This is probably my favorite of the Lisa Scottoline books I've read and uh I don't like Lisa Scottoline. I kept thinking I just needed to find the right book of hers to enjoy, but I just don't like her writing style, characters, or plots. So basically anything about her books.

Mary's family is annoying, especially her father. He's hard of hearing and shouts all his dialogue which Scottoline illustrates by using all caps. Not a fan. None of his buddies can hear and one of them speaks partially in Italian so there was one car ride with all of them that read like a who's on first skit. I was not amused.

The case was more interesting than some of her other cases, but it suffered from the same problem as her others that it was so far in the past it didn't feel like a very present danger. Until of course it becomes cartoonishly so at the end.

And god the ending. The big case culminated with someone trying to kill Mary (this seems fairly standard.) The person was arrested and another someone who was much more powerful came forward and admitted some level of guilt with a plea deal while still blaming the first person almost entirely. Which seemed questionable? But everyone in the story took this at face value. Like would you not question that maybe the super powerful person was maybe the one who orchestrated everything? Not saying that's the case, but I at least expected someone to wonder that. Nope, why would anyone involved in a murder and many other crimes lie to save their own ass. It pissed me off right at the very end.

I didn't realize this was the first in the series, but I guess I read a variety. I don't understand why people like Scottoline. I tried, really. Every bad book I kept thinking was maybe a fluke, but now I'm done. I don't recommend her books, but she seems rather popular so who knows. It confuses me.