I try not to be too picky about this type of book – a quick, mindless read that isn’t going to stay with me much beyond the moment I finish the last page. When such a book does stay with me, it’s for all the wrong reasons. Such is the case with Dirty Blonde. The protagonist is a federal judge based in Philadelphia. She is presiding at a trial in which a plaintiff is suing the defendant, a television producer, for stealing what the plaintiff claims was his idea for a series. During a meeting the judge has with the lawyers for each side, the plaintiff’s attorney says the plaintiff needs a large settlement because “the guy has two kids and a mother he supports.” Later in the book, the judge meets with the plaintiff’s wife, who has just conceived the couple’s first child after a long struggle with infertility. Hello? Did anyone, like the author, read this book before it was published? The plaintiff is a decidedly minor character, but still, why did this one slide through?Mistake like this should be caught in the editing process. But this isn’t a typo that a writer’s eyes will glide over easily. It’s hard to believe that the author of 18 novels would make this kind of blunder.I’m also bothered by the fact that the defendant in said case comes from Reno, Nevada, and attended UNLV – and that he and the plaintiff met at the summer camp where the defendant was a counselor and the plaintiff a camper. That seems a tad strange, that a summer camp would be the meeting place for two people from opposite sides of the country. Not that it couldn’t happen, but it should have been explained. And why, if the defendant is from Reno, didn’t he set that series in a place he knew? The series revolves around computer crime. Surely that is just as likely occur in Reno as in Philadelphia. This scenario, which underlies the crimes in the book, makes no sense to me. The result is that it threw off the whole book. Not that there’s much there to throw off. The judge is not a particularly compelling figure and her nocturnal habits seem not to fit the character. Her ability to stop them cold turkey when she gets caught doesn’t seem to make sense. That type of behavior would usually be evidence of a deep psychological problem. Yet it disappears pretty quickly. I spent most of this book reacting with a “Huh?” I realize this is fiction, that the incidents in a mystery are probably unlikely to happen in real life, but this one is just too implausible. This was my first Lisa Scottoline book. I’m betting that it will be my last.
The title of this book pretty much describes the main character, Cate Fante. She has just been appointed to be a judge, the promotion she's been working so hard to achieve. She has barely taken on the new position when she has to rule in a case which ends in the mysterious murders of both the plaintive and defendant. If that wasn't bad enough, her personal life has been publicized for all to see (she is indeed a dirty blonde). Her new relationship with a great man is going under. A tv show is about to be made about her life, bringing in her best friend Gina and Gina's autistic son. The chief judge is threatening to fire her. Cate has to find a way to put a stop to it all before her entire life is ruined.What I enjoy so much about Lisa Scottoline's work is the simplicity of it. Her books are easy to read. I don't have to bang my head trying to figure out what she is trying to portray. Dirty Blonde has a good plot with unexpected twists.
What do You think about Dirty Blonde (2007)?
Let me first say this is a stand alone book and not one of Lisa Scottoline's series books. Now after that I know there's a lot of people out there that didn't like this book. They said it wasn't real. Well I'm not sure that the ending is very realistic but a judge that has a life may be real. I thought that Lisa Scottoline created a very plausible storyline. How do we know that a single female judge isn't out at the bars picking up guys and sleeping with them? And if she was...do we care? Can and should a federal court judge be removed from the bench because she may have picked up and had sex with a convicted felon? I also loved how they were thinking about making a television show about her times on the bench. I think I might even watch that if Ms. Scottoline was one of the consultants. At the very least it would be extremely interesting. I enjoyed the premise of the book. Now the mystery part of it, well I thought that needed a little work. Not sure that all those loose ends could be tied up in 30 pages. That's the part that I thought was unrealistic and a little farfetched and because of that I can't give this book a five star rating but it's a solid four. Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors and I've heard her speak before. She's even more entertaining in person than she is on the written page. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick legal thriller/mystery.
—Samantha
Wow! I picked up this book from a donation bin. Clearly used and read. I had no expectations since I was not even aware this was a best seller. The story is exciting and entertaining. The main character is a judge torn between law and real justice. Unfortunate turn of events leaves her embarrassed, suspended and running for her life. Cleverly put together fast paced read that leaves you in constant suspense. Unpredictable ending and with a twist sends down a double echo in the last chapter. Towards the end on a side note in the acknowledgements the author speaks about her research on two topics she brings up in her book Autism and Centralia a city that really exists. I was very interested in the authors sense of civil duty in bringing awareness to her readers. Author clearly is a master of the page turner.
—Kiki B. Lan
I am a Lisa Scottoline fan and have enjoyed all her other books, so I had looked forward to this one. I was very disappointed.The heroine, a judge, is not only incredibly dumb, but extremely uninteresting. Her behavior was to hard to believe for a woman who had the professional job as a judge. The cast of characters held no interest for me and frankly, I couldn't care less why she acted the way she did nor who committed the murder. The writing was boring, too long and a very weak ending.All of Lisa Scottoline books are usually are a fast read; not this one. I wasn't even going to try and finish this one.
—Christine
