Courting Trouble.Lisa Scottoline Lisa Scottoline (born July 1, 1955) is a popular American author of legal thrillers. Her novels have been translated into 25 languages. Scottoline was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.com 308pp., $25.95 This fast-paced, entertaining, and easy-to-read legal thriller The legal thriller is a sub-genre of crime fiction in which the major characters are lawyers and their employees. The system of justice itself is always a major part of these works, at times almost functioning as one of the characters. is more about the high jinks high jinks or hi·jinks pl.n. Playful, often noisy and rowdy activity, usually involving mischievous pranks. Noun 1. high jinks - noisy and mischievous merrymaking high jinx, hijinks, jinks of its heroine, Anne Murphy, than it is about courtroom tactics. She identifies with Lucy Ricardo from the television sitcom I Love Lucy--a fascination that prompts colorful quotes, memories, and edicts from Murphy and explains her penchant for getting into trouble. The book starts out with an interesting, and potentially career-busting, motion that every lawyer wishes he or she had the guts to argue. From engaging in an affair with opposing counsel to pretending to be dead, this impulsive im·pul·sive adj. 1. Inclined or tending to act on impulse rather than thought. 2. Motivated by or resulting from impulse. im·pul redhead conducts herself in a way that would get her disbarred in the real world. Throughout the book, she pushes the line of ethical behavior, which makes her story all the more fun to read. Murphy is a beautiful, young attorney in Philadelphia. She goes out of town unexpectedly to prepare for a high-profile trial and is shocked the next morning to find her photo on the front page of the newspaper, under the headline "Lawyer Murdered." She decides that playing dead is the best way to find whoever mistakenly killed her house sitter--and stay alive. Murphy thinks the killer is an ex-stalker. However, as she gets closer and closer to him, the clues seem to shift. She has no friends in Philadelphia, so she must learn to trust the women in her law firm. The author gives insight into the normally unmentioned competitiveness and back-stabbing that can occur among women in the legal field, as well as the strong bonds that form during a crisis. The story takes place over a long Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. weekend. Amid the excitement of the crowded streets, our heroine struggles to stay alive while everyone else celebrates their freedom. Murphy blends with the partying throngs, and the celebration provides a colorful background for the story line. She tromps from gay nightclubs to the traditional, religious home of a co-worker's Italian parents in search of the killer. Murphy realizes she must continue to prepare for trial on Monday--as if trying to catch her "killer" while remaining "dead" weren't enough. She learns some unfortunate and disappointing truths about her client and must grapple with the ethics of representing a person whom she doesn't like and no longer believes in. It is refreshing to see a legal thriller present a protagonist dealing with a "bad client" instead of heroically representing the predictable innocent accused. The characters are believable; however, I found myself getting irritated ir·ri·tate v. ir·ri·tat·ed, ir·ri·tat·ing, ir·ri·tates v.tr. 1. To rouse to impatience or anger; annoy: a loud bossy voice that irritates listeners. at some of Murphy's stupidly dangerous actions. At one point, she announces her where-abouts on television, hoping that the killer will seek her out. Reading it reminded me of watching a horror film horror film n → película de terror or miedo horror film horror n → film m d'épouvante horror film horror n and wanting to tell the characters not to go into the basement to check the fuses, because the killer is there. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but as a piece of fluff, rather than as a stimulating account of legal tactics. If you are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a great escape, it's a quick, easy read. Kristine Overmire is research counsel for ATLA's State Affairs and Public Affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. departments. |
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