Rough Justice [Mass Market Paperback]

Lisa Scottoline (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 1998

Criminal lawyer Marta Richter is hours away from winning an acquittal for her client, millionaire businessman Elliot Steere, on trial for the murder of a homeless man who had tried to carjack him. But as the jury begins deliberations, Marta discovers the chilling truth about her client's innocence. Taking justice into her own hands, she furiously sets out to prove the truth, with the help of two young associates. In an excruciating game of beat-the-clock with both the jury and the worst blizzard to hit Philadelphia in decades, Marta will learn that the search for justice isn't only rough—it can also be deadly.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

During the biggest snowstorm in the history of Philadelphia, the jury is out. The defense is confident of a verdict of not guilty, but then client Elliot Steere admits to his council that he is a murderer. Marta Richter does not take this revelation happily. In fact, she's so outraged that she wants her client's secret revealed no matter what it does to her career. Steere isn't about to let her blow his chances, and with powerful connections, money, and muscle, he works from his jail cell to silence Marta and her colleagues before the sequestered jury makes a decision. If readers like soap opera?type cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, a plot that reads like a TV script, and a little gory violence here and there, they will like this book. The characters are well thought out, but most often sequences of the story unfold implausibly, as when Marta hunts for clues in her client's house and boat. Attorney Bennie Rosato, the feisty character from a previous Scottoline novel (Legal Tender, LJ 7/96), makes an appearance here but is not very involved in the plot except for a "save-the-day" routine in the last few chapters. This is essential for readers already hooked on Scottoline, but don't start with this one when introducing her to readers.
-?Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., Mich.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Scottoline is back with a flair in her newest thriller. Like her previous book, Running from the Law (1995), this is a fascinating, fast-paced story told with wit, sarcasm, and just the right amount of circus. Marta Richter, just beginning to peak in her career as a defense attorney, has brilliantly presented a fool-proof defense for multimillionaire Elliot Steere, the accused murderer of a homeless man. Just as the jury is about to begin deliberations, however, Steere coolly tells his hardworking attorney that he did indeed kill the man in cold blood, that the self-defense claim was just a ruse. Here is where Scottoline shows her mastery, for she does not center her story on the typical trial scene but, rather, focuses on the post-trial upheaval that envelopes Marta. The drama escalates as she realizes how much power Steere wields, even behind bars, and as her firm's managing partner gets involved, both of them risk their careers and lives in the pursuit of justice. Considering the publisher's extensive mass-market promotion touting Scottoline as the next Grisham or Turow (claims that are not significantly off base), libraries will want to stock up. Mary Frances Wilkens --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (August 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061096105
• ISBN-13: 978-0061096105
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels including her most recent, THINK TWICE, and also writes a weekly column, called Chick Wit, for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa has won many honors and awards, notably the Edgar Award, given for excellence in crime fiction, and the Fun Fearless Female Award from Cosmopolitan Magazine. She also teaches a course she created, called Justice and Fiction at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and regularly does speaking engagements. There are twenty-five million copies of her books in print, and she is published in over thirty other countries.Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. degree in English, and her concentration was Contemporary American Fiction, taught by Philip Roth and others. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She remains a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area, where she lives with her array of disobedient pets.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Premise, Great Plot, Implausible Action, Super End!, January 6, 2002

By 

Gerald M. Bull "Jerry Bull" (Fairview, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rough Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

The title gives you the short version, now here comes the longer one. I'm reading Ms. Scottoline's works in order, so this is number 5. In Rough Justice, she reprises Mary DiNunzio's character from book 1 and if my notes are right, (Ms.) Bennie Rosata's from book 3 -- which is nice because we're really getting inside these character's personalities which adds to the fun. The basic premise this time is that a guest hot-shot lawyer from out of town, Marta Richter, has just heard from her client, who, thanks to Marta's hard work, is heading toward a self-defense acquittal for killing an alleged carjacker, a confession that it was murder after all. She immediately spends the rest of the book trying to get back at him (not too sure about the "legality" of that), with help from Bennie's associates Mary and Judy. The plot is actually quite good, with a lot of twists and turns, culminating in a very good ending that had me turning pages late into the night. A number of additional corpses prevent this from being all sweetness and light, yet I think the outcome seemed fitting. My only gripe was that 2/3 of the book took place during such a bitter and deep snowstorm that roads were closed and cities crippled. Yet Marta manages to drive back and forth from Philly to the Jersey shore (!), with all kinds of shenanigans there, while the troops back at the law firm are out all night pulling the same stunts, even interviewing people at 2 o'clock in the morning!

Anyhow, "Rough" is a welcome addition to the growing Scottoline repertoire; I'll certainly be back for more, and I can overlook a little bit of unlikely traipsing around by the women for a story this entertaining! Try it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars To much confusion., November 21, 2000

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rough Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the fifth book I have read by Lisa Scottoline. I was disappointed in it. I enjoyed the others. This one had to many things going on at one time, it was almost like trying to read five or six different stories at the same time. There would be a chapter about Marta, then one about the jury, then one about City Hall, then one about Steere, then one about Judy and Mary, then she would start over again with Marta. The material on Marta at the beach house of Steere was a joke, I know it is fiction but for Marta to do what she did in that much cold and snow is so far out it is unreal. I had really looked forward to reading this book as I enjoyed the others so much. Don't know if I will try another one or not.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Law book you'll never forget, February 19, 2000

By 

Marco Aurelio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rough Justice (Hardcover)

Remember the best Law book you've ever read? Burn it. When you put your hands on ROUGH JUSTICE and start reading it, you'll never be able to put it away. Why? Cause you just don't think you're reading a book, but watching the best Law movie you've ever watched. The book is full of twists, action, wonderful characters that seem to be someone from your own family, and Lisa Scottoline goes beyond: she makes you laugh by the way she describe things and put sentences into people's mouth. SHE'S AN AMAZING AUTHOR! Remember the guy who you think is the best author of the genre? Forget him. Buy this book and see why I'm so in love with Lisa's books. Just don't start reading it if you have to work the next day.