An Edgar Award nominee (for her first legal thriller, Everywhere That Mary Went), Lisa Scottoline actually won the Edgar for her follow-up, Final Appeal. With five legal thrillers behind her, Scottoline--a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School--has joined the league of lawyers-turned-literaries. Her voice in Final Appeal is crisp and wry; of the law clerks in her office, the narrator declares that she's got "pantyhose with more mileage ... and better judgment." Lawyer and single mom Grace Rossi has taken a part-time job in a federal appeals court. Her lover and boss, the chief judge, is found dead, and Rossi plays the sleuth. As her previous bestsellers, Scottoline can create feisty female characters who struggle with a variety of issues, producing a fast-paced, well-structured read.


From Publishers Weekly
This tale of corporate intrigue centers on Mary DiNunzio, a lawyer on the partner track at one of Philadelphia's top law firms, and her secret admirer/stalker. Mary, stressed by nature of her occupation, first shrugs off silent phone calls to her home and office that are eerily in sync with her comings and goings. Soon, however, when she starts getting personal notes, too, she starts to suspect her co-workers. When Brent Polk, her good friend and secretary, is killed by a car that's been following Mary around, she goads police detective Lombardo to check for similarities between his death and that of her husband a year earlier. Soon follows a chain of strange discoveries: after sleeping with friend and associate Ned Waters, she finds anti-depressants in his medicine chest; Ned's wife-beating father manages a rival law firm; a partner has been tampering with her files. An increasingly paranoid Mary cuts off relations with Ned, whom she suspects of being her stalker. But she doesn't act on her suspicions until it's nearly too late and she must fight for her life. Lawyer Scottoline's first novel is an engaging, quick read, sprinkled with corny humor and melodrama in just the right proportions. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Nora Roberts
"A smart, savvy heroine .... You'll root for Mary from the start of this page turner that whips through legal labyrinths and emotional mazes."


Susan Isaacs
"What fun! Lisa Scottoline brings something new to the lawyer-mystery--a brilliant sense of humor."


Book Description
Who can you trust when everyone you know is a lawyer? Mary DiNunzio has been slaving away for the past eight years trying to make partner in her cutthroat Philadelphia law firm. She's too busy to worry about the crank phone calls that she's been getting -- until they fall into a sinister pattern. The phone rings as soon as she gets to work, then as soon as she gets home. Mary can't shake the sensation that someone is watching her. Following her every move. The shadowboxing turns deadly when her worst fears are realized, and she has to fight for something a lot more important than her partnership. Her life.


Download Description
Lisa Scottoline's breakout novel. Mary DiNunzio is in a cutthroat competition for partner of her law firm -- until crank phone calls seem to follow her every move... and the shadowboxing turns deadly.


About the Author
Lisa Scottoline is a New York Times bestselling author and former trial lawyer. She has won the Edgar Award, the highest prize in suspense fiction, and the Distinguished Author Award from the Weinberg Library of the University of Scranton. She has served as the Leo Goodwin Senior Professor of Law and Popular Culture at Nova Southeastern Law School, and her novels are used by bar associations for the ethical issues they present. Her books are published in more than twenty languages. She lives with her family in the Philadelphia area.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Who can you trust when everyone you know is a lawyer?

Mary DiNunzio has been slaving away for the past eight years trying to make partner in her cutthroat Philadelphia law firm. She's too busy to worry about the crank phone calls that she's been getting—until they fall into a sinister pattern. The phone rings as soon as she gets to work, then as soon as she gets home. Mary can't shake the sensation that someone is watching her. Following her every move. The shadowboxing turns deadly when her worst fears are realized, and she has to fight for something a lot more important than her partnership. Her life.

SYNOPSIS

Lisa Scottoline's breakout novel. Mary DiNunzio is in a cutthroat competition for partner of her law firm -- until crank phone calls seem to follow her every move... and the shadowboxing turns deadly.

FROM THE CRITICS

Nora Roberts

A smart, savvy heroine .... You'll root for Mary from the start of this page turner that whips through legal labyrinths and emotional mazes.

Susan Isaacs

What fun! Lisa Scottoline brings something new to the lawyer-mystery—a brilliant sense of humor.

Publishers Weekly

This tale of corporate intrigue centers on Mary DiNunzio, a lawyer on the partner track at one of Philadelphia's top law firms, and her secret admirer/stalker. Mary, stressed by nature of her occupation, first shrugs off silent phone calls to her home and office that are eerily in sync with her comings and goings. Soon, however, when she starts getting personal notes, too, she starts to suspect her co-workers. When Brent Polk, her good friend and secretary, is killed by a car that's been following Mary around, she goads police detective Lombardo to check for similarities between his death and that of her husband a year earlier. Soon follows a chain of strange discoveries: after sleeping with friend and associate Ned Waters, she finds anti-depressants in his medicine chest; Ned's wife-beating father manages a rival law firm; a partner has been tampering with her files. An increasingly paranoid Mary cuts off relations with Ned, whom she suspects of being her stalker. But she doesn't act on her suspicions until it's nearly too late and she must fight for her life. Lawyer Scottoline's first novel is an engaging, quick read, sprinkled with corny humor and melodrama in just the right proportions. (Nov.)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"Grabs you with its intelligence, wit, and imagery and doesn't let go." — Stephen L. Isaacs