Customer Reviews

Dead Ringer

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Bennie Rosato is a lawyer familiar with struggle and heartbreak, but nothing could prepare her for what's about to hit...

Bennie's law firm is having a hard time financially, and her current client has just dropped the bombshell of not being able to pay her, but before she can say bankruptcy in walks a new client wealthy businessman Robert St. Amien.

Just as things start looking up for Bennie a lost wallet will spin her life out of control.

Someone hell-bent on destroying everything in Bennie's life has stolen her identity, and Bennie knows it's her twin sister Alice.

As Bennie desperately searches for her twin, a murder will force her to track down a killer, and in the process bring her face to face a dark evil.

`Dead Ringer' is a fast-paced read that will keep readers guessing right up until the end. Lisa Scottoline can always be depended upon to write original thrillers filled with interesting characters, and surprising plot twists and her latest novel scores on all accounts. `Dead Ringer' is filled with humor and suspense, and anyone looking for a great beach read should look no further...Scottoline has written another winner.

Nick Gonnella

We might have rated this newest in the fine Bennie Rosata Law Firm series from Lisa Scottoline all the way to five stars but for two factors. First, her evil twin is back from "Mistaken Identity", and all the havoc she wreaks seems to have little or nothing to do with the main plot, thus serving as a frequently irritating distraction. Second, the primary story line is about Bennie fighting to take lead on a class action lawsuit, a very specialized area of legal practice (as demonstrated vividly in Grisham's latest "King of Torts") for which she is really totally unqualified. So much of the proceedings are based on Bennie's bravado in dealing with other lawyers and trying to save the case when her client suddenly turns up quite dead. The law firm is also in financial straits, a threat to closing the door on the fun associates Judy, Mary, and Ann, the leading ladies of previous stories in the series. Even Mary's mother puts in one of her infamous appearances in which she casts her "spell" over Bennie's latest difficulties. Lastly, throw in a mysterious Navy SEAL for a little romantic interest for Bennie, together with a twisty plot, and out pops another enjoyable, often humorous, novel from the Scottoline machine.

We admit to being a fan of the series, and look forward to each new addition. While we feel the quality of a few of the novels has varied a bit, this seems to be one of the better ones based on the satisfaction we felt at the end and our anxiety to reach the conclusion in a reasonable hurry. We commend this author to your attention.

Bennie Rosato, is a successful lawyer but a businesswoman on the decline. While her reputation as a trial lawyer is stellar, her firm is on the verge of bankruptcy, until a big case comes along that just might solve all her problems, then things suddenly go haywire, and it started with a lost wallet.

Lisa Scottoline brings us through this mystery with attitude and wit, never allowing a serious moment to go by without a quirky afterthought. The writing was informed and just right, and while certain things just pop out of nowhere, this book has no pretentions. The tension its plot could have had in unbearable proportions was lightened by the exceptional character of Bennie Rosato who, even in the direst of situations, never takes herself seriously. Bennie is pushy, but endearingly so, and she doesn't have to apologize for it either. Her character and St. Amien's was the best developed in the entire cast. Bennie, however, could've done without a certain Navy Seal. A hefty reward and a thank you would've sufficed. ^_~ All in all, it was a good book and I would recommend it for the Murder-Mystery enthusiast who just wants to sit back, relax and take a break from intensity.

Bennie Rosato is the heroine and narrator of Dead Ringer, and the book opens with a very compelling series of episodes that display the problems that any small legal practice faces during hard economic conditions. Bennie is losing clients right and left to bankruptcy, and the clients she has aren't paying her. She's behind on the rent, and has laid off one staff person. No new clients seem to be on the horizon when she gets an unexpected call from a courtly Frenchman whose company has been hurt by an illegal boycott. But . . . the case will be a class action suit, and Bennie has never done one before. Soon, she's mixing it up with the multimillion dollar class action lawyers who expect her to pony up $30,000 to play in the contingent fee case. If that isn't enough, someone has started impersonating her and is using her credit cards to send unwanted goods to the office. Whenever Bennie thinks she has gotten her head above water, she has another setback.

Before long, she's engaged forced to defend her very honor by solving two mysterious crimes. In the process, the danger grows to unacceptable levels . . . and a mysterious, handsome stranger becomes her Good Samaritan. With her hear aflutter, she finds it hard to concentrate on her legal practice.

Dead Ringer started off to be a remarkably entertaining book. Around two-thirds of the way through, the book began to unwind from its excellent beginning. The first weakness is that Ms. Scottoline makes too little use of the other characters who work at the Rosato firm. Although they are in many scenes, the narration doesn't shift to them . . . or give us enough of a sense about how they feel. As a result, the associates and staff seem more than a little too understanding about Bennie's financial problems. Why aren't they out looking for another job . . . or at least petrified by their financial peril?

The mysteries turn out to be way too easy to resolve . . . and Bennie's many complications unwind themselves like a slip knot. Although it's impressive as a plot device, the result feels hollow to the reader.

Also, litigators seldom have financial problems unless they only do contingent fee work. If Bennie is all but unbeatable in court, why weren't clients lined up at her door all along?

Her disregard for police procedures also seems flagrant. She really is obstructing one police investigation, and all she gets is one growl along the way.

As a result of these flights into fantasy, the book ends up not being a serious effort . . . but rather as scaffolding for a number of fairly humorous gags. But slapstick isn't a fine novel, even though it can be entertaining.

Those who have enjoyed Ms. Scottoline's other books will probably enjoy this one as well. If you like lawyer humor and don't know Ms. Scottoline's work, feel free to try this one. If you want a taut legal thriller that seems so real it scares you, look elsewhere.

