Moment of Truth
 Lisa Scottoline
 (Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
 2001 Harper Torch/HarperCollins
  ISBN: 0061030597

Attorney Jack Newlin frames himself for murder, when he discovers his wife dead in their home. He believes his daughter had committed the crime & to save her, he hires the most inexperienced lawyer he can find, a rookie Philadelphia lawyer Mary DiNunzio. However, this turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.

Advocate & Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Lisa Scottoline has been one of my favourite author's in the legal thriller arena, ever since I read Final Appeal & I have made it a point to read each of her thrillers. I particularly enjoyed, Everywhere That Mary Went & Mistaken Identity. She is one of the few women authors(I don't mean to sound chauvinistic -- but, let's face it -- there are very few women legal authors around compared to their male counterparts) who have crept into the bestseller league & who deserve ranking right alongside Grisham, Turow, Martini & the Patterson elite. In fact, the People Magazine has hailed her as “The Female Grisham.”

Moment of Truth is a “gentle mystery,” a story of a father-daughter relationship & the story of a lawyer, who faces her first major trial.

Attorney Jack Newlin suspects his daughter of murdering her mother. He takes the rap & then engages for his defense, the most inexperienced attorney he can find. Big mistake! Mary DiNunzio, suspecting Jack's confession, gets on with her investigation & the field is set for a battle between the legal & moral ethics of lawyers, one of whom strongly believes in her client's innocence & wants to get at the truth.

What follows is a page-turner, keeping the reader on tenterhooks. We know for sure that the doctor did not commit the crime & that his daughter definitely didn't. The question of who did it & why looms large until the last chapter -- the Moment of Truth.

All in all, a good whodunit. The author is particularly effective when narrating the behind the scenes of big lawyer firms. Scottoline's official website informs us that she is fond of lawyer jokes, & in this novel that interest is found aplenty.

I would rate Moment of Truth right alongside Mistaken Identity, but it is far, far below the superb Everywhere That Mary Went & Final Appeal. If you have not read Scottoline’s earlier works you will enjoy it, but to die-hard fans, it could be a disappointment.

More from Lisa Scottoline: The Vendetta Defense; Mistaken Identity; Everywhere That Mary Went; Rough Justice; Legal Tender; Running from the Law; Final Appeal.
(12/16/01)

Narayan
2001©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org