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Defensive Wounds (Theresa MacLean #4)

by Lisa Black (Goodreads Author)

3.37 of 5 stars 3.37 · rating details · 340 ratings · 80 reviews

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black’s captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect—especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney with a history of falsifying evidence and no shortage of enem...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by William Morrow

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Sep 28, 2011 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received Defensive Wounds from Goodreads.
This book was a fast, absorbing read. I had not read any of the previous novels featuring Theresa MacLean, but quickly got to know and like the characters. The story was interesting and I loved reading the technical forensic information. Although I figured out part of the mystery, the end was a surprise! I am definitely planning to go back and read Ms. Black's previous novels.

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Mar 06, 2013 Hannah Messler rated it 2 of 5 stars

This author, at least as evidenced by the two novels I've read so far, has a hilarious resentment against television crime dramas. Which is a not uncommon trope in this genre--an easy way to add a little real-world zing to a population of characters generally rendered in the mid- to late-blooming stages of caricature. A cold blue eye, a hard certainty, and a cigarette clenched grimly--but get back, Marlowe, coz this damey watches CSI, and she thinks it's SILLY.
Not the worst; you read these thin...more This author, at least as evidenced by the two novels I've read so far, has a hilarious resentment against television crime dramas. Which is a not uncommon trope in this genre--an easy way to add a little real-world zing to a population of characters generally rendered in the mid- to late-blooming stages of caricature. A cold blue eye, a hard certainty, and a cigarette clenched grimly--but get back, Marlowe, coz this damey watches CSI, and she thinks it's SILLY.
Not the worst; you read these things with pretty big grains of salt, right? You just want to disappear out of your head for a little while, that's what these books are for. Of course they're going to be a little stupid; they are so sure of themselves. They are like any closed circle of signs and symbols--transparent and interdependent. That's why it is so cozy in here, huddled around the autopsy table.

She just hammers that shit home like every two pages. "It's sooooo easy ON TV," someone bristles shrilly. "Oh well ON TV they would have had this all wrapped up," someone else spits venomously. "ON TV it's all in the computer, the MAGIC TV COMPUTER," a third person chimes in, tearing out her eyes and leaping from the window, a droll cigarette clenched grimly in her hardened jaw.

Anyway n really a bd.

These books are placed in Cleveland, where she used to work, but now she lives in Florida! So I hope she will locate a book there, for o how I love to read of my swamp, no matter how dopey the tropes.

Oh wait the other thing is an almost baffling hamhandedness when it comes to metaphor. Her character is thinking about oh no what if I have to adopt this cat, what will my cat think. She says that when the cat had to deal with her bringing a dog home, that was one thing--the dog was "a hangnail" but another cat would be "a bullet to the brain"?? I mean . . . yeah okay that's a metaphor. That's using figurative language, technically nothing wrong there. But what? What.

All that pettiness aside, I'll read the next one. I'm sticking with two stars, though. I liked it, but only because it was okay.(less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

Theresa McLean’s is back and this time I think she really is doing more work along her line of occupation as a forensic investigator. The bodies are piling up in the hotel and they belong to defense attorneys who are attending a conference at a high profiled hotel where Theresa’s daughter works at the front desk. With more at stake with her daughter mingling with the cliental, Theresa hopes that the only one being stalked are the attorneys and her daughter is not at risk. Defense attorneys have...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Lee Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shakespeare's "let's kill all the lawyers" gets a workout in this 4th entry in Black's Theresa MacLean forensic investigator series. Mama MacLean gets a chill when receiving her daughter's text of "sum 1 ded here" from the hotel at which she's working before going back to college. The "ded" happens to be a not-so-much lamented femme fatale of a defense attorney who was attending a convention for criminal defense attorneys at the Cleveland Ritz-Carlton. Detectives and forensic investigators both...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Maxine rated it 2 of 5 stars

This probably shouldn't have been the first book of the series to read, but... The mystery - who's killing defense lawyers in a hotel during a defense lawyer convention? - was interesting enough, but I had problems everywhere else in the book. Highlights of those problems? The POV changes from the main character (Theresa) to her cousin for no reason other than it's a really easy exposition shortcut. There's a half-hearted make out scene in the middle of the investigation (calling it the book's "...more

