Customer Reviews

Daddy's Girl

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Lisa Scottoline's 14th novel is much more than a murder mystery. It is the story of a woman, Natalie Greco, transforming herself from a timid young woman dominated by her boyfriend and family, into someone strong, self-assured, and confident whose father proudly proclaims her to be "Daddy's Girl." Within the first few pages Nat "Gnat" will be someone you'll want to spend time with; first out a sense of protectiveness (she's short and is easyly overlooked,) but eventually by telling her "you go girl!" Not only is this an exciting, completely credible work of fiction, Scottoline also gives the reader some of the fascinating history of the Underground Railroad. If you've read her other books you are in for a treat. If you are new to Scottoline this is a great place to start.

After reading other books by this author, I must say I was greatly disappointed in this effort. For one, the dialogue was prosaic, the characters weren't all that likeable and the plot was way thin! The use of all caps was an irritating attempt to convey a characteristic that is unlikely (especially in this family) and only served to irritate this reader as it does when one sends emails in all caps to show emphasis.

Past novels by this author have shown a bright wit and great repartee between the characters. This time, these attributes were sorely missing. The heroine, Nat, was not believable in her endeavors and wasn't all that likeable either. It appeared to me that Ms. Scottoline was more interested in getting the book to print, than in creating a credible storyline with interesting characters.

I have read better books by Scottoline. In fact, I just finished Dirty Blonde and because I enjoyed the wit and plot, I bought this one as soon as it was available. I would rather wait longer between "good" novels and get the best Lisa Scottoline has to offer than have her pump out "poorly conceived" novels like an assembly line.

The title was a dud as well and had little to do with the plot. I look forward to better novels in the future as I know the talent is there.

As a dedicated Scottoline fan, I enjoyed Daddys Girl immensely. Definitely one of the best in a great series.

Don't blame the author for the title. Ultimately the publisher gets the final word. And when deciding whether to buy this novel, with a highly visible author, do we really look at the title?

Mostly, I found this novel draws on many of Scottoline's recurring themes. For example:

Ordinary woman, extraordinary achievements: As usual, we're introduced to a very down-to-earth, very human heroine who also happens to be an achiever. If anything, Scottoline downplays the sheer magnitude of getting a tenure-track position in an Ivy League law school. She has the all too common worries about keeping up appearance and coping in a male-dominated world. Inside, she's conflicted. Outwardly, she's so accomplished she's scary.

Family: Scottoline's families tend to be large, Italian, loving and possessive. She departs from the profile here, introducing a macho family where the heroine feels like an outsider. Dysfunctional? In Scottoline's novels, whatever happens, blood will trump water anytime.

Outrageous risks: I love watching Scottoline's heroines cross over the edge as they go running from the law. In an earlier novel, a heroine takes over a conference room of a law firm, claiming to be from a branch office. Talk about "Hide in plain sight." Heroine Natalie goes out on a limb here. Alas, I can't say more without being accused of spoilers.

Intricate plot and satisfying ending: Scottoline keeps throwing one curve after another, right up to the end. Experienced mystery readers will get early hunches about the outcome, but it feels right.

Law vs. justice: An ongoing quest among Scottoline's novels. Here the case seems less ambiguous than most. But it comes up.

Juicy characters: I loved Natalie's family! And I hope to see Natalie herself in future novels. True, some of the prisoners and guards seemed to blend together. The law school dean and assistant dean seem less than 3-dimensional but they remind me of some business school administrators I've known.

Edgy dialogue: I like the way Scottoline juxtaposes the heroine's inner comebacks (italicized) with her outward, polite comments.

Diversity of the legal profession: So far, we've seen litigators, defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, law firm associates, independent counsels...everyone! It's nice to meet a law professor this time around.

Finally, as a former business school professor, I found the law school scenes compelling and realistic. I remember being assigned to teach a small class in a large room. You really do face unique challenges in creating a productive classroom dynamic.

Scottoline used some artistic license in exaggerating the attitudes of Natalie's students. She did take action to motivate them to prepare more for class.

But as a female professor, Natalie always walks a finer line than her male counterparts. Female professors are constantly being tested. We're expected to understand problems ranging from child care to computer meltdowns. Even when I've taught online, I find students are more likely to ask for deadline extensions and special consideration.

And they're far more critical. Studies show that women and ethnic minorities tend to get lower course evaluations. Male professors get far more leeway when it comes to dress and classroom topics.

The experience of being a female lawyer -- from the inside out -- is yet another Scottoline theme. And here, in a lighthearted way, I believe she also captures the female professor experience.

And now we have to wait at least a year for the next Scottoline novel. That's the only bad news.

Scottoline

If you love well constructed plots, Daddy's Girl will be a favorite of yours.

If instead, you are a fan of interesting characters and dialogue, Daddy's Girl may seem below average because only one character is at all interesting.

Alternately, if you like realistic action, you'll definitely think you've picked up a comic book by mistake.

As the book opens tiny, untenured law professor, Natalie (Nat) Greco, is struggling to teach her seminar class at Penn about justice by discussing The Merchant of Venice. The students haven't read the assignment. Things go downhill when Vice Dean James McConnell shows up to observe her teaching. Nat humorously wings it, and you'll find yourself liking her as a character from that point on.

