Dirty Blonde

Scottoline's heroine, Philly Federal Court Judge Cate Fante, is a challenging character for any actress to undertake. Kate Burton is the perfect match for this dark and emotional woman, whose ruling in a notorious case of intellectual property theft, murder, and suicide puts her own life in jeopardy. On the personal side, her secret pastime of picking up men for one-night stands threatens her career. Burton deftly controls the breathless action, including a hot-and-heavy motel encounter with a lover. Burton sounds tough when she needs to be but easily softens into a caring-sounding woman. This isn't the first time out for the Scottoline-Burton duo. We can only hope it won't be the last. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

January 23, 2006
Rookie federal judge Cate Fante's early days on the Philadelphia bench rapidly descend into nightmare in this compelling stand-alone legal thriller from bestseller Scottoline (Devil's Corner
). Fante is the presiding judge in an intellectual property case in which Richard Marz, a former Philly prosecutor, is suing Art Simone, a powerhouse Hollywood producer, for stealing his idea for a TV series about a team of prosecutors called Attorneys@Law
. The day after Fante dismisses the lawsuit, someone plugs Simone in the forehead with a .22 outside the restaurant where he was dining with his attorneys. Marz is the chief suspect, and the authorities believe Fante could be his next victim. But her troubles really begin after Marz's crooked police partner discovers her secret vice of picking up nameless strangers in seedy dives for one-night stands. While some may be dissatisfied by the out-of-left-field solution to the mystery and the limited efforts to explain the judge's motives for her reckless behavior, the fast pace and ever-increasing tension will keep readers turning the pages. 12-city author tour.

Lisa Scottoline has written her most entertaining novel yet. Featuring newly appointed Federal Court Judge Cate Fante, DIRTY BLONDE is a terrific page-turner, and Barbara Rosenblat's reading complements the story wonderfully. Rosenblat is especially effective conveying Cate's emotions and insecurities, which combine to place her in the middle of a murder and other events that arise from a ruling in one her cases. Equally important, Rosenblat captures the personalities and emotions of the book's many supporting characters, supplying each with a distinct voice and style. Scottoline's fans will enjoy the story and look forward to the next chapter in Judge Fante's tumultuous life. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 1, 2006
As a veteran reader of several Scottoline audios (including Moment of Truth
and Devil's Corner
), Rosenblat is completely at home with the author's characters and style. She gives the listener a clear sense of newly appointed Federal Judge Cate Fante's brash public presentation as well as her private life, which includes soft spots for a friend's autistic son and for sleazy men. But women judges, like Hebrew National Franks, are held to a higher standard, so Fante finds herself battling her colleagues as well as the bad guys. Rosenblat's pace is near perfect—nimble enough to capture the fast lives of the characters and to propel the reader through this vibrant whodunit, yet always enunciated clearly so that not a single word is lost. Fante's hilariously deadpan asides are perfectly delivered. Rosenblat is such an enthusiastic reader that she even recreates sound effects, such as bullets flying and tires rupturing. With Harper Audio hiding the CD numbers inside the disc's rim, some listeners might wonder "Where am I?" rather than "Who done it?" as they search for the next disk. Altogether, Rosenblat provides an excellent performance of one of Scottoline's best works. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 23).

March 1, 2006
Newly appointed federal judge Cate Fante seems to have it alla prestigious career, a townhouse in Philadelphia's genteel Society Hill neighborhood, a designer wardrobe, a devoted best friend, and an adoring stockbroker suitor. But Cate has a well-guarded secretat night she frequents seedy bars and engages in torrid one-night stands with strangers. After Cate's high-profile court case erupts into a sensational murder-suicide, her life spirals downward as her dirtiest secrets are exposed and her life is threatened. Taking a break from her popular "Rosato & Associates" series (Killer Smile), Scottoline introduces a spunky, tough-as-nails but likable heroine who, like Bennie Rosato, carves her niche in the Philadelphia legal arena. This fast-paced legal thriller offers a riveting story line that rivals Scottoline's other novels. Public libraries should plan to purchase extra copies for their fiction collections! [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/06.]Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.