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 |
|