Courting Trouble
 Lisa Scottoline
 (Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
 2002 HarperCollins
  ISBN: 0060185147

Lawyer Anne Murphy investigates a murder -- not anybody's murder -- but her own!

Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Lisa Scottoline's latest offering Courting Trouble, is one that will satisfy & enthrall the ardent fans of Ms. Scottoline & the devotees of the legal thriller genre.

Anne Murphy (whom we first met in The Vendetta Defense), is hard at work in a sexual harassment suit & decides to take a weekend off, entrusting her chum, Willa Hansen, to ‘cat-sit' for the weekend.

The next day, however, Anne finds a news item in the local dailies that Philadelphia Lawyer Anne Murphy is dead. The victim, found in Anne's home (obviously Willa) has been shot pointblank in the face -- thus accounting for the mistaken identity.

Murphy suspects one Kevin Satorno as the murderer. He has been stalking her in the past, & she slowly realizes that the only way she can remain alive is by – staying dead! What follows is a thrilling fast paced thriller with a stunning, but expected twist in the tale ending.

Courting Trouble also features ‘side-roles' for past Scottoline protagonists. Mary DuNinzio (seen last in A Moment of Truth), Judy Carrier (The Vendetta Defense) as well as the author's most famous protagonist Bennie Rosato -- all have major roles in this thriller -- making it somewhat an all-female thriller.

The heroine of Courting Trouble, is a spunky lawyer, who immediately comes across as likeable, so much so that the reader is always rooting for her at every stage of her adventure. Compared to the author's other legal thrillers -- Courting Trouble doesn't devote much time in the courtroom & hence the title is a bit of a misnomer. I am informed that the working title for this book was ‘Murphy’s Law', & I feel this would have been better.

All in all Courting Trouble is a good whydunit & again affirms this author's position as the ‘female Grisham.'

I was kept glued to the pages. Without taking the suspense away let me end with one clue -- the ending reminded me of the film Urban Legend.

For those who have read this book, do you agree with me?

More from Lisa Scottoline: A Moment of Truth; The Vendetta Defense; Mistaken Identity; Everywhere That Mary Went; Rough Justice; Legal Tender; Running from the Law; Final Appeal.
(09/15/02)

Narayan
2002©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