When confronted with the most challenging and the most personal case of her legal career, Bennie Rosato--an expert on police corruption--questions everything she has learned as a criminal attorney, and everyone she considers to be family. During a visit behind the bars of Philadelphia's Central Corrections facility, Bennie is shocked to discover that an inmate bears a striking physical resemblance to herself. The prisoner, Alice Connolly, stands accused of murdering her cop boyfriend Anthony Della Porta, and the case reeks of a police conspiracy. Connolly convinces Bennie to defend her in court. Bennie feels confused, intrigued, and even somewhat elated by this clone of herself, and dives head first into a bubbling cauldron of corruption, drugs, murder, and assault--mixed in with a thought-provoking subplot that questions the intricacies of legal ethics.

Mistaken Identity is Lisa Scottoline's sixth and tastiest dish yet. The book is gripping and smart, and it brings into bloom the highly likable character of Bennie Rosato, who made her debut appearance in Legal Tender. Bennie has her vulnerable moments--we witness this when, in some emotional scenes, she doubts the authenticity of her twin. Still, Ms. Rosato is no shrinking violet, especially when it comes to exposing the questionable goings-on of Philadelphia's Eleventh Precinct.

Scottoline keeps us in a bubble of suspense--is Connolly really Bennie's twin? Did she murder Della Porta? If not, who did and why? The author neatly ties all our unanswered questions together into a perfectly formed bow, and keeps us frantically turning pages until the very end. --Naomi Gesinger


From Publishers Weekly
Double jeopardy is more than just a legal term in this taut and smart courtroom drama by Edgar Award winner Scottoline. Bennie Rosato, the irrepressible head of an all-female Philadelphia law firm, moves to center stage after playing a supporting role in the author's previous novel, Rough Justice. Bennie's client is tough, manipulative Alice Connolly, charged with murdering her police detective boyfriend, who may or may not have been a drug dealer. Complicating matters is Alice's claim to be Bennie's identical twin sister and to have been visited by their long-lost father. Despite her wrenching emotional reaction to this revelation and her mother's deteriorating health, Bennie puts her personal and professional life on the line, immersing herself in the case. She enlists the aid of her associates, Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, as well as Lou Jacobs, a cantankerous retired cop she hires as an investigator. They discover that a web of corruption may have enveloped the prosecuting attorney and judge who are now trying Alice's case. Scottoline effectively alternates her settings between prison, law office, courtroom and the streets. Readers familiar with her previous work will enjoy the continuing evolution of the characters' relationships. Judy is still the bolder of the two associates, her experiences highlighted this time by an amusing venture into the seamy world of pro boxing. But Mary, until now a timid and reluctant lawyer ("Maybe I could get a job eating"), emerges from her shell. Scottoline falters occasionally by resorting to ethnic stereotypes, particularly in her dialogue, but generally succeeds in creating a brisk, multilayered thriller that plunges Rosato & Associates into a maelstrom of legal, ethical and familial conundrums, culminating in an intricate, dramatic and intense courtroom finale. Agent, Molly Friedrich. Major ad/promo; author tour. (Mar.) FYI: Mistaken Identity is one of the six books excerpted in Diet Coke's marketing campaign.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In Mistaken Identity, Scottoline provides us with one of her trademark legal thrillers. Typically, it includes the exploration of personal and family relationships as lawyer Bennie Rosato defends a client who claims to be her own twin sister. While defending her client on a capital murder charge, Rosato must deal with a police conspiracy and explore long-buried family secrets. It is a very entertaining mix. The book also gives the listener a taste of the Philadelphia scene and the criminal court system. Though the plot is somewhat improbable, the author draws us in and makes it believable. Kate Harper does an adequate job portraying the various complex and well-drawn characters, but her repeated mispronunciation of several words (including a major Philadelphia landmark) is irritating. This production is recommended for popular collections where legal thrillers are in demand.AChristine Valentine, Davenport Coll. Lib., Kalamazoo, MI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Bennie Rosatto, hard-boiled lawyer, meets her "twin," Alice Connolly, who is equally hard-boiled, but on the criminal side--she's facing the death penalty for murder. Kate Harper plays the '"twins" to the hilt, cold, no-nonsense and divisive. All the other characters blend into the background as ineffectual and inconsequential. The fluid narration is jarred by chapter headings and tape side announcements that are shouted and sharply enunciated. Volume fluctuations and tinny sound plague the second half of the recording. Overall, nonstop action and several murder attempts negate the editing flaws. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
Continuing her run of coming up with the best hooks in the legal intrigue trade (Rough Justice, 1997, etc.), Scottoline tosses Philadelphia lawyer Bennie Rosato her most challenging client - an accused cop-killer who claims she's Bennie's identical twin. And maybe she is. Bennie's ailing mother is too far gone to confirm or deny Alice Connolly's incredible tale of separation soon after birth; the supporting evidence is inconclusive; and while Bennie is waiting for the DNA results, there's the little matter of taking over, on a week's notice, Connolly's botched defense on the capital charge of killing her live-in lover, Officer Anthony Della Porta. Bennie, whose firm specializes in prosecuting naughty cops, couldn't expect much help from Della Porta's associates even if they weren't, as Connolly insists, crooks and drug dealers, cogs in a conspiracy dedicated to putting her away for good. Meantime, her fellow inmates can't wait for her to be found guilty; they're eager to sentence her to a much quicker death. The situation is so desperate that Bennie toys with the idea of mounting a twin defense, changing her hair and dress in order to double herself with the unlovable defendant. She changes her mind, but Connolly doesn't. Since Bennie won't ape her style, she starts to ape Bennie's: ``The defendant had become the lawyer; the twins had traded places.'' Meantime, Bennie's getting clobbered in court by rulings so slanted that she's got to wonder if Judge Harrison Guthrie isn't part of the conspiracy too. All this while she's trying to face up to the possibility that hard-bitten Connolly really is her long-lost twin sister. Can Scottoline do justice to the whodunit, the courtroom thriller, and the buried family romance in a mere 496 pages? Of course not; the thriller wins in a walk. But even the most skeptical fans will be impressed at how tightly Scottoline knots them all together in her biggest book yet. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, PA
"[Scottoline's] latest, Mistaken Identity, just glows…will engage you far into the night. Keep the light on--Lisa's new one rocks."