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Dec 24, 2012 D.B. Reynolds rated it 4 of 5 stars

The latest from Lisa Black featuring forensic specialist Theresa MacLean, Defensive Wounds starts with a brutal murder and goes from there. Theresa's a good character, as is her daughter Rachael, and the supporting cast which includes her overly protective cousin Frank. The murders are intriguing, and Black doesn't flinch when it comes to killing off even characters we've grown fond of. One thing about Theresa, she does seem to have a doomed love life--which brings to mind a big question mark fo...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-library

For me a quick read since I was taken with the setting in Cleveland, mostly around the Terminal Tower and its environs. Glorious views that both dazzle and terrify.

Someone is killing high profile defense attorneys at a convention and of course, the suspects are endless as are the lawyer jokes as as the charges that police won't investigate the murders because the police had defense attorneys who are just doing their job putting scumbags back on the street. (Oops did I say that?) Well, you can't...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime

A defense attorneys' conference has invaded the Ritz Carlton, where the daughter of forensic scientist Theresa MacLean works at check in. In the midst of the conference, a serial killer suddenly targets three of the lawyers in quick succession, leaving them naked and trussed up with their heads bashed in, each in a different part of the Ritz. The cops hate all three, for their skill in springing the very same criminals the police work so hard to put away. While collecting evidence, Theresa is ho...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lots of forensic stuff, lots. Sometimes more than you want. Cops, dead attorneys, daughter of the CSI lady, all at the Ritz Carlton in Cleveland. Then a sealed juvenile record, grieving mother, and at least 15 connections from 47 clues, all of which (spoiler) end up having almost no bearing on the final outcome. Oh, and a bit of romance on the rise while the mystery unfolds.

Decent escape for listening while I was knitting, but I really do prefer more honest crime based complexity and if not that...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Black. There are so many suspects that in-depth character development is impossible for the many suspects attending the Defense Lawyer's Conference at the Cleveland Ritz Carlton. being held in Cleveland--everyone seems to have a motive for killing defense lawyers. I became a bit bored with so many forensic details--unlike other similar novels.
Murders begin with the killing of the high-powered, most hated local defense lawyer, Marie Corrigan. No one is sa...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Cindy Meilink rated it 3 of 5 stars

What fell a little short...First, this is not a fast-paced thriller. Second, there is not a sizzling romance to add to the interest. Third, I felt the characters weren't developed sufficiently to connect to them.

What this book does offer is an onion-like approach to solving the murders of three defense attorneys killed while attending a convention at the Ritz. Layers of evidence, motive, and opportunity are peeled back at an alarmingly slow pace to ultimately reveal the murderer.

It is the job o...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Tami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-giveaways, 2011

Haven't received the book yet, just received notice I had won. 9/14/11
Received my copy last night, hope to start soon, I have my current read and 2 others in front. 9/28/11
Started Saturday 10/15/11
finished last night 10/20/11

The defense lawyer everyone hates is found murdered, during the middle of a defense lawyer convention. With so many possible suspects, Theresa tries to remain impartial and professional while trying to collect evidence to find the murderer. When another lawyer ends up dead u...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Vivian rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: mystery-suspense readers

Theresa MacLean is a forensic investigator. She is also an overprotective mother to a teenage daughter. She thought her daughter would be safe working for the summer at a downtown hotel until there's a murder on the premises. It doesn't help that the murder victim is a defense attorney that the local police department loved to hate. Why this hotel? Why this attorney? Why no defensive wounds? These questions are asked and answered in the latest suspense novel by Lisa Black, Defensive Wounds.

Being...more Theresa MacLean is a forensic investigator. She is also an overprotective mother to a teenage daughter. She thought her daughter would be safe working for the summer at a downtown hotel until there's a murder on the premises. It doesn't help that the murder victim is a defense attorney that the local police department loved to hate. Why this hotel? Why this attorney? Why no defensive wounds? These questions are asked and answered in the latest suspense novel by Lisa Black, Defensive Wounds.

