Customer Reviews

Skinny-dipping

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lillian Cleary is an attorney for a prestigious law firm in Sarasota. No matter how over worked she is, Lilly gives each case her all. She wins MUCH more often than she loses. She is well known for her in-depth investigations of each case and her killer cross-examination technique in the courtroom.

The senior partners are notorious for dropping ridiculous cases on her desk, as well as, for giving her cases that THEY cannot win. One of these cases is a malpractice lawsuit. Lilly soon finds herself with a bulls eye on her back and a suspiciously deceased doctor client. Finding an expert witness is no easy task either apparently.

*** A good legal mystery, but at times the humor falls flat. I found Lilly Cleary to be a fast thinking, very intelligent lady that often gets through problems by sheer luck or good timing. She is definitely a character that I would like to read more about in the future! ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

In Sarasota, Florida, Lillian Belle Rosemary Cleary, junior partner at Smith, O'Leary, and Stanley law firm returns late to the office following a victory in her latest malpractice case involving a kayak whiplash accident. The win over her former boyfriend Newly makes the taste sweeter. In her company's parking, someone chokes her from behind. Though able to somewhat loosen the deadly hold, her luck gets better when a partner arrives and the mugger flees.

Dr. Trusdale, who attended to her injuries, asks Lilly Rose for advice with a malpractice suit. However, that night he is dead. Meanwhile, partner Jackson Winchester Smith assigns Lilly Rose the brain damaged baby case although she insists their side should settle with the parents. However, Smith tells her the other side refuses to settle so he expects her to protect the firm's client Dr. Randolph. However, whether it is the brain damaged baby case, the Trusdale advice, or something else, someone begins shooting at Lilly, whose six foot frame plus three inch intimidation heels make quite a target with the only plus being Detective Santuri.

SKINNY-DIPPING is a fun legal thriller that stars a fabulous entry in the wacky Florida mystery world. The story line centers on South Georgia transplant Lilly Rose as she works her cases, balances hunky pursuers, worries about how aging has accelerated since she turned thirty a few years ago, and more with asides to the audience. Fans will enjoy her witty observations about legal and medical life in Sarasota. While the likable delightful protagonist holds the tale together, fans will appreciate that it is her work as an attorney that remains the focus of a zany fantastic tale.

Harriet Klausner

Author Claire Hamner Matturro has put together a winner in her first novel. Bringing her journalistic knowledge, legal writing skills and insight into human nature together, she has created a protagonist in the form of Lilly Rose Cleary that will likely last through several sequels.

Alternatively exhibiting inner strength, self-doubt and a prickly sense of humor, Lilly is the type of character where most readers can find a component that matches their own psyche.

The book is short enough to be read in a weekend or a few evenings and lighthearted enough to leave the reader feeling satisfied with the effort. With a few autobiographical splashes thrown in, Matturro adds realism. Can she carry it forward to future editions as personal experiences fade and Lilly's character becomes more complex? I'm betting yes!

Can't wait to read more from this author. Will there be further homages to Hiaasen? There are two in this novel. Note to Dr. Gandle, customer reviewer: please look up "characaturish" in your dictionary. If you don't find it, try "caricature".

Claire Matturro is destined to become one of Florida's top contemporary authors, and definitely making the top ten book lists nationwide.

Skinny-Dipping tells the story of a young female law partner who is..."slightly" compulsive. Her name is Lilly Rose Cleary and she is busily defending her clients in court when bodies begin to turn up and bullets begin to fly. Between her court cases, her revolving, revealing relationships and an outrageously funny attitude, she realizes that the links between the murders and the attempted murders that occur must be right beneath her nose. Along the way the intrigue and gamesmanship of the lawyers is dissected in detail by an author who has obvious first hand knowledge of the legal side of things. The medical malpractice suits are ripped apart before your very eyes revealing both sides as over the top extremists with the simple desire of merely winning!

Claire Matturro has a wicked sense of humor that will leave you laughing out loud. You will follow along behind Lilly, looking for clues and hints about who is behind the possible murder attempts, but no matter what or who you think is behind it all, the ending will be a gratifying surprise!!