Larry King, USA Today
"Want a good summer read? You'll enjoy Lisa Scottoline's latest, Mistaken Identity... A page turner..."


Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Taut and smart….a brisk, multilayered thriller…culminating in an intricate, dramatic and intense courtroom finale."


LA Times Book Review
"The courtroom drama is fast and furious."


Kirkus, starred review
"[Scottoline's] biggest book yet…continuing her run of coming up with the best hooks in the legal intrigue trade."


Philadelphia Inquirer
"A gripping, multileveled story peopled by compelling characters... Mistaken Identity is simply a superior piece of writing."


Sun-Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale
"...a superior legal thriller... Sharply plotted, Mistaken Identity never misses a step in suspense, character development, and dialogue..."


The Plain Dealer
"Compelling…Scottoline has been called `the female John Grisham,' but she's a better storyteller….will keep you turning pages."


The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Fast-moving….With Mistaken Identity, Lisa Scottoline succeeds with an ensemble cast -- and a nice twist at the end."


The Lawyer's Bookshelf
"[Scottoline] succeeds in infusing Bennie with down-to-earth dialogue, sarcastic wit and a three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood persona…"


Book Description
Nothing can prepare criminal attorney Bennie Rosato for her new client, Alice Connolly, accused of murdering her lover, a highly decorated police detective. Connolly, who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Bennie, tells the astonished lawyer, "Pleased to meet you. I'm your twin." But Bennie grew up an only child. She doesn't have a twin.Or does she?Bennie takes the case and plunges into the mystery of the murder, as well as the secret of her own identity. Not until the verdict is in will she finally learn the truth.


Download Description
Nothing can prepare criminal attorney Bennie Rosato for her new client, Alice Connolly, accused of murdering her lover, a highly decorated police detective. Connolly, who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Bennie, tells the astonished lawyer, "Pleased to meet you. I'm your twin." But Bennie grew up an only child. She doesn't have a twin. Or does she? Bennie takes the case and plunges into the mystery of the murder, as well as the secret of her own identity. Not until the verdict is in will she finally learn the truth. "A superior piece of writing. A gripping, multileveled story peopled by compelling characters" (Philadelphia Inquirer). "Scottoline has been called 'the female John Grisham,' but she's a better storyteller" (Cleveland Plain Dealer).