When popular clinical teacher Angus Holt invites her to join him to teach the class at a minimum security prison the next day, Nat is too shy to resist. Things start off smoothly enough . . . until an incident occurs. Nat is shaken to the depths of her soul. Keeping a promise, Nat soon finds herself under suspicion for more crimes than are normally discussed in a semester of criminal law. While her rich father and close family try to help, Nat decides the time has come to run her own life. From there, the book takes a high action turn that will delight those who enjoy seeing heroines triumph.

With the exception of two references to Bennie Rosato, Daddy's Girl is all new characters and is based in part on Ms. Scottoline's recent experiences as a professor at Penn. Be sure not to read the acknowledgments until you finish the book: There's a humdinger of a spoiler in there that Ms. Scottoline warns you about (but you may not stop in time).

Nat isn't as good as Ms. Scottoline's best characters. But her supporting cast isn't nearly as good as Ms. Scottoline normally does.

On the other hand, I don't recall a better plot among the Scottoline novels.

Sometimes life makes you feel like you fell down a rabbit's hole, and that you have met the Mad Hatter. Nat Greco is an untenured assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Life is proceeding along somewhat normally until a colleague takes her along to a state correctional facility where he has a program of teaching and legal assistance. A prison riot breaks out. Nat is attacked. People are killed. Suddenly Nat finds herself drawn into a different world.

Something is going down, and Nat finds herself involved. She starts to get nosy, and finds herself falsely accused of murder, set up for unknown reasons. She finds herself on the run. Some people may think that she does stupid things, but her father sums it up when he tells her that she is book smart. She lacks the street smart abilities needed to survive in an urban jungle.

Nat, of course, must survive to get to a blazing finish. But wait, you thought the story ended with chapter 47. Chapter 48 goes in a whole new direction. You should know that the author always puts an unexpected twist at the end of her novels. Do NOT peek ahead. You need to read the entire novel to understand the real ending.

I would note that the author is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, used as the setting for much of the story. The novel is well researched and well written. I think it is the best novel yet by the author.

I believe the meaning of the title is clear. People are trying to direct how she should do things (father knows best), while she is trying to go in her own direction. She has trouble getting people's attention.

Lisa Scottoline has a long line of fast-moving thrillers filled with gutsy female protagonists and clever one-liners. This one has what turns out to a female law professor who becomes brave, and a number of somewhat half-clever lines, like the very first one: "Nat Greco felt like an A cup in a double-D bra." Dare I say that falls flat?

But for me the most serious problem was that the book didn't seem to move; it dragged along. Quickly yes. But nonetheless, it dragged. This may be because of no solid base. Was anything near believable? Again, maybe halfway. And I think one has to go right over the top into never-never land or stay rooted. This one hedges, and thus left me unsatisfied at the end. I have to say that not wanting to give away endings, I will only add that it bothers me that there was really no good guy anywhere here. That may be life sometimes but, hey, this wasn't reality to begin with! She's done much better!

Lisa Scottoline uses her experience as a law professor to create the character of Natalie Greco who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Her classes are sparsely attended and she does not seem able to capture the attention of her students, so Nat decides to join a colleage, Angus Holt, who teaches at the local prison. In the middle of their first class, a riot breaks out in the prison and soon Nat's life seems to be spiraling out of control. Her life is threatened, and she attempts to save someone else's life, but her efforts are rewarded with censure from her college and legal troubles of her own. This is a fast-paced, legal thriller with a bit of history and a heroine who is put into some pretty dire situations. Her father is a wealthy businessman who tries to help her out, but only seems to make things worse. I couldn't see much connection between the book title and Nat's family situation, but I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it to Scottoline fans.

I had some issues with this book. First off, Scottoline chose to make the scenes featuring the main character's family nearly unbearable - Nat's brothers are over-the-top horrible to her, and the constant capitalization of one brother's dialogue throughout the entire book is incredibly annoying and pointless.

Nat, herself, is an okay character, but even she isn't entirely likable, and her inner dialogue ranges from being fun and snarky, to being hokey and unnecessary. Further, it's difficult to believe that she is capable of doing everything that she does to evade the police - including high-speed car chases and rigging explosions - while simultaneously unraveling the mystery by herself.

Yet another issue I had was with the innumerable descriptions of Angus' physical appearance - there were far too many of these, and some of them are so cheesy as to be cringe-worthy.

That said, the actual mystery is decent. It kicks off with a prison riot and a cryptic message, and evolves into a layered conspiracy. However, the climactic final scene at the prison is disappointing; there is a lot of build-up and then it's just sort of over.

The final twist is okay, but is emblematic of larger problems with the overall plot - the reader gets exposition that explains pieces of the puzzle, but the explanations aren't particularly interesting.

I think my main problems with this book are that it feels disjointed, and most of the characters aren't particularly well-developed or likable. It's not a terrible book, but it is by no means Ms. Scottoline's best.

Lisa Scottoline has always been an entertaining writer, however, I was beginning to get a little tired of the long term series she has maintained wwith the all women law firm in Philly. Daddy's Girl has a new character, a new outlook but the best Scottoline humor. In fact, I believe it is her best book ever.

This is the first book I've read by Lisa Scottoline, and I was not impressed. The first half was interesting and fairly well set up, but the last half was terrible. This novel was not thought out at all--the characters were very inconsistent and seemed to have nothing below the surface, the resolutions were pathetic and the plot twists were certainly unpredictable, in a dumb, surprise sort of way.

I didn't like it. It seemed like the author was just trying to make the book as exciting as possible without caring how it turned out in the end. Also, the one character, Paul, who talks in all caps, gets very annoying. It's funny at first but quickly becomes ridiculous.