Skinny-dipping : A Novel of Suspense

Rating:
Summary: Another worthy addition to the Florida Crime-writing scene
Review: Here it is- another semicomic crime filled romp amongst the Florida landscape. Add Claire Matturro to the list of Carl Hiaason, Tim Dorsey, Lawrence Shames etc. After her first novel, she has proven herself a worthy addition.
Lilly Rose Cleary is a trial lawyer working in Sarsasota, Florida. She primarily defends doctors from malpractice litigation. She lives alone, is prone to change boyfriends quickly and readily and likes health food. However, her life gets a bit complicated as one client dies of poisoning and her second is shot at while in her car. The question is why? More importantly from her standpoint- is she also a target? She must use her ingenuity to discover the truth.
I liked the character of Lily. The fact that I am a Florida physician certainly helps in that regard. However, the author makes both the lawyers and the doctors look ridiculous. Many characters come off as flat. The physicians are silly money grubbing clients but the lawyers are no better and come off as pinheaded weasels. It is this shallow characaturish display of the supporting characters that is the weakness of the book. Its strength comes from the main character, Lily. The plot is overall quite silly but intentionally so and can be somewhat amusing at times. The scene at the end of the villain holding the gun on the heroine while divulging all prior to killing her did not endear this book to me. The length for a first novel is perfect- not too long and not too short- just right.

Rating:
Summary: Wicked good sense of humor....and a murder too!!!
Review: Claire Matturro is destined to become one of Florida's top contemporary authors, and definitely making the top ten book lists nationwide.
Skinny-Dipping tells the story of a young female law partner who is..."slightly" compulsive. Her name is Lilly Rose Cleary and she is busily defending her clients in court when bodies begin to turn up and bullets begin to fly. Between her court cases, her revolving, revealing relationships and an outrageously funny attitude, she realizes that the links between the murders and the attempted murders that occur must be right beneath her nose. Along the way the intrigue and gamesmanship of the lawyers is dissected in detail by an author who has obvious first hand knowledge of the legal side of things. The medical malpractice suits are ripped apart before your very eyes revealing both sides as over the top extremists with the simple desire of merely winning!
Claire Matturro has a wicked sense of humor that will leave you laughing out loud. You will follow along behind Lilly, looking for clues and hints about who is behind the possible murder attempts, but no matter what or who you think is behind it all, the ending will be a gratifying surprise!!
Get ready to enjoy a great mystery that is interwoven with a brassy sense of humor and a leading lady that you will be looking forward to reading about again and again.
I see that Claire Matturro has a new novel being released in May 2005........I have already preordered it, this is THAT GOOD!!

Rating:
Summary: "Dead" On
Review: I had the author as a law school professor and also have a lot of first hand knowledge about insular Florida legal communities. Those who share a similar background will have the most fun with Claire's novel. The author actually lived this stuff as a P.I. litigator in a respected Sarasota insurance defense firm; not that the plot isn't fictional, but the law firm culture depicted in the novel is something you have to experience to write about this way. Law students thinking about doing P.I. should read this first. Nice going, Claire. You passed golden handcuffs on the side of the road without slowing down.

Rating:
Summary: fun Florida legal thriller
Review: In Sarasota, Florida, Lillian Belle Rosemary Cleary, junior partner at Smith, O'Leary, and Stanley law firm returns late to the office following a victory in her latest malpractice case involving a kayak whiplash accident. The win over her former boyfriend Newly makes the taste sweeter. In her company's parking, someone chokes her from behind. Though able to somewhat loosen the deadly hold, her luck gets better when a partner arrives and the mugger flees.

Dr. Trusdale, who attended to her injuries, asks Lilly Rose for advice with a malpractice suit. However, that night he is dead. Meanwhile, partner Jackson Winchester Smith assigns Lilly Rose the brain damaged baby case although she insists their side should settle with the parents. However, Smith tells her the other side refuses to settle so he expects her to protect the firm's client Dr. Randolph. However, whether it is the brain damaged baby case, the Trusdale advice, or something else, someone begins shooting at Lilly, whose six foot frame plus three inch intimidation heels make quite a target with the only plus being Detective Santuri.

SKINNY-DIPPING is a fun legal thriller that stars a fabulous entry in the wacky Florida mystery world. The story line centers on South Georgia transplant Lilly Rose as she works her cases, balances hunky pursuers, worries about how aging has accelerated since she turned thirty a few years ago, and more with asides to the audience. Fans will enjoy her witty observations about legal and medical life in Sarasota. While the likable delightful protagonist holds the tale together, fans will appreciate that it is her work as an attorney that remains the focus of a zany fantastic tale.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: One of the best 1st novels I've read
Review: It's hard to believe that Claire Matturro has only written this one mystery. She has a sure hand with plot, dialogue and interesting characters. I can't wait for her next book.