Rough Justice

Rough Justice is a backwards murder mystery. The book features hot shot (and just plain hot) defense attorney Marta Richter and a host of other female attorneys who are defending the Philadelphia millionaire slumlord Elliot Steere on a murder charge that he killed a homeless man in cold blood.

Things are going pretty smoothly for the Marta. She and Steere have been playing footsie during the trial and after the acquittal they are riding off in the sunset together.

That day dream lasts until the end of the second paragraph of the book. Her bubble is popped. Her client may not be innocent, he is definitely not taking her off into the sunset. She is mad and you don't make a hot attorney mad.

What happens after that is pretty wild. There is a show more huge snow storm, cross country skiing, murder and killing, mayhem, horse shoeing, poisoning, stalking, geocaching (kind of!), jury tampering, Marta making a conjugal visit to one of the juror's (that's a new one, the visit is G rated by the way), voting scandals, organ donations, and a race to the courthouse. This book has it all.

The book was written in 1997 before everybody and their hot attorney had cell phones. Some of the predicaments that the characters found themselves in could have been resolved if they had a cell phone to call for help.

This is a darn good book. The writing is very smooth and draws you into the story quickly. I rate it 3 stars out of 4, which is very good..

Being originally published in 1997 you'll have to get it in paperback or at your library. I'll be keeping my eye out for more Scottoline novels. Scottoline is a prolific author. Check out her website. show less

I enjoyed this, but got tired of the parts where Marta run/drives through the snow. Also, I had no recollection of Mary having a twin. Why is she a non-issue in the other books? Does she die or something? I love Scottoline and her books, but I hate how all the non-white characters have to be identified as such. She only emphasizes race/ethnicity/nationality when the character is black or Thai or Latino or whatever else. Other writers do it, too. It really irks me (which is why I've said it in several reviews!), but seriously, I don't expect everyone in Philly to be white. Why does she?

Bennie Rosato has set up a new firm, with all female lawyers, called Rosato and Associates. They have contracted their services to Marta Richter, who is defending a real estate tycoon for murder. The trial has ended and now the jury must deliberate his fate. At this point, the defendant admits to Marta that he actually did not kill in self-defense, but he killed the homeless man on purpose. Marta is horrified and is upset that the court has been fooled. She sets out on a journey to be sure that her client is found guilty, although this action calls ethics rules into question. Along the way, Judy Carrier and Mary DeNunzio assist Marta in uncovering the very complex plot, while putting their lives in danger. An exciting novel, but you show more have to suspend disbelief to follow these women on their journey. show less

This was really good! I have had this book for a long time and I have to say that right now I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. I was totally sucked into the story and had a hard time setting it aside once I got going. I think that one of the reasons that I hesitated for so long is because it is the third book in the series and I wasn't sure that it would work out of order but it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. I am so glad that I finally decided to give this book a try.

This book covers two different cases at different points in time that share the same cast of characters. Thirteen years ago, Bennie represented Jason who was twelve years old at the time. Jason was sent to juvenile detention over a relatively minor show more incident where he stood up to a bully in the school cafeteria. The punishment of 90 days in juvenile detention seemed quite harsh for such a young child and Bennie worked hard to get him released. Unfortunately, she was pulled off the case by Jason's father because of a personal relationship. The current case has Bennie defending Jason who is being charged with murdering the same bully from all those years ago.

I liked how different the two cases were in this book and thought that they were both equally interesting. I really enjoyed the fact that this book really focused on all of the legal maneuvers. I found all of the motions and appeals to be very interesting in the way it was presented. I also liked getting the chance to learn Bennie's thought process during the trial as she made decisions to object and question witnesses.

I did like the characters in this book. Bennie is incredibly competent as a lawyer and there was never a doubt in my mind that she would always do what was in her client's best interest. She does have a romantic relationship in this story and I think that seeing her in a more vulnerable situation really helped to make her feel authentic. It was interesting to see the contrast between Jason as a child to the man being tried for murder.

I thought that Kate Burton did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. She just pulled me into the story and held my attention. I think that she did a wonderful job with all of the character voices and brought a lot of emotion into the story anytime it was warranted. I believe that this is the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Kate Burton's work but I plan to look for her in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a well done legal thriller that kept me guessing. This was quite the page-turner in the end and I cannot wait to read more from Lisa Scottoline very soon.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library. show less

Although I have never heard of a real life lawyer doing what Marta does, it makes a fascinating story. Realizing that the client she worked so hard defending was actually guilty, Marta and her pals Judy and Mary risk their lives with shootings, running and driving through blizzards, jurors being bribed. Big shot client, the Mayor, even the judge do whatever it takes to get ahead. Non stop action as each chapter gives details about each character's thinking and actions.

The title is appropriate. Things did get very rough for criminal lawyer, Marta Richter. She’d been trying a high profile murder case in Philadelphia and now the jury is in deliberation. She feels certain Elliot Steere will be acquitted for the murder of a homeless man who was trying to hijack him. Then he admits to her that he is guilty. Now she’s running out of time. She seeks the help of associates, Mary Dinunzio and Judy Carrier, to search for evidence that had been missed. The chain of events that follows becomes life threatening. Even Bennie Rosato gets pulled in to the action as she discovers her associates seem to be missing.

Ms. Scottoline weaves a great suspenseful story using the ‘all female’ law firm of Rosato & show more Associates. Upfront, I have to admit not all of it is credible; even still, it is hard to put down. The piece which lacks credibility is how Marta still managed to get around even though the streets were shut down due to the blizzard that was going on during her efforts to seek justice. Each chapter leaves the reader with a cliffhanger while Ms. Scottoline moves her attention back to another character. This plays really well to keep suspense at a high peak until she draws us all to the conclusion. I rated Rough Justice at 4 out of 5.

http://www.fictionzeal.com/rough-justice-rosato-associates-3-lisa-scottoline/ show less

Synopsis: 'Criminal lawyer Marta Richter is hours away from winning an acquittal for her client, millionaire businessman Elliot Steere, on trial for the murder of a homeless man who had tried to carjack him. But as the jury begins deliberations, Marta discovers the chilling truth about her client's innocence. Taking justice into her own hands, she furiously sets out to prove the truth, with the help of two young associates. In an excruciating game of beat-the-clock with both the jury and the worst blizzard to hit Philadelphia in decades, Marta will learn that the search for justice isn't only rough - it can also be deadly.'
Review: This book is pretty good if you skip large portions of the mundane (digging holes in sand - 3 pages, really??)