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 OUR EDITORS

Called "the female John Grisham" by People magazine, Lisa Scottoline may have her breakout book with Mistaken Identity, a thick, hefty thriller that reads like a runaway freight train: powerful, lightning quick, and loaded with unpredictable twists and turns that'll keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the intense journey.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lisa Scottoline continues to enthrall a growing legion of critics and fans with her superb talent for creating gripping, unpredictable stories that rival the best of John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Richard North Patterson. Filled with twisting plots, unforgettable flesh-and-blood characters, and absorbing dramatic tension, her previous national bestsellers have propelled her into the top ranks of legal suspense. Now, this acclaimed author is back withMistaken Identity, her most thoughtful, riveting, and richest novel yet.

Life holds few surprises for Bennie Rosato, head of her own Philadelphia law firm. As a criminal attorney now specializing in police misconduct cases, she's seen the noblest and most deviant aspects of human nature. But nothing can prepare her for the moment she enters a maximum-security prison to meet her new client, Alice Connolly, face to face. Accused of brutally murdering her lover, a highly decorated police detective, Connolly claims the police framed her. A defendant protesting her innocence is not unusual for Bennie. What shocks her is that Connelly bears an uncanny physical resemblance to her. "Pleased to meet you. I'm your twin. Your identical twin," Connolly tells the astonished lawyer. But Bennie grew up as an only child, or so she thought. She has a law firm, a handsome young lover, and a golden retriever; she doesn't have a twin. Or does she?

Connolly knows too many intimate details about Bennie's life and family for the resemblance to be just coincidental. And there is something about the woman that compels the intrigued attorney to defend her, against her better judgment. Taking the case with the trial only a week away, Bennie plunges into the mystery of the murder, as well as her own identity and her family's dark secrets. Is Connolly innocent? And is she Bennie's unknown sister? It is not until Bennie takes the case to verdict that she will finally learn the truth, which threatens to change her life.

A legal thriller, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of the emotional bonds that define our lives and those we love, Mistaken Identity is a masterful achievement that takes the legal thriller to a new level as it resoundingly confirms Lisa Scottoline's place as one of the premier writers of suspense fiction today.

Lisa Scottoline has been praised as "the female John Grisham" by People Magazine and confirms that honor with her taut new thriller, Mistaken Identity. Kirkus, in a starred review, calls it her "biggest book yet" and the Coca Cola Company chose Mistaken Identity to promote the pleasures of reading by putting an excerpt in 10 million packages of Diet Coke. Interview with Lisa Scottoline

Q: What first gave you the inspiration to write?

Scottoline: I don't know, to tell you the truth. I was very happy as a lawyer, but when my life changed and I had a child, I had to find another way to earn a living. Basically, I saw that John Grisham and other male writers were making a lot of really good stories out of being a trial lawyer. And I thought, why are there no women doing this? I mean, I had studied English when I was in school at Penn, and I thought, gee, I should be able to do this. So, the impetus was seeing the genre explode, and understanding that there was a niche that wasn't being filled.

Q: How is writing a new novel similar to preparing for a trial?

Scottoline: That's an interesting question. Actually, it is very similar, particularly with suspense. My aim is to make the books move fast, especially with Mistaken Identity, which works on a lot of different levels. As a trial lawyer, you are trained to figure out which sentences matter, and throw out the ones that don't matter. You get up before a jury and tell them only the important facts, in exactly the order you want, so that you will produce in your audience a reaction. And that is exactly what I aim to do on the page; suspense to me means including only the relevant sentences to create a book readers won't want to put down. For Bennie Rosato, the protagonist of Mistaken Identity, I ask what are the sentences that will make people understand her view of the world, understand her.

Q: Tell me a little of your view of characterization.

