Everywhere that Mary Went
Lisa Scottoline
HarperCollins
<p>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.</p>