Bone Valley [Hardcover]

Claire Matturro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2006

In her never-ending quest to log more billable hours, Sarasota lawyer Lilly Cleary agrees to defend Angus and Miguel, two fervent environmentalists who are being sued for libeling . . . an orange! In the Sunshine State, people take their citrus seriously—and there are powerful interests that refuse to sit idly by while a pair of whistle-blowing rabble rousers demean Florida's main cash crop.

Though the orange affair isn't quite the juicy case Lilly was looking for, it gets a lot stickier when one of the defendants is blown to bits right in front of her. Not one to take losing a case—or a client—lightly, whole-grain-loving, toxin-phobic Lilly will stop at nothing to get to the truth behind this and assorted other related murders. Which won't be easy, since everyone is lying—including the surviving environmentalist, who just happens to have an advanced degree from the University of the Streets . . . in bomb-making.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Matturro's entertaining third legal thriller to feature Lilly Cleary, a cute Sarasota, Fla., DA with an obsessive compulsive disorder and an active libido (after Wildcat Wine and Skinny-dipping), Lilly takes on another eccentric client, activist Angus John Cartright, who has been sued for fruit libel by an orange grower. Lilly later discovers that Angus's partner is her creepy former boyfriend, M. David Moody, whose corpse turns up floating in a phosphogypsum stack ("a big lake full of toxic waste") in Manatee County. After Angus educates Lilly about endangered wildlife and toxic sludge, Angus dies in a suspicious explosion and Lilly must solve whodunit or be next on the endangered list. Florida's phospate-rich "bone valley" region provides the scary background, while Lilly's fearless exuberance under pressure adds comic relief to an intricate tale that underscores the catastrophic effects abandoned phosphate mines and deadly gyp stacks can have on people and the environment. (Nov.)
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Review

"...like Hiassen, [Matturro] keeps you with her all the way, laughing or gulping." -- Washington Post

"Florida 's phosphate-rich "bone valley" region provides the scary background, while Lilly's fearless exuberance under pressure adds comic relief to an intricate tale that underscores the catastrophic effects abandoned phosphate mines and deadly gyp stacks can have on people and the environment." -- Publishers Weekly

"Matturro has a fresh voice and lively style (think Janet Evanovich meets John Grisham), and as a former appellate attorney and member of the writing faculty at Florida State University College of Law, she's certainly qualified to write about the law." -- Library Journal

"Matturro's offbeat humor and satirical take on the law and human nature make for sharp and comical reading." -- Romantic Times Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060773243
• ISBN-13: 978-0060773243
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,697,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth your time!, November 14, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Valley (Hardcover)

This is the third Lily Rose Cleary mystery by attorney Matturo.

Lily Rose is a health food addict who lives Sarasota, Florida. She is a defense attorney in medical malpractice suits, usually--but her case in this book involves defending two environmentalists who called an orange grove toxic and the oranges poisoned--because residue from phosphate mining had been put on the soil. They are being sued for libel by the orange grove owners!

The complicated story involves a murdered phosphate mine owner (and also one of the owners of the orange grove), his obnoxious wife (who has a new escort very quickly), more angry environmentalists, a very ill saintly woman who cares for sick and damaged wild animals, Lily's handyman, the elderly Jimmie Rodgers and her wild religious brother Delvon.

While Lily works to clear her clients of the orange defamation charge, she gets involved in the battle to stop a new phosphate mine, and almost gets blown up when one of the environmentalists is killed. She seriously starts working with Manatee County Sheriff Josey Farmer to solve the murders, while trying to figure out if her remaining client, the dreamy Miguel, is innocent.

Lily Cleary is a truly distinctive and hilarious character and her legal work fascinating. The issues (phosphate mining and environmental damage in Florida) are serious, and the plot is full of action--bombs, a kidnapping during a ferocious storm, and a panther caged with Lily who is smeared with raw hamburger (a fate almost worse than death for a vegetarian!)

Lily is someone I would like to know. I would compare Matturo to Evanovich and Cruisie.

Armchair Interviews says: Great kudos from this reviewer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars zany whodunit, November 6, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bone Valley (Hardcover)

Sarasota, Florida Attorney Lilly Cleary suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder that either drives people crazy except for those who benefit from her hyperactive sex drive or are the clients she defends at an incredible pace. Lilly agrees to legally represent environmental activist Angus John Cartwright, who is being sued by a Sunshine State orange grower for libel. The suit states that Angus John and his partner disparaged oranges with unfound claims of toxicity caused by pollution.

Angus hides from Lilly that his partner is her weird former boyfriend, M. David Moody as she would not have taken on the case. However, not long afterward, M. Donald is found dead in a toxic waste lake in Manatee County. Following that death, Angus dies in an explosion. Lilly thinks she also is on the list of someone who is systematically making their opposition extinct.

In her third zany appearance (see WILDCAT WINE and SKINNY-DIPPING), Claire's energy and enthusiasm provides a humorous counterpoint to a deep whodunit. However, the star of Claire Matturro's latest legal thriller is the geography as the audience obtains a deep frightening look at a global environmental problem as represented by Florida's BONE VALLEY where mounds of phosphogypsum causes harm to people. The story line is action-packed as the case twists from a legal matter to a self preservation scenario. Still with a strong investigation and a wonderful wacky heroine, the environment rules in this eye opening cautionary thriller.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and engrossing., October 31, 2006

By 

Tola (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Valley (Hardcover)

Young and ambitious attorney- Lilly Cleary, takes all possible cases,even the strange ones. One of those cases gets quite complicated when a body of a prominent businessman is found. Lilly is eager to find the killer and takes all possible actions to solve the murder mystery. However, turns out to be more dangerous than she thought it was going to be and Lilly's inevstigation gets her in a lot of trouble. The book is very smoothly written and quite funny at times. The main characters are very convincing and likeable. I could not put the book down until I found out the outcome of Lily's investigation. This was my first book by this author and now, I'm quite eager to read her other books.