've read that was written by Lisa Scottoline. I started reading it on Friday evening and finished it on Saturday. The book held my attention with the story's plot and I thought the flow went well. Perhaps the characters were a bit shallow, but I can overlook that. Since this is my first read for this author, I can't compare this book to her others. However, this book has me interested enough to have me wanting to read more. I think Scottoline has talent and she's putting it to good use. There was only one little thing in the book that caught my attention and made me laugh. That's when the author wrote that he cat Mel said meow. Cat's don't say anything (or I've never met one that did) ;-) I like this author's style. I recommend the book for an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A great weekend read
Review: I was able to secure an advanced reading copy about a month before national release and spent a wonderful weekend devouring it. Ms. Scottolines writing style is crisp and her characters well defined. You get an immediate sense of them and as a result, are rooting for them all through the book. The interplay between characters is never forced and seem very believable (although I don't know many Bosses like Ms. Rosato). Can't wait for the next installment of this great series.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Scottoline's best
Review: I have to agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to Scottoline's usual standards. It was lighter in tone and plot, kind of a Nancy Drew adventure following plucky Nancy, Bess, and George. That said, I still found it an enjoyable summertime read, with a twist of an ending, and look forward to the next installment of Rosatti & Associates. Even fine authors, like Scottoline, can't produce masterpieces every time out.
Rating:
Summary: Legal chicks bond in Scottoline's latest
Review: Fans of Lisa Scottoline's courtroom thrillers are in for a slight change of pace in her latest novel, "Courting Trouble." The plotline doesn't follow her typical formula of a legal who-dunit. Yes, the female characters from Scottoline's previous novels -- lawyers employed by the all-female firm of Rosato & Associates in Philadelphia -- are back. But a new character, Anne Murphy, is the protagonist, and the focus is on the adventures encountered while this newest associate is literally running for her life from a stalker. The book is a combination between legal shannigans and a female buddy book reminiscent of the movie "Thelma and Louise" (the Susan Sarrandon comedy in which two female friends go on a roadtrip and experience one caper after another). Anne, a recent Stanford Law graduate who has recently joined Rosato & Associates as an associate, returns home from a holiday weekend to find a dead body in her apartment. A friend who was housesitting for Anne has been murdered in what Anne soon learns is a case of mistaken identity. Because the victim's face was battered beyond recognition and her build and coloring were similar to Anne's, the police and Anne's co-workers assume that Anne is the victim. The killer, Anne fears, is Kevin Satorno, a stalker suffering from erotomania who Anne fled California to escape. What follows are some madcap adventures as Anne enlists Bennie Rosato and two other female associates from Scottoline's previous novels to help hunt down the killer. There are some good comic scenes throughout the novel as Anne, a beautiful red-haired "I Love Lucy" fanatic who previously had been snubbed from the office social scene, befriends the firm's other female associates in the process of solving the crime. The adventures along the way, ranging from impersonations of hookers to a Fourth of July-inspired costume, are the heart of this novel. Since we're told who the bad guy is early on, there is little suspense as the group searches for the killer. This isn't Scottoline's best book, in my opinion, but it's a lot of fun. I enjoyed the female capers, the romantic sub-plot, and the descriptions of Philadelphia, a city that Scottoline clearly loves. This is a good summer book to take to the beach and have fun with when you're not in the mood for a book that takes life too seriously.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't believe how bad this one is!
Review: I normally can't wait for her books, in fact, I preordered this. I usually plan to read them fairly non-stop. Usually, I mail them to my brother, and then he to others. This one is already in the recycle bin!
This book was so hard to read... it was poorly written, characters were not developed, and the actions not professional nor realistic. I forced my way through it, holding out hope it would get better, it didn't!!To think this author was nominated for Edgars in the past! Take my advice, pass on this one!
Rating:
Summary: Good but not her best effort
Review: I have become hooked on her books. This one has a good story line and a suprise ending, however, it just floats along. Her best effort was, in my opinion, The Vendetta Defense. I think that she could have made more about Ann Murphy and maybe she will in the future. Still it is a quick and interesting read....and after all she dedicated the book to her readers.... so it can't be all bad.
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