Scottoline: I think characterization matters a lot, particularly in legal thrillers. I've read quite a few books in this genre, and the stuff that used to fly--like Earl Stanley Gardner or Perry Mason--just doesn't work any more. Not to detract from those books, they're wonderful, but people are much more sophisticated today in their knowledge of law, legal ethics, and what actually happens in a court room. The O.J. case educated everybody, you know? For example, in my book Rough Justice, which was published pre-O.J., I had to define what a sidebar was. Now, during the O.J. trial, people were running around with pins that said "Too Many Sidebars." It was remarkable! So, for me, that trial saved me a ton of time, because I didn't have to define things for people anymore. But it also put on extra demands to make each book even more compelling since readers won't buy that a lawyer can crack somebody on the witness stand, because that really doesn't happen. In Perry Mason's day people thought it could, but it doesn't. So today [the legal thriller] has to be written at a higher level.

Q: How much "trial preparation"--which is to say, firsthand research--do you like to do before sitting down to write?

Scottoline: Tons. For instance, I took boxing lessons for Mistaken Identity. It would have been easy to write "the girl who goes into the gym and doesn't know what she is doing" character. But for the plot, I also had to create a credible boxer, and that is why I had to hang out with some boxers. The lessons were a great vehicle for that level of credibility. I'm still a lousy boxer, but now I've got my details down.

Q: Obviously you don't have be a good boxer to write well about it.

Scottoline: As Norman Mailer proved, or Joyce Carol Oates! She actually wrote a nice piece on boxing. But I think I could take her once I got my jab going.

Q: Your new book, Mistaken Identity, is inspired by something that really happened to you.

Scottoline: Not too long ago, I learned that I had a sister I didn't know about. Ironically, I had always wanted a sister, and it was a little startling to actually find out, past the age of thirty, that I had one. She was searching for her birth parents, and that was how she found me. I mean, I thought I had known my family boundaries, and suddenly, here was this total stranger who looked a lot like me. So, questions obviously arose like where does she fit in, and how does it feel to have this person in my life? When something that cool happens to a writer, you have to use it!

Q: What was your toughest challenge writing Mistaken Identity? What narrative problem kept you up at night?

Scottoline: Every single thing. I sweat every single page, every sentence. And this book was something even more challenging, trying to mix a family story with a courtroom case with a thriller. I had no interest in simply writing the Scottoline family saga, but I wanted to use that story of the sisters in an entertaining book you can't put down. I feel very strongly about that: for $24 the reader had better be entertained.

Q: The first chapter of Mistaken Identity was posted on your web site and you invited visitors to give you editorial feedback. What was that like?

Scottoline: The response was amazing, and very helpful. Like any writer, I'm alone in a garret, not sure that what I am producing is working. And I thought it would be interesting to communicate with readers and people who are interested in writing. It would be a new way of getting feedback. I'm told that Kurt Vonnegut (and others) used to go around and read his works in progress. The tradition of reading works in progress made a lot of sense when you could travel around, but that wasn't convenient for me. So I posted it on my site. I mean everyone posts a chapter, a teaser, but the innovation here was to post a work that wasn't yet finished, still in the writing stage. Thousands of people edited that chapter, and I read every single one of them. The experiment was very interesting, and I will undoubtedly do it again.

Q: What is behind Bennie's law firm, what gave you the idea to make it all female?

Scottoline: I just didn't want to write a series character. Some writers of legal thrillers like them, such as Scott Turow, who has recurring people. The other example is John Grisham whose books are stand-alones. But I wanted to have a little of both, so I thought why not do an ensemble, in this case the law firm. And since I tended to be doing women lawyers--straight out of the "write what you know" school--I decided to put them all in the same firm to see what would happen. It's fun, because they have quite different personalities--though they are all, suspiciously, blonde.

Q: Bennie is a strong character, sufficiently strong, it seems, to carry a TV or feature film. Is that something you want to pursue?

Scottoline: Well, yes, [the book] was optioned for a TV series. I think the development company saw the same continuing possibilities as I did about these twins, Bennie and Alice.

Q: From Court TV to Judge Judy, Americans seem obsessed with legal issues. Why do you think law is such an entertainment commodity to us?

Scottoline: Because it's very dramatic, life and death stuff. And more than that it is all about winning and losing. Every day, when I practiced law, I won or lost two or three things--a motion here, or a trial decision there. Vast sums of money change hands. Things happen, and the lawyer is very much a player in that drama. Lawyers can be very interesting, effective people. And I also get a sense, from the email I receive from readers, that in addition to the characters, they really enjoy the question about justice and ethics. You know, what is justice? What is just in a certain situation? That is constantly fascinating to people, and every day there is a new compelling legal story on the news. Every case is a great story: each is personal, emotional, and a tale about justice. How can you beat that!? You can't!