Being a single mom can be exasperating, and Theresa understands that she has a tendency to go overboard at times. Her daughter was nowhere near the murder site but she's still overly cautious and wary. It doesn't help that she knows nothing about Rachel's new love interest. Theresa's interest is further peaked when her friend, another defense attorney, has a suspicious and curious reaction to the teenager. Theresa then asks her cousin, a police detective, to check into the boy's background. Isn't that what family connections are for?

Theresa must still continue her forensic investigation but trying to find evidence in a hotel room is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack blindfolded. Just when she thinks she's the original hovering mother, there are two more murders. By now, Theresa is frustrated because of the mounds of forensic evidence to be looked at from the hotel. If there's a ton of evidence from the hotel, there's also a ton of suspects to be considered. One suspect is a former police officer that is currently working as the head of security at the hotel.

On the personal front, Theresa must field interest from one of the investigating detectives. She also learns that Rachel's prospective boyfriend has a record . . . for murder. He was found not guilty and said that he doesn't remember that night, but what really happened? He doesn't know and the dead girl cannot speak for herself? The evidence points to him, or does it? What follows is an investigation that keeps the reader on tenterhooks. The investigation is like a roller-coaster ride in the dark, the twists and turns kept me on edge because I never saw what was coming next.

I enjoyed reading Defensive Wounds and completely understood that Theresa is the primary character, but since I have family on the police department I also know that forensic investigators don't generally play such a primary role in investigations and interrogations. Removing that little problem from the equation, Defensive Wounds is a great suspense read. I found myself feeling for Theresa as she worried about Rachel and sympathetic when she mourned the loss of her friend. (I also rather enjoyed the possible play on words as "defensive wounds" may refer to the lack of defensive wounds on the murder victims as well as the wounds they inflicted on victim families as defense attorneys.) If you're looking for a procedural suspense to read with a strong female character and an emphasis on evidence, then look no further.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011 Maddy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

PROTAGONIST: Theresa McLean, forensic scientist
SETTING: Cleveland, Ohio
SERIES: #4 of 4
RATING: 3.25
WHY: There's a convention of defense attorneys at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. When one of the more unlikeable ones is murdered, Theresa McLean is assigned to collect forensic evidence. Two more murders present her with an incredible challenge - can you imagine trying to collect trace evidence in a hotel setting? Too much forensic detail slowed the narrative, although that may appeal to some reade...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black's captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect--especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney...more THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black's captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect--especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney with a history of falsifying evidence and no shortage of enemies, is found dead in the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton, most people would agree that she had it coming. Forensic investigator Theresa MacLean is summoned to the crime scene by her daughter, Rachel, who is working the front desk. But even before Theresa enters the room, she knows that she's walking into a forensic nightmare--for crime scenes at hotels, even the most luxurious, are teeming with trace evidence that has been left behind by innumerable guests and may or may not be related to the murder. But what Theresa finds is even worse than she imagined.

Given the positioning of Marie's body, everyone assumes the same thing--that it's a lovers' tryst turned lethal. But large questions remain: How did the killer gain access to the room without anyone's knowledge? And has the scene been staged for their benefit? The little evidence Theresa has is conflicting at best. What's more, a legal convention at the hotel provides an endless list of suspects--and potential victims.

When two more bodies show up in quick succession, each in a similar state, Theresa's investigation takes on a whole new urgency as she fears they may have a serial killer on their hands--a serial killer with a vendetta. But as she searches for the threads that tie the cases together, Theresa begins to suspect that she and her daughter are closer to danger than they realize. And a mother will stop at nothing to protect the life of her child.

Theresa thinks that this boy that her daughter met at work is the killer. He had been charged with murdering a girl in high school but it was never proved. They regularly meet in an area high atop the hotel renovations. A "simple" friend of the boyfriend is usually with them and is devoted to the boyfriend. At the end it appears that a frumpy lady who was a social worker or something is the real killer and she ends up dying when she is trying to kill the daughter. Anyway, at the end we find out that the devoted friend was actually the one who had killed the high school girl and set up the friend. He was too afraid to admit the crime and devoted himself to making sure the friend didn't go to jail for the crime.(less)

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Dec 10, 2011 Betty410 rated it 3 of 5 stars

All about Defense lawyers getting murdered at a convention in a fancy Cleveland hotel. The main character is the forensic investigator. The suspense enters when her daughter starts to date a fellow worker at the hotel. He is a presumed rapist and murderer from his high school days who was declared not guilty by the courts defended by those same lawyers getting killed.
The details of the forensic systems are well outlined since the author is a former forensic scientist.

