Daddy's Girl

"New York Times" bestselling author Lisa Scottoline delivers a fast-paced thriller in which a young law professor must unravel a dangerous conspiracy to see justice done. Law professor Natalie Greco has an ordered life. She feels a passion for teaching, especially her arcane seminar on the History of Justice, even though the course is pathetically undersubscribed in the high-powered law school. She has an attentive boyfriend and a protective family, although her testosterone-fueled big brothers and very successful parents tend to overlook the quiet Nat. Then one terrible day, everything changes. Nat accompanies her colleague Angus to a prison in Chester County where he's a guest lecturer. It's a nice day for a drive through the countryside, the site for much Underground Railroad activity during the Civil War. However, the trip turns grim when they arrive at the prison, hardly inside before the speaker system announces a "disturbance" and orders a lockdown. They're smack in the middle of a riot. In front of a horrified Nat, a prison guard is fatally injured. Nat rushes to help him, only to hear his last words: "Tell my wife. It's under the floor. The money." At that moment, reinforcements arrive, the riot is quelled, and Nat and Angus are escorted out of the building by U.S. marshals. Remembering the dying guard's words, Nat feels she must find his widow. But this is no simple quest, and along the way, Nat is framed for murder and the retiring scholar finds herself in a desperate fight to save her own life.

Starred Review. Scottoline's breathless new thriller doesn't make it easy for a female reader. The male-heavy cast of characters, including heroine Natalie Nat Greco's overly protective daddy and her sports crazy brother, have Rosenblat gruffing up enough to fray even the most flexible vocal chords. She must also keep readjusting her pacing as Nat stumbles from a quiet life as a law professor into a chaotic nightmare filled with prison riots, murders and life and love on the run. The fun and suspense begins when Nat is smitten with Angus Holt, a fellow prof who seems to be the antithesis of the men in her testosterone-filled family. Rosenblat gives the thoughtful, ponytailed Angus a voice so mellow you can almost smell his patchouli incense. Nat follows him to a teaching class at a local prison where a riot breaks out. A dying prison guard's whispered secret places Nat in ultimate jeopardy. From there, the mousy brunette law professor transforms herself into a blonde survivor who can dodge bullets, homicidal truckers and dogged lawmen. Scottoline provides the physical and psychological changes, but Rosenblat makes the metamorphosis credible by subtly replacing Nat's timid voice with one full of strength and determination.
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Natalie "Nat" Greco's law students just aren't that interested in the history of justice, and she can't seem to find a way to reach them. Then a new teaching opportunity develops that would take her out of the University of Pennsylvania and into a local prison classroom. She opts for the dramatic change of scenery and soon finds herself in the middle of a prison melee, attempting to save the life of an injured prisoner, who makes a dying declaration intended for his wife. In attempting to deliver the bewildering message, Nat nearly gets herself killed and winds up being framed for murder. Ever concerned with justice, Nat goes on the lam as she tries to uncover the mystery of the prisoner's final words. Scottoline mixes stand-alones and her Rosato and Associates series in fairly even proportions, so series fans have learned to expect the occasional interruption. This one finds the author in good form, combining suspense- and character-building effectively. Like her heroine, Scottoline has recently begun to teach at Penn and is also embarking on another new project, a show for Court TV called Murder by the Book, featuring best-selling mystery writers presenting and discussing dramatizations of real-life crimes. She's already immensely popular, but expect the bump in exposure to bump up demand for her latest. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.