Category Archives: Lisa Scottoline

Review: Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline

Title: Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 399 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Scottoline reaches new heights with this riveting novel about how a single decision can undo a family, how our past can derail our present, and how not guilty doesn’t always mean innocent.

Allie Garvey is heading home to the funeral of a childhood friend. Allie is not only grief-stricken, she’s full of dread. Because going home means seeing the other two people with whom she shares an unbearable secret.

Twenty years earlier, a horrific incident shattered the lives of five teenagers, including Allie. Drinking and partying in the woods, they played a dangerous prank that went tragically wrong, turning deadly. The teenagers kept what happened a secret, believing that getting caught would be the worst thing that could happen. But time has taught Allie otherwise. Not getting caught was far worse.

Allie has been haunted for two decades by what she and the others did, and by the fact that she never told a soul. The dark secret has eaten away at her, distancing her from everyone she loves, including her husband. Because she wasn’t punished by the law, Allie has punished herself, and it’s a life sentence.

Now, Allie stands on the precipice of losing everything. She’s ready for a reckoning, determined to learn how the prank went so horribly wrong. She digs to unearth the truth, but reaches a shocking conclusion that she never saw coming–and neither will the reader.

A deeply emotional examination of family, marriage, and the true nature of justice, Someone Knows is Lisa Scottoline’s most powerful novel to date. Startling, page-turning, and with an ending that’s impossible to forget, this is a tour de force by a beloved author at the top of her game.

Review:

Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline is an intriguing mystery about a teenage prank gone terribly wrong.

In 1999, teenagers Allie Garvey, Sasha Barrow, David Hybrinski, and Julian Browne live in an upscale community in Pennsylvania. Allie is dealing with a tragic loss when she and Sasha come across David and Julian in the woods near their homes.  The two young men have made an unexpected discovery that Sasha finds fascinating. Long obsessed with his next door neighbor, Julian uses Sasha’s interest to try to get close to her. David is dealing with his own issues but he goes along with his best friend’s plans.  Newcomer to the housing development, Kyle Gallagher, is unwittingly drawn into their prank when Julian feels his chance with Sasha slipping away. After tragedy strikes, the teens go their separate ways until twenty years later. After they are reunited at a funeral, Allie can no longer bear the guilt that is destroying her marriage to husband, Larry Rucci. What impact will her decision to come clean about what happened that fateful night have on the rest of their group?

The summer of 1999 is already shaping up to be quite memorable for Allie, Sasha, David, Julian and Kyle. Allie’s family is falling apart following a terrible loss. Her mother is deeply depressed, her father is in denial and Allie is barely coping.  David is under pressure from his family to become a professional tennis player. But it is a shocking accusation by his father that sends him reeling. Julian is an entitled only child whose crush on Sasha has crossed the line due his unhealthy behavior.  Because of her parents frequent business travel, Sasha is left to her own devices as she is supervised by the family’s live in employees. Kyle’s recent move to Pennsylvania is shrouded in mystery as he and his mom try to maintain a low profile and avoid any type of attention.

Despite their privileged lives,  Allie, Sasha, David and Julian are no different than other teens their age when it comes to making ill-thought out, stupid decisions. Allie’s and David’s moral compasses are more developed than Sasha and Julian, but this does not prevent them from joining Julian and Sasha.  In the aftermath of their ill-conceived prank, their lives go in dramatically different directions than they initially planned.  Allie is particularly tormented by what happened and the funeral is the catalyst she needs to right that long ago wrong. But will the rest of the group agree with her?

Written from several points of view, Someone Knows is a compelling mystery that keeps the pages turning at a blistering pace.  The characters are richly developed and the storyline is engrossing.  Lisa Scottoline  brings the novel to action-packed conclusion that has plenty of unanticipated twists and stunning turns. A suspenseful mystery that I enjoyed and recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, GP Putnams Sons, Lisa Scottoline, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Someone Knows, Suspense

Review: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

Title: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Nobody cuts deeper than family…

Dr. Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie Ippolitti, and for the first time in a long time, he and his young son are happy. Despite her longing for the daughter she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, Maggie is happy too, and she’s even more overjoyed when she unexpectedly gets another chance to be a mother to the child she thought she’d lost forever, her only daughter Anna.

Maggie and Noah know that having Anna around will change their lives, but they would never have guessed that everything would go wrong, and so quickly. Anna turns out to be a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules, though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble brewing in a once-perfect marriage and home.

Events take a heartbreaking turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused and tried for the heinous crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her daughter, but the realization that Anna’s murder may have been at the hands of a husband she loves. In the wake of this tragedy, new information drives Maggie to search for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined.