SYNOPSIS

Nothing can prepare criminal attorney Bennie Rosato for her new client, Alice Connolly, accused of murdering her lover, a highly decorated police detective. Connolly, who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Bennie, tells the astonished lawyer, "Pleased to meet you. I'm your twin." But Bennie grew up an only child. She doesn't have a twin.

FROM THE CRITICS

People Magazine

The female John Grisham.

Judith Flavell - The Mystery Reader.com

...[A] lot like taking a ride on the fastest roller coaster in the amusement park: exhilarating, nonstop action with plenty of twists and turns....As always, Ms. Scottoline's stories include lots of riveting action. This author knows the streets and the people that make up Philadelphia, and she effortlessly brings them to life in Mistaken Identity....I was with [the characters] every gut-wrenching step of the way.

Publishers Weekly

Double jeopardy is more than just a legal term in this taut and smart courtroom drama by Edgar Award winner Scottoline. Bennie Rosato, the irrepressible head of an all-female Philadelphia law firm, moves to center stage after playing a supporting role in the author's previous novel, Rough Justice. Bennie's client is tough, manipulative Alice Connolly, charged with murdering her police detective boyfriend, who may or may not have been a drug dealer. Complicating matters is Alice's claim to be Bennie's identical twin sister and to have been visited by their long-lost father. Despite her wrenching emotional reaction to this revelation and her mother's deteriorating health, Bennie puts her personal and professional life on the line, immersing herself in the case. She enlists the aid of her associates, Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, as well as Lou Jacobs, a cantankerous retired cop she hires as an investigator. They discover that a web of corruption may have enveloped the prosecuting attorney and judge who are now trying Alice's case. Scottoline effectively alternates her settings between prison, law office, courtroom and the streets. Readers familiar with her previous work will enjoy the continuing evolution of the characters' relationships. Judy is still the bolder of the two associates, her experiences highlighted this time by an amusing venture into the seamy world of pro boxing. But Mary, until now a timid and reluctant lawyer ("Maybe I could get a job eating"), emerges from her shell. Scottoline falters occasionally by resorting to ethnic stereotypes, particularly in her dialogue, but generally succeeds in creating a brisk, multilayered thriller that plunges Rosato & Associates into a maelstrom of legal, ethical and familial conundrums, culminating in an intricate, dramatic and intense courtroom finale. Agent, Molly Friedrich. FYI: Mistaken Identity is one of the six books excerpted in Diet Coke's marketing campaign.

Library Journal - Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles

In Mistaken Identity, Scottoline provides us with one of her trademark legal thrillers. Typically, it includes the exploration of personal and family relationships as lawyer Bennie Rosato defends a client who claims to be her own twin sister. While defending her client on a capital murder charge, Rosato must deal with a police conspiracy and explore long-buried family secrets. It is a very entertaining mix. The book also gives the listener a taste of the Philadelphia scene and the criminal court system. Though the plot is somewhat improbable, the author draws us in and makes it believable. Kate Harper does an adequate job portraying the various complex and well-drawn characters, but her repeated mispronunciation of several words (including a major Philadelphia landmark) is irritating. This production is recommended for popular collections where legal thrillers are in demand.--Christine Valentine, Davenport Coll. Lib., Kalamazoo, MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

AudioFile

Bennie Rosatto, hard-boiled lawyer, meets her "twin," Alice Connolly, who is equally hard-boiled, but on the criminal side—she's facing the death penalty for murder. Kate Harper plays the '"twins" to the hilt, cold, no-nonsense and divisive. All the other characters blend into the background as ineffectual and inconsequential. The fluid narration is jarred by chapter headings and tape side announcements that are shouted and sharply enunciated. Volume fluctuations and tinny sound plague the second half of the recording. Overall, nonstop action and several murder attempts negate the editing flaws. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine Read all 8 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

For racheting suspense, dynamite characters and a master's touch in the courtroom, it's tough to beat Lisa Scottoline's Mistaken Identity. — David Baldacci