Books
Think Twice

by Lisa Scottoline
St. Martin's Press, March 2010, $26.99

Lisa Scottoline fans, do yourselves a favor: Do NOT read the book jacket, flap copy or any reviews (except this one) of Think Twice. You know those misguided movie trailers that give away a key plot twist destroying the delicious tension of not knowing what will happen next? Well, there is no way to describe Scottoline s 17th page-turner without issuing a blanket spoiler alert.

So suffice it to say that, after a standalone thriller (Look Again) and a collection of humorous essays (Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog), Scottoline brings us back into the arms of Rosato & Associates. But expect no front-page murder or high-profile lawsuit to put the all-female Philly firm through its paces. This time, it's personal.

Think twice, too, if you are expecting the usual by-the-book Bennie, meek Mary and jaunty Judy. As circumstances unfold, coworkers, friends, and lovers find themselves re-examining their lives and their relationships. Even Ma and Pop DiNunzio' s marriage is on the line here.

All this upheaval is jump-started by the return of Alice Connolly, Bennie s sister and the very definition of evil twin. Alice almost meets her match in the Queen of the Witches Mary 's oft-widowed cousin, Fiorella Bucatina, a sexy septuagenarian visiting from Italy.

The spotlight, though, is on Alice. While much of the novel is laugh-out-loud funny, she ratchets up the suspense to almost unbearable levels. Her diabolical acts are nearly excused by their brilliance. If only she used her talents for good instead of &. Heck, who would want that? Otherwise, Think Twice wouldn t be half as entertaining or enthralling. And everyone in this long-running series is better for it.

Cheryl Solimini

Lisa Scottoline fans, do yourselves a favor: Do NOT read the book jacket, flap copy or any reviews (except this one) of Think Twice. You know those misguided movie trailers that give away a key plot twist destroying the delicious tension of not knowing what will happen next? Well, there is no way to describe Scottoline s 17th page-turner without issuing a blanket spoiler alert.

So suffice it to say that, after a standalone thriller (Look Again) and a collection of humorous essays (Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog), Scottoline brings us back into the arms of Rosato & Associates. But expect no front-page murder or high-profile lawsuit to put the all-female Philly firm through its paces. This time, it's personal.

Think twice, too, if you are expecting the usual by-the-book Bennie, meek Mary and jaunty Judy. As circumstances unfold, coworkers, friends, and lovers find themselves re-examining their lives and their relationships. Even Ma and Pop DiNunzio' s marriage is on the line here.

All this upheaval is jump-started by the return of Alice Connolly, Bennie s sister and the very definition of evil twin. Alice almost meets her match in the Queen of the Witches Mary 's oft-widowed cousin, Fiorella Bucatina, a sexy septuagenarian visiting from Italy.

The spotlight, though, is on Alice. While much of the novel is laugh-out-loud funny, she ratchets up the suspense to almost unbearable levels. Her diabolical acts are nearly excused by their brilliance. If only she used her talents for good instead of &. Heck, who would want that? Otherwise, Think Twice wouldn t be half as entertaining or enthralling. And everyone in this long-running series is better for it.

Teri Duerr
167

by Lisa Scottoline
St. Martin's Press, March 2010, $26.99

Scottoline
March 2010
think-twice
26.99
St. Martin's Press