Riveting and disquieting, After Anna is a groundbreaking domestic thriller, as well as a novel of emotional justice and legal intrigue. And New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline will keep readers on their toes until the final shocking page

Review:

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline is a gripping domestic mystery.

Maggie Ippolitti has not any contact with her seventeen year old daughter Anna since her vindictive ex-husband sued for custody after Maggie was hospitalized for postpartum psychosis. Now happily married to Dr. Noah Alderman and stepmom to ten year old, Caleb, she is stunned but thrilled to hear from Anna. Maggie does not hesitate to agree to Anna’s request to move in with them and in short order, her once happy marriage is in serious trouble.  The situation goes from bad to worse when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of killing her. After Noah’s trial ends, Maggie learns stunning news but will this startling turn of events undo the damage that has been wrought on her family?

Anna’s presence in the Alderman household is disruptive right from her arrival. Maggie is overjoyed by their reunion and desperate to ensure Anna’s happiness. Tension quickly builds between Maggie and Noah as they disagree over how to deal with Anna’s manipulative behavior. Noah sees his new stepdaughter a whole lot more clearly than his besotted wife who staunchly defends her daughter and ignores some pretty glaring warning signs that something is not quite right. With an alarming rift rapidly widening between Maggie and Noah, Maggie is bamboozled by Anna’s shocking allegations.

Unfolding in reverse order, After Anna by Lisa Scottoline shifts back and forth between Noah’s murder trial and the events leading up to Anna’s murder. Maggie is a completely irritating character who desperately wants to make up for events from the past and her allegiance quickly shifts to her daughter. Noah makes a few boneheaded decisions that that come back to haunt him and it is shocking how quickly Anna comes between him and Maggie. Anna is extremely devious and quite cunning but what possible motive could she have for her malicious accusations against Noah?  Well, Lisa Scottoline answers that intriguing questions during the twist-filled, action-packed and somewhat improbable denouement. While all of the loose ends are neatly tied up, readers might be a little disappointed with the novel’s saccharine sweet happy ending.

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Filed under After Anna, Contemporary, Lisa Scottoline, Mystery, Rated B, Review, St Martin's Press, Suspense

Review: One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline

Title: One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He’s applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he’s ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable.

But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.

Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he’s being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.

Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin’s baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.

Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon’s wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them.

At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget.

Review:

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline is a suspenseful, adrenaline laced thriller that is fast-paced and compelling.

Chris Brennan is a newly hired teacher and assistant baseball coach at Central Valley High School. The staff eagerly welcomes him with open arms and he is a big hit with his student. What no one knows is Chris Brennan is not his real name and he has a nefarious agenda that includes befriending one of his students.  After careful consideration, Chris has narrowed his list down to three possible teenagers and he wastes no time trying to gain the boys’ trust. Chris is cold and calculating as he begins putting in motion what appears to be a very ominous plan.

Raz Sematov is one of the boys on Chris’s list to befriend. He, along with his mother Susan and older brother Ryan, are still mourning the sudden death of his father months earlier.  With the family dynamic completely changed, Susan has failed to step up and take control of the family and she is hard to like considering her self-absorbed attitude.  With the small family floundering, Raz is incredibly vulnerable to Chris’s manipulation, but is the grief-stricken teenager the right person for his plan?

Evan Kostis is rich, entitled and quite popular with his fellow students. His father, Paul, is a doctor whose busy practice keeps him away from home for long hours. Hi mom Mindy is a stay at home mother who uses alcohol to cope with the problems in her marriage and she is hardly the most observant parent. Armed with plenty of suspicions about the possible reasons for  Paul’s frequent late nights at work, she is looking for evidence to back up her theories.  With so much turmoil surrounding the family, will Chris chose Evan to aid him with whatever he is planning to do?

Jordan Larkin is the son of a hardworking single mom who is counting on a baseball scholarship so he can attend college.  His mother, Heather, works as a waitress at the local country club and she is quite proud of her kind-hearted, thoughtful son.  Despite their financial struggles and lack of a male role model, Jordan is well-adjusted and never gives Heather any reason to worry about him. Chris quickly zeros in vulnerabilities that could make Jordan very useful during his preparations for his (worrying) project.

Chris has carefully laid the ground work for whatever he is planning to do and it is rather scary how easily everyone accepts him at face value. However, his inner thoughts provide a much more menacing picture and although he has not given name to his project, it is obviously something quite horrific. The only person who might inadvertently blow his cover is teacher Abe Yomes and Chris makes every effort to stay of his way.  But Abe proves to be incredibly tenacious and he quickly becomes a thorn in Chris’s side.  How far will Chris go to ensure nothing (and no one) prevents him from carrying out his disturbing plot?

