Rough Justice

Rating:
Summary: F word abounds
Review: Apparently the author hoped you wouldn't notice the plot problems if she through the F word in every other sentence. Reading this book is like spending the afternoon with outspoken sailors.

Rating:
Summary: Spell Binding - Great Read
Review: ROUGH JUSTICE finds Lisa Scottoline utilizing characters from previous novels(Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier from EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT)and Bennie Rosato(from the excellent LEGAL TENDER)and introducing another no-nonsense female protagonist, this time in the form of defense attorney Marta Richter. Richter is a high-profile lawyer retained by a Boston businessman when he's accused of murder during an attempted car-jacking. The crux of the novel is presented right up front--the trial is near-end, with the client likely to walk free thanks to Richter, when he drops a bombshell on her--he did in fact kill the victim, and not in self-defense. Beside herself, Richter sets out to find proof of her client's guilt, with help from local counsel Rosato & Associates, of which DiNunzio and Carrier are both associates. That's when the mess begins. Scottoline manages to introduce new, ultimately peripheral characters in almost every chapter, from ALL twelve jurors to the city mayor's chief of staff. It pretty much goes without saying that we don't care about these characters from word go, and that viewpoint doesn't change, leading to a book that is highly overpopulated and plot-malnourished. And the once likeable Mary DiNunzio is reduced to a senseless nitwit, while Rosato is just plain cold. The book manages to save itself a little in the last third, but those who expect more from the usually reliable Scottoline might not stick around long enough to find that out.

Rating:
Summary: Grade B Movie Quality
Review: The title gives you the short version, now here comes the longer one. I'm reading Ms. Scottoline's works in order, so this is number 5. In Rough Justice, she reprises Mary DiNunzio's character from book 1 and if my notes are right, (Ms.) Bennie Rosata's from book 3 -- which is nice because we're really getting inside these character's personalities which adds to the fun. The basic premise this time is that a guest hot-shot lawyer from out of town, Marta Richter, has just heard from her client, who, thanks to Marta's hard work, is heading toward a self-defense acquittal for killing an alleged carjacker, a confession that it was murder after all. She immediately spends the rest of the book trying to get back at him (not too sure about the "legality" of that), with help from Bennie's associates Mary and Judy. The plot is actually quite good, with a lot of twists and turns, culminating in a very good ending that had me turning pages late into the night. A number of additional corpses prevent this from being all sweetness and light, yet I think the outcome seemed fitting. My only gripe was that 2/3 of the book took place during such a bitter and deep snowstorm that roads were closed and cities crippled. Yet Marta manages to drive back and forth from Philly to the Jersey shore (!), with all kinds of shenanigans there, while the troops back at the law firm are out all night pulling the same stunts, even interviewing people at 2 o'clock in the morning!

Anyhow, "Rough" is a welcome addition to the growing Scottoline repertoire; I'll certainly be back for more, and I can overlook a little bit of unlikely traipsing around by the women for a story this entertaining! Try it.

Rating:
Summary: Just plain fun
Review: This book is just plain fun - and just plain exciting! I loved watching Scottoline set up her ducks and knock them down, loved the nail-biting setup, however implausible some people thought it was. She has a real gift for making flawed characters interesting and likable, and a real gift for storytelling. Page-turner is right! I can't wait for the next one.

Rating:
Summary: Hey, who sez good reading has to be believable?
Review: This is a book that I can't put down, until 2 am with a 5 am wake-up. The premise has to be a lawyer's nightmare. Winning a case hands down, only to discover that your client is guilty; how can you hold your head up? Scottoline is making a good point that lawyers DO have a conscience; allegedly they seek justice more than just "how many billable hours can we milk out of our client". The magnet in this story is how all the lawyers were working independently toward the same solution, each finding a different link. I like Scottoline's method of ending each chapter, just as the old-timey serials at the movies ended each week, with the hero appearing to be heading for disaster. And then the author switches to another character in action to begin the next chapter. Since I don't know good literature from bad literature, I have to judge what makes my simple mind feel satisfied with the book in my hands. This novel has a feel-good authenticity to it. My reason for only 4 stars? I have to read a second, then third, before I move Lisa Scottoline into my personal author's Hall of Fame.

Rating:
Summary: Confused by the ending
Review: This is not my favorite Lisa Scottoline book but it is a fast-paced book that's good for beach reading. Sit back in the sun and watch events unfold during one of the worst snowstorms Philly has ever experienced.

As other reviewers have pointed out the fact that all the events happened in well under 24 hours in the midst of the "storm of the century" is unbelievable. I liked all the female characters (both good and bad) but wish we saw more of Bennie Rosato.

I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't read it yet but I didn't get it. Why do the police arrive at the Court House steps? How did they get their information? Surely jurist Christopher didn't know enough to provide them with information. And our heroines were too busy trying to put all the pieces together. Because of this I came away unsatisfied.

Rating:
Summary: To much confusion.
Review: This is the fifth book I have read by Lisa Scottoline. I was disappointed in it. I enjoyed the others. This one had to many things going on at one time, it was almost like trying to read five or six different stories at the same time. There would be a chapter about Marta, then one about the jury, then one about City Hall, then one about Steere, then one about Judy and Mary, then she would start over again with Marta. The material on Marta at the beach house of Steere was a joke, I know it is fiction but for Marta to do what she did in that much cold and snow is so far out it is unreal. I had really looked forward to reading this book as I enjoyed the others so much. Don't know if I will try another one or not.

Rating:
Summary: Spell Binding - Great Read
Review: This suspenseful thriller kept me on the edge. It is a fast moving story with characters you will instantly want to win. This was my first mystery by Sottoline and now finishing my seventh in three weeks.