As I finished the book, I thought about why novels tend to have great endings rather than great beginnings. I assumed that Dead Ringer would have an ending as good as the beginning. Perhaps authors realize that it's more important to leave you on a high than to start you with a bang!

I didn't read this book but followed along on the unabridged Audio Cassette. I really enjoyed it! The actress reading was absolutely amazing! It was laugh out loud fun! The reader does every kind of accent, from wispy receptionist to Sexy Frenchman to Hottie David Holland. So do yourself a favor and listen to this terrific book, it is a great experience.

Bennie Rosato is a lawyer familiar with struggle and heartbreak, but nothing could prepare her for what's about to hit...

Bennie's law firm is having a hard time financially, and her current client has just dropped the bombshell of not being able to pay her, but before she can say bankruptcy in walks a new client, wealthy businessman Robert St. Amien. St. Amien hires her for a class action lawsuit, and winning the case, which Bennie knows she can do, will prove to be very lucrative.

Just as things start looking up, Bennie losses her wallet and her life begins to spin out of control.

Someone with a vicious hatred for Bennie has stolen her identity, and they will not stop until they have destroyed everything in her life, but Bennie knows who it is and she won't stop until she catches her twin sister Alice.

Bennie begins searching for Alice until a murder forces her to track down a killer, but in the process she will come face to face an evil so dark that only one person will survive.

`Dead Ringer' is a fast-paced read that will keep readers guessing right up until the end. Lisa Scottoline can always be depended upon to write original thrillers filled with interesting characters, and surprising plot twists, and her latest novel scores high on all accounts. `Dead Ringer' is an up-all-night-read filled with humor and suspense, and anyone looking for a great beach book should look no further...Scottoline has written another winner.

Nick Gonnella

I usually enjoy the "Rosato and Associates" series, but this was was really lacking.

In previous books in the series, all the characters except Mary came off as strong and independent, but you always got the feeling that Bennie was in charge and kept that fine line between employer and employees. That line has been erased. Bennie is portrayed as "one of the girls," and the associates (whom she annoyingly refers to as "the kids" throughout the book) seem to have taken over the asylum, demanding to know Bennie's financial situation as if it's their right, and standing by their homegirl as one united entity. That's all well and good, but in the real world, single women would be hitting the pavement looking for interviews if they found out their job might not last another two months. The dialog between them seems as if they're in a high school home ec class, filled with silly slang that isn't befitting a group of women professionals. And some of the writing left a lot to be desired -- his change jingled unhappily in his pocket as he ran? Do coins have the ability to be happy or unhappy? Where on earth would Ms. Scottoline come up with drivel like this?

The problem with the story is that it's too scattered. Bennie's twin is back playing havoc with her life, but we never really understand why, even after she tells us. She breaks into Bennie's house and kidnaps her dog, who Bennie obviously loves dearly, and all she does the next day is put the dog in the basement as a safeguard? Then there's the "mysterious stranger" who shows up to save the dog and suddenly devotes his life to trailing Bennie to make sure she's safe. Wow. That sure happens every day. Then you have the client to whom Bennie seems to form an unnatural attachment, her law firm's financial troubles, the offer to buy her firm, the trumped-up charges against her -- there was just too much going on, but not enough detail paid to any of these things to make you care much about them.

Bennie also came across as stupid in this novel. She's a lawyer, yet she has no problem interfering in a police matter just because she feels like it (because of this unnatural attachment to her client). She gets arrested and doesn't know enough to keep her mouth shut while Carrier represents her. She knows her life could be in danger, yet she takes off on her own looking for a pay phone -- in a construction area. It was just too ridiculous to believe. And then she figures out who the murderer was -- with no clues or hints at all...it just comes to her in the blink of an eye! Maybe she should join the police force.

This was a very disappointing effort from a writer I usually enjoy very much.

Bennie Rosato is back, folks, sharper and sassier than ever, along with her associates, a secretary who goes into labor, and multiple crises, including the slithery return of her twin sister, Alice Connelly. The story begins with Bennie successfully defending an established, faithful accountant client who THEN tells her he is filing Chapter 11 and cannot pay for her past services. Oh, how well I remember this part of litigation practice. Her plight only worsens from here to include Alice's impersonation of Bennie to discredit and embarrass her, breaking into her home, and attempting to kill her dog. And this is a sub-plot! I thoroughly enjoyed every page! (PS Bennie ends up with a "hunk" Navy Seal savior.)

Bennie Rosato's law firm, which consists of four young female attorneys and a pregnant secretary, is in trouble. They win cases, clients can't pay and they need money. Bennie takes on a class action case, then strange things start happening to her. Her wallet is stolen, she starts getting packages she didn't order, someone alleges she had been seen drunk, eventually she figures out her criminal twin is behind it all.

For some reason her evil twin is intent on ruining her reputation and her as well. With time running out, Bennie struggles to keep working and holding her firm together, while her sister keeps up her attacks. Add murder to the mix and Bennie determined to solve it and you have a five star mystery thriller you can't put down.

It has been a long time since I had such a difficult time forcing myself to finish a novel. There was nothing to enjoy. I could not figure out what it was supposed to be. Was it supposed to be funny? It wasn't. Was it supposed to be a serious legal thriller? It wasn't. Was this what people call "chick-lit?" Then I hope this is the last time I accidentally pick up a book from that genre. It wasn't terrible, just a big boring nothing. It was like ordering spaghetti and having the waiter deliver a plate of naked boiled noodles without sauce or meatballs--unsalted.