One Perfect Lie has an ingenious and very unique storyline and Lisa Scottoline brilliantly keeps readers guessing what Chris is planning to do for a good part of the novel. Chris is rather chilling as he meticulously puts the three boys at odds while he decides which teenager will be the most helpful in carrying out what appears to be a very chilling and deadly plot.  Once the truth about Chris is revealed, the riveting story hurtles at breakneck speed to an exciting, pulse-pounding conclusion.  An absolutely breathtaking rollercoaster of ride that mystery/thriller/suspense lovers are going to LOVE!

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Filed under Contemporary, Lisa Scottoline, Mystery, One Perfect Lie, Rated B+, Review, St Martin's Press, Suspense, Thriller

Review: Damaged by Lisa Scottoline

Title: Damaged by Lisa Scottoline
Rosato and DiNunzio Series Book Four
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

One boy. One lawyer. One chance for justice.

Ten-year-old Patrick O’Brien is a natural target at school. Shy, dyslexic, and small for his age, he tries to hide his first-grade reading level from everyone: from his classmates, from the grandfather who cares for him, and from the teachers who are supposed to help him. But the real trouble begins when Patrick is accused of attacking a school aide. The aide promptly quits and sues the boy, his family, and the school district. Patrick’s grandfather turns to the law firm of Rosato & DiNunzio for help and Mary DiNunzio is on the case. Soon Mary becomes Patrick’s true champion and his only hope for security and justice. But there is more to the story than meets the eye and Patrick might be more troubled than he seems. With twists at every turn and secrets about the family coming to light, Mary DiNunzio might have found the case that can make her a true protector, or break her heart…

With Lisa Scottoline’s trademark emotional depth and fast-paced action, Damaged will have readers riveted to the last page as they root for the beloved characters and their fight for justice.

Review:

Damaged, the latest addition to Lisa Scottoline’s Rosato and DiNunzio series, is a perplexing legal mystery that delves into the intricacies of special education law and family law.

Mary DiNunzio is the final two weeks of wedding preparations when she finds herself knee deep in a heartbreaking case involving a ten year old boy and his grandfather.  Retired accountant Edward O’Brien hires Mary to defend his grandson Patrick after the child is accused of attacking his teacher’s aide, Steven Robertson, with a pair of scissors. Robertson’s attorney is notorious and diabolical legal shark, Nick Machiavelli, whose immature taunts and dastardly manipulations immediately infuriate Mary.  After the case takes a deadly turn, she jeopardizes her relationship with her fiancé Anthony Rotunno when she impetuously makes a decision without consulting him.  Desperate to rescue Patrick before he is irreparably damaged by the system that is designed to protect him, Mary works feverishly to solve a shocking murder but will she become the killer’s next victim?

Helping special needs children get the best education possible is what Mary does best and she is willing to do whatever is necessary to help Edward navigate the complicated system for his grandson.  She is incensed at Nick’s legal shenanigans and she sometimes acts before she thinks.  She is immediately on the offensive trying to anticipate his next move, but Mary is stunned at how far he will go to outmaneuver her.  As the situation with Patrick worsens, she genuinely wants what is best for the young boy, but some of her decisions are a little naive and ill-planned.  Mary’s heart is in the right place, but she is definitely out of her depth and making choices that could do more harm than good in the long run.

The allegations against Patrick are not easy to prove but they are equally difficult to disprove as well.  While Mary knows the special education laws inside out, backwards and upside down, she is on unfamiliar ground once Patrick reveals shocking  information about Steven Robertson.  After the case takes a heartrending turn, she is even more determined than ever to save the young boy, but things begin moving so fast that she can barely keep up.  Mary is puzzled by some of the details she stumbles across but she is so overwhelmed by everything that is happening, the truth remains tantalizingly out of reach.  Will Mary be able to solve the mystery before it is too late?

With plenty of intriguing twists and turns, Damaged is a fast-paced and compelling mystery. Lisa Scottoline’s research into special education laws and family law is absolutely impeccable and provides depth to the various story arcs.  The storyline is interesting with unexpected plot twists that will keep the reader guessing whodunit and why right up until the dramatic showdown between Mary and the murderer(s).  Although Damaged is the fourth book in the  Rosato and DiNunzio series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

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Filed under Blog Tour, Contemporary, Damaged, Lisa Scottoline, Mystery, Rated B, Rosato and DiNunzio Series, St Martin's Press, Suspense

Review: Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline

Title: Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 449 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Donor 3319 Profile:
Tall. Blonde. Blue eyes.
Medical Student.
Wanted for Serial Murder.

