Dirty Blonde

By: Lisa Scottoline

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

New York Times best-selling author Lisa Scottoline delivers a gripping stand-alone thriller that features a female judge who gets into trouble when the defendant in a high-profile lawsuit is killed

Lawyer Cate Fante, who is attractive, sexy, and tough-minded, has just been appointed to the federal bench in Philadelphia. With her new status in the elite meritocracy that is the federal judiciary, she often feels like an imposter because of her working-class background. For instance, at a fancy dinner, she's more likely to joke with the waiters than her colleagues. Divorced, Cate also has a secret sex life. She's attracted to bad boys and working-class men, like the ones she grew up with in the former coal-mining town of Centralia in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Cate is presiding over a high-profile multi-million dollar breach-of-contract lawsuit in which a former Philly ADA is suing the producer of a highly successful TV series for stealing his ideas. All true, but the verbal contract isn't enforceable. As difficult as it is, this means that Cate has to make a ruling that ends the lawsuit in the sleazy TV guy's favor. Cate learns that being a judge doesn't always mean that she can do justice.

Upset over the ruling she had to make, Cate heads for a bar and there meets a good-looking rough-hewn leather-jacketed hunk and goes off with him to a nearby motel. Cate quickly realizes she's made a mistake, apologizes, and turns to leave, but the guy becomes aggressive and Cate barely manages to get out of the room. At home, she turns on the local news to learn that the TV producer from her court case has been shot to death outside a local restaurant. Not only that, but she soon also finds out that a man has been found dead after a fall from a motel's exterior staircase. A stricken Cate recognizes instantly the pictures of the leather-jacketed man who’d attacked her at the hotel.

Things go from bad to worse in a hurry, and amazingly, Cate finds her private life splashed all over the papers and her job in jeopardy. Her only hope is to clear her name and find a murderer.

©2006 Lisa Scottoline (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The fast pace and ever-increasing tension will keep readers turning the pages." (Publishers Weekly)

Amateurish reading

While listening to this book, I marveled that this reader was paid for this performance. It was incredibly poorly done throughout, but reached bottom in the last 25 minutes when she tried to make the sounds of gunfire. I advise you to avoid this listen.

GREAT LISTEN!

Scottoline's latest delivers humor, suspense, murder,friendship, a little love, and the city of brotherly love all wrapped up in a female, federal judge with a "dark side." I listen to anything with Lisa Scottoline's name on it because I can't put down my iPOD and,well,I'm from Philly!

Excellent

What made the experience of listening to Dirty Blonde the most enjoyable?

Very well narrated!

What did you like best about this story?

I grew up in the area of Frackville and Centralia and enjoyed the accuracy in the description of the area. Story line was excellent and I couldn't stop the book until the end!

What does Barbara Rosenblat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Would definitely listen a book narrated by Ms Rosenblat again.

Any additional comments?

This was the first Lisa Scottoline book I've experienced after watching her on "Murder by the Book" and I cannot wait to experience the next one!