Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Skinny-Dipping
Lilly Cleary thriller, No. 1

by Claire Matturro


      The comparison is inevitable enough to seem trite, but I really did keep thinking that Claire Matturro's debut novel moved to the sharp, staccato rhythm of a pair of high heels. It's a quick read that combines chicklit and legal thriller in a fast paced story nicely seasoned with humor and the engaging heroine's decidedly quirky world view.

      Lilly Cleary's earned her place as the lone female partner in a prestigious Florida law firm specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice. We meet her in court, happily providing the ridicule an opposing plaintiff is begging for with too much detail about what kayak whiplash has done to her sex life. The fun's over when Lilly gets mugged back at the office, with the slide continuing as a client is murdered and a senior partner saddles her with his problem case. Lilly is an obsessive organic-only vegetarian feminist who can't live with clutter and chaos. Then a former lover decides to move back in, expecting her to cook him steaks, and scattering boxes and suitcases all over before introducing his pet ferret. While the follow-up to the mugging is an attempt on Lilly's life (or was it her client's life?) that ruins one of her best suits and leaves her wondering if the cop on the case wants her stay to close because she's a suspect, in real danger, or his idea of a dream date. Obviously Lilly needs to sort out the ex-lover, the cop, the murder and the attacks as soon as possible before her wardrobe -not to mention her life- get ruined.

      Feisty, sassy, irrepressible - all the usual chicklit heroine adjectives apply, but Lilly's also honestly fun to spend time with. We hear her views on life, relationships, wrinkles, and the evil that lurks in unwashed grocery store produce, but they certainly don't bog this fast moving story down. While there's substance to balance it out, with an insiders view of the law backing some genuine detection in solving the puzzles. A dish of enjoyable mind candy to scarf down as fast as you can.

The Book

HarperTorch
May 2005
Paperback
0-06-056706-6
Suspense/legal thriller
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE: Some sex; a smattering of swearing

The Reviewer

Kim Malo
Reviewed 2005
NOTE:
© 2005 MyShelf.com