Get ready to enjoy a great mystery that is interwoven with a brassy sense of humor and a leading lady that you will be looking forward to reading about again and again.

I see that Claire Matturro has a new novel being released in May 2005........I have already preordered it, this is THAT GOOD!!

I really enjoyed this book. It's nice to read a book where the main character is flawed or in other words - like a real person. Her comments and actions brought a lot of smiles to my face as I read it. I found the inside look at the lawyers and the insurance companies to be fascinating and scary. I already have ordered her second book and can't wait to receive it and start reading. Claire Matturro has been added to my "must buy" list of favorite authors.

I had the author as a law school professor and also have a lot of first hand knowledge about insular Florida legal communities. Those who share a similar background will have the most fun with Claire's novel. The author actually lived this stuff as a P.I. litigator in a respected Sarasota insurance defense firm; not that the plot isn't fictional, but the law firm culture depicted in the novel is something you have to experience to write about this way. Law students thinking about doing P.I. should read this first. Nice going, Claire. You passed golden handcuffs on the side of the road without slowing down.

I can't give this book more than a three because none of the characters felt real. Whenever I set the book down, I couldn't remember what was happening when I picked it up again. I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to "get into it."

The main character's OCD seemed poorly researched. If she was the type who'd notice when someone had been rifling through her notes and gotten things out of order, she wouldn't let a messy man going through a messy divorce live with her. And ferrets stink even when they don't spray--they quickly smell up an entire house. If she was as sensitive to smell as elsewhere reported, she could not have tolerated that ferret.

Also, OCD might or might not cause a person to be thorough in checking the details of a case. The National Institute of Health defines OCD as "an anxiety disorder in which a person experiences recurrent unwanted thoughts or rituals that the individual cannot control. A person who has OCD may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals, such as hand washing or checking."

Checking might mean having to get up numerous times in the night to drive 20 miles to be sure that the bridge hasn't washed out. It is more likely to interfere with being an effective attorney than it is to enhance one's ability. That's why OCD is called an illness.

When the author threw in fear of flying/going to a new city to the characteristics of the already OCD-ridden protagonist, it made no sense--especially when she faced so many other physical risks in a perfectly normal way. And why would she be hyper-concerned about what she ate and then abuse prescription drugs? Mental illness is truly painful for the person who suffers from it. I hope it was ignorance rather than cruelty that led to the author's failure to portray OCD without either realism or compassion.

The plot was almost worth a four, if you allow for the fact that a lot of the behavior and action in the book seemed unmotivated. The inside view of a legal firm dealing with malpractice suits was worth a five. For next time, I suggest that the author look at Anne George to see how touches of realism could have been added to make this the smart, funny book it had the potential to be.

I loved this book, maybe more than some other people might because I am a lawyer (although not a litigator like Lilly). There are a few plot holes, but the writing is so entertaining that I only thought about them afterwards. My biggest gripe is - proofreading is even worse than todays's unfortunate average. There are some really noticeable mistakes.

Lawyer Lilly Rose Cleary has obsessive-compulsive disorders, a boyfriend who is a serial marrier, and has now been assigned the world's worst case--defending a doctor who bungled a 'veggie-baby' case. That sounds like enough trouble, but then Lilly is assaulted in her law office parking lot and, a few days later, someone shoots at her and a client. Then there is the little matter of her clients dying of poisoning--and worse.

Lilly can't believe that anyone would really want to kill a lawyer who specializes in defending doctors accused of malpractice. Sure, plenty of doctors are scum, but why not kill them? Of course, some of the doctors are getting killed, which puts things in perspective. But Lilly can't just walk away from a case (part of her obsessive-compulsive thing) and what she learns starts to point suspicious fingers at her boyfriend, her mentor, just about everyone around her.

Author Claire Maturro combines action and humor in a delightful mystery. Lilly, with her combination of psychological failings and her drive, makes a completely enjoyable and sympathetic character. The spraying ferret, the dubious boyfriend, the strong-silent cop, and the slimy doctors and lawyers add charm and believability to the story. Matturo is, herself, a lawyer and the law portions seemed authentic, without being intrusive.

This is a first book by Maturro, and I'm happy to recommend it. It's a quick read and, frankly, I had a hard time putting it down.