Reviews

Rough Justice by Lisa Scottoline

lavinia_speaks's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rmarcin's review against another edition

3.0

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 have to suspend disbelief to follow these women on their journey.

hlfehr71's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

4.0

novelesque_life's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 STARS

"Criminal lawyer Marta Richter is about to win an acquital for her latest client, millionaire businessman Elliot Steere. Then Steere lets slip that he's sold Marta a false self-defence claim and that he murdered the homeless man who tried to carjack him. A furious Marta resolves to discover the evidence that will convict Steere -- before the jury returns with its verdict. In a race against time and the worst blizzard Philadelphia has seen in years, Marta drafts help from two able associates, Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, from a local firm, Rosata & Associates. When Benedetta 'Bennie' Rosato, managing partner of Rosato & Associates, realizes Marta is determined to convict her own client and ruin the law firm in the process, Bennie acts to thwart Marta's plans and bring Steere to justice her own way. But Elliot Steere won't let anyone stand between him and freedom. Even from his jail cell, he has the cunning and connections to kill again..." (From Amazon)

Another great legal suspense thriller.

toddie09's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

heatskitchen's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

canada_matt's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Having read the first few novels in this series by Lisa Scottoline, I find myself being quite connected to the characters and legal twists that emerge. Scottoline offers up some great stories with females in the protagonist chair, providing good legal tales told in unique styes. The reader follows the Rosato & Associates lawyers, struggling to make a name for the firm and claw their individual ways to the top of the large heap of Philadelphia attorneys. What follows is a story told in a short time span, but packed full of excitement.

Marta Richter is an adept criminal defense attorney who always puts her clients first. She has been fighting a tough case in the courts, having just left the jury to deliberate. Marta feels that she is about to win an acquittal for her client, Elliot Steere, who has been charged with killing a homeless man in a carjacking. While they wait, Steere admits that his self-defense claim in this murder trial was fake and that he knew what he was doing. Marta sits, shocked, not sure what she can do. Steere knows that the jury will acquit and feels that this is the ultimate victory for him.

Marta cannot wait for justice to be besmirched and begins planning to prove her client is guilty. While she only has until the jury comes back to find something concrete, she is determined. However, Mother Nature has other ideas, tossing Philadelphia a blizzard like no other, keeping Marta scrambling to find answers. After some soul searching, Marta turns to two young associates in the Rosato & Associates firm—Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier—to help her on this legal gamble. Together, they try their best to find something, anything, that will prove Steere’s guilt in short order. DiNunzio and Carrier do anything they can, from scanning news articles and trying to reach witnesses. It seems there is something out there, if only the lawyers can find it.

Elliot Steere will not sit idly by, as his freedom is in jeopardy by his own attorney. He must ensure that his connections help him to keep the truth from coming out. With Marta bending the rules to help her own cause and Bennie Rosato—name partner and boss to Mary and Judy—tries to keep her law firm from being dragged in the mud when it comes to this case. The truth is out there, but time is running out and the jury is clearly ready to return with a verdict. Violence ensues and someone is left clinging to life as the weather gets no better. A fast-paced story is just what Scottoline needs to show readers that she has all the tools for a great thriller. This is one of the greatest books in the early portion of the series.

Lisa Scottoline does well to keep this novel moving and readers highly entertained. The story’s basis is great and builds on the need for speed and the legal findings that occur when people are pressed for answers. The characters, ever-expanding in this series, continue to dazzle and provide some of their own backstories, which is sure to be important as the series progresses. Plot lines grow with ease and the unique angles Scottoline offers in this piece had me flipping pages well into the night and I sought answers to some of the basic questions. This was a great find and I could not ask for more in a series and handful of great characters. Where will things go from now and how will readers react? Let’s see!

Kudos, Madam Scottoline, for another great thriller. No wonder people have been encouraging me to try this series for years.

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holper's review against another edition

3.0

I've been reading all of Lisa Scottoline's books in order. I like the characters, the plots have been interesting and the books are well written. However, I have to agree with other reviewers of Rough Justice who thought that parts of this story were beyond belief. For example, one of the characters was severely beaten and had her head bashed against a table repeatedly with little to show for it but a headache and a few bumps and bruises. She was able to run for miles and drive all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey in a blizzard, not to mention digging through several feet of snow and sand with a shovel. Anyone else would have been dead, unconscious, or at least had a severe concussion. Some other reviews complained about the excessive use of the F word. I read books by authors who use that kind of language, so I didn't really notice it. If that sort of thing bothers you, then you might not like this book.

tctimlin's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

magolden13's review against another edition

mysterious tense

3.0