Courting Trouble

What do you do when you see the front-page headlines screaming that you've been murdered? Tell the police it's all a mistake, of course. At first blush, yes. But think this through. Whose body showed up with holes in it, and why do the authorities think that it's you? Besides, who has a motive to see you dead? When you look at all the possibilities, maybe you want to back off of that first impression, dig into the facts around the whole situation before making a hasty, and possibly fatal, decision. That's just where Anne Murphy, a beautiful, young Philadelphia lawyer, finds herself. The day before the nation's birthday celebration, Anne pulls off a gutsy coup in the courtroom, winning a motion in a highly unconventional way. Heady with victory, she looks around for someone with whom to share her triumph, but since she doesn't have any friends, no one comes to mind. So, despite her aversion to exercise, she forces herself to work out at the gym on her way home. There, she befriends Willa Hansen, a petsitter, and arranges for Willa to take care of Mel, her personable cat, over the Fourth of July weekend. Fortunately, for Anne, she finds an apartment at the shore at the last minute. Now she can escape the bedlam of patriotism on Independence Day in the City of Brotherly Love, and get some work done preparing for the big trial on Tuesday. She spends the evening enduring holiday traffic, arriving late at her quiet retreat. On her early morning jog the next day, Anne glimpses the horrifying words at the newsstand, "Lawyer Found Murdered." As she reads the subheading, she discovers, to her total bewilderment, that she is the victim. It slowly dawns on her that Willa must have died in her place, and her suspicion is that Kevin, a deranged stalker from her past, must have gotten out of prison early. Anne realizes early on that she will need help. She turns to three members of the all-women law firm where she works. The rest of the holiday weekend is filled with the capers of these four gorgeous lawyers chasing clues around Philly in a red Mustang convertible. Bennie Rosato, the firm's owner, becomes the voice of reason among her young associates. Curbing their sometimes harebrained schemes, however, proves too much even for her. With Anne falling in love with opposing counsel on her largest case, Bennie has her hands full keeping everyone focused on what's important. The final plan, however, is Anne's alone. While it works fairly well, all does not go exactly as hoped. Then comes the surprise. Ms. Scottoline's fans, especially those who have awaited the return of Bennie Rosato & Associates, will find this an easy summer read. The bottom line is that COURTING TROUBLE, unlikely plot or not, is loads of fun, lots of good girl talk, with a sexy car and a great wrap-up. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

I was surprised to see the negative things said about this book. This is the first book of Lisa's that I have read but I plan on reading all of them. I loved the story and characters. I usually don't waste time writing reviews but I really wanted to for this book. Dont listen to the negative posts, read it and decide for yourself.

This was the first book I read by Lisa Scottoline and now I am hooked!I liked the main character, Anne Murphy, and wanted to know more about the women who make up the law firm of Rosato and Associates.I enjoyed reading this book and found that it keeps the reader hooked, focused on the events, wondering what is happening and how it is all going to play out. I had a hard time putting this down. I look forward to reading about Anne Murphy along with Mary DuNuzio, Judy Carrier and Bennie Rosato in Ms. Scottoline's future novels.

Funny and fastpaced, just like we expect from Ms Scottoline. Anne Murphy finds out, while away on a spur of a moment holiday, that she's just been murdered. Feeling very much alive, she goes on a quest with our old friends, Judy and Mary (and Bennie) to find out who killed her? and, since she was very much alive, who was killed?I admit, some of the plot schemes were a little light for the members of the bar association, but you can't hold that against the book. Oh, and for those complaining that a completely new character was placed in the hot seat - Anne Murphy appeared, albeit briefly, in Vendetta Defense.

This book answers the question: what do you get when you cross Alfred Hitchcock with "I Love Lucy"? The answer: a rip-roaring read. Anne Murphy is a Lucy fanatic who's memorized every episode (not that she'll admit it out loud). An aggressive Philadelphia attorney, she's not above Lucy-esque plans in and out of the courtroom. In fact, she had me at "uh ...Hello??" -- that is, from the first chapter where she engineers a um ... very interesting courtroom demonstration to prove a point about sexual harassment. But, life takes a far more serious turn in the days that follow. The chaos begins when Anne leaves town for a holiday weekend and awakens to headlines blaring news of her own very violent demise. Who was the real murder victim? And, what will the killer do when news gets out that Anne is still very much alive? Can she trust anyone under such dubious circumstances? And what about the big sexual harassment case Anne's supposed to take to trial three days hence? -- for a client who may or may not be telling her the truth?!Intrigue abounds as the story gets underway and surprises await in every chapter. Along with the unrelenting tension, Lisa Scottoline delivers wonderful turns of phrase, and a nice dose of Lucy-type schemes and references. As only a deft writer could, Scottoline perfectly balances the lighthearted with the deadly serious. Just as you think everything is tidily wrapping up, chilling chaos reigns down once more. I don't want to ruin the ending, but will just say that I happily ignored a sunny Saturday afternoon in favor of gluing myself to this book until I reached the end. It was worth it.