“Spellbinding. Another tour de force from Scottoline. It drew me in, in a single breath.” –Mary Kubica, bestselling author of The Good Girl

Christine Nilsson and her husband, Marcus, are desperate for a baby. Unable to conceive, they find themselves facing a difficult choice they had never anticipated. After many appointments with specialists, endless research, and countless conversations, they make the decision to use a donor.

Two months pass, and Christine is happily pregnant. But one day, she is shocked to see a young blond man on the TV news being arrested for a series of brutal murders—and the blond man bears an undeniable and uncanny resemblance to her donor.

Delving deeper to uncover the truth, Christine must confront a terrifying reality and face her worst fears. Riveting and fast-paced with the depth of emotionality that has garnered Lisa Scottoline legions of fans, Most Wanted poses an ethical and moral dilemma: What would you do if the biological father of your unborn child was a serial killer?

Review:

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline is an intriguing mystery with a very unusual storyline.  Moving at a brisk pace, readers will remain invested in the novel’s final outcome despite the fact that some aspects of the plot are fairly far-fetched.

After finally becoming pregnant via donor sperm, Christine and Marcus Nilsson are eagerly awaiting the upcoming birth of their baby.  However, their joy turns to horror after catching a glimpse of suspected serial killer Zachary Jeffcoat.  Christine is certain he is the donor whose sperm was used to impregnate her.  While Marcus is not convinced Jeffcoat resembles their donor, he does want the sperm bank to either confirm or deny their suspicions.  Running into legal roadblocks due to the donor’s confidentiality agreement, Marcus consults a malpractice attorney to force the issue.  However, after learning the case might not be immediately resolved, Christine makes an impetuous decision to meet with Jeffcoat face to face and ask him if he is the donor.  She then begins her own investigation into the murders in order to find out once and for all if the biological father of her unborn baby is a serial killer.

Christine is a very earnest and somewhat naive elementary school teacher turned sleuth. Her once stable marriage has become a little shaky after their infertility problems but she is thrilled her dream of having a baby is well within reach.  Disconcerted by the realization the baby’s biological father could be a killer, she wants her suspicions either confirmed or denied but after her initial meeting with Jeffcoat, she becomes convinced he is innocent.  Christine also feels an unexpected connection to him because of the baby and this causes some major friction between her and Marcus.

Marcus and Christine are at odds over the situation right from the start.  Not totally convinced that Jeffcoat looks like the picture of their donor, he somewhat naively believes the sperm bank will confirm or deny their suspicions.  Once they refuse, he resorts to legal action without Christine’s knowledge.  Disagreeing over how to handle the situation, things go downhill fast by his unexpected reaction to what he thinks they should do if Jeffcoat is indeed their sperm donor.  With the gulf between them widening, Marcus’s unresolved issues about their infertility problems leads to jealousy and Christine comes up with a somewhat harebrained idea about embarking on her own investigation.

Zachary is a very charming medical salesman who is travels frequently for his job.  Like any good salesman, he easily reads people then manipulates them to his advantage.  He has a reasonable explanation for the circumstances surrounding his arrest, but can his version of the events be believed?  Christine’s gut instincts say yes, but she is swayed by some of the information she uncovers and she then wavers back and forth about Jeffcoat’s guilt or innocence.

At first firmly believing wholeheartedly in Zachary’s innocence, Christine volunteers to help his grumpy lawyer Griff build his defense for his client. Readers will be forced to suspend their disbelief as she visits the crime scene, views crime scene photos and questions witnesses.  Her untrained eye spots evidence that seasoned detectives have managed to overlook and she grows more certain that  Zachary is innocent until she catches him in a few lies.  Her interview with his boss leaves her questioning her judgment of Jeffcoat and she starts to wonder if he is, in fact, guilty of the crimes.  Dismayed and distracted by this newfound knowledge, Christine inadvertently puts herself and her unborn baby in harm’s way which leads to a pulse-pounding and dramatic conclusion.

Despite a few problems with the more unrealistic aspects of the storyline, Most Wanted is an interesting mystery that raises thought-provoking issues about sperm banks and lack of psychological testing for sperm donors.  The characters are fairly well-developed although not all of them are particularly likable. Lisa Scottoline does a brilliant job keeping readers guessing the truth about Zachary Jeffcoat’s guilt or innocence but it is a jaw-dropping revelation late in the novel that will truly stun readers.

All in all, an imaginative mystery with an unusual storyline that I enjoyed and recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Lisa Scottoline, Most Wanted, Mystery, Rated C+, Review, St Martin's Press, Suspense