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Jan 04, 2013 Wisteriouswoman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by Lisa Black. It kept my interest and I would like to read other books in the series if they have good reviews. The anti-lawyer viewpoint got a bit tiresome. I like books that include forensics but don't have a romance angle distracting from the mystery.
Some of the relationship issues were confusing; including the one she has in regards to her old roommate, which I found annoying. Why did she care about her?

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Mar 03, 2012 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself investigating the murders of three lawyers who are killed at the Ritz Carlton hotel. Her daughter just happens to work the front desk and a boy that her daughter is interested in at work was previously tried for the murder of another girl years ago. Is she dating a murder? Theresa tries to keep her daughter out of danger while collecting evidence of who killed these attorneys.

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Apr 30, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-on-cd, crime, forensics, mother-daughter, murder, mystery, lawyers

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black’s captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect—especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead. (Amazon.com)

The mystery and plot were intriguing and the ending was unexpected, but there was too much forensic detail in my opinion, which slowed the pace.

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Nov 02, 2011 Evelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

Forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to Cleveland's Ritz Carlton hotel when a local defense attorney is found murdered in the Presidential suite during a convention. Can she overcome her animosity toward a woman who often gave her grief on the witness stand and find her killer?
Fourth in the series. Lots of forensic details and interesting information about Cleveland landmarks like The Terminal Tower add to the story.

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Oct 21, 2012 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

An audiobook that accompanied me on multiple road trips this week. I enjoyed the story immensely. The main character, Theresa, is a crime scene investigator and the detailed descriptions of her observations and work were particularly interesting. The story moved right along and led us on a few twisty turns, so that was fun, too. Crime scene details were vivid, but not so lurid as to be off-putting.

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Sep 30, 2011 Karina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

*First Reads Winner*

Great Book! The story is very interesting, as well as the characters. It keeps you wondering who is the killer? As you keep reading the book you imagine one person is the killer, but at the end you will be surprised to know who is the real killer and the motives. Lisa Black does a great job describing the process of analyzing the crime scenes, and has very good details about everything. This is a MUST READ book, I enjoyed reading the book and I couldn't wait to finish it to k...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Ginny rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable mystery taking place at a hotel during a lawyer's convention. An attorney is found murdered and Theresa MacLean, a forensic investigator is called to the scene. Her teenage daughter is working the front desk of the hotel. Other attorneys also turn up dead and the story revolves around the investigation and Theresa's fear for her daughter's safety.

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Oct 03, 2012 Phancy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 13, 2012 Trudy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I certainly wasn't surprised when I found out that this author was a forensic scientist. I enjoyed finding out some the of the chemistry etc behind the science, and it provided an interesting background that did not overtake the story. I enjoyed the book enough that I will probably read others by the author.

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Jul 11, 2012 Catherine Woodman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Teresa is a forensic expert who works with the police--she gets invovled in investigating a 2 lawyer murder case, where both lawyers are associated with a case where a boy who woke up next to a dead girl was acquitted, and someone is hell bent on revenge--why so many years later is never really well dealt with, but there you have it. It is a reasonably written story that holds together as well as most of these do.

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May 13, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm now hooked on this author and her characters. while reading her books I think I have it all figured out, and I do to a certain extent, but there are always two or three twists at the end that really throw me for a loop. She's now one of my favorite authors.

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Oct 06, 2011 Jessica Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received "Defensive Wounds" as a first reads winner.

"Defensive Wounds" was a really enjoyable, quick read. Lisa Black does a great job incorporating an interesting plot with forensic science. The story moves quickly with lots of twists and turns. While I did figure out the killer before the ending, I did not figure out the whole picture and was pleasantly caught off guard.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy crime mysteries in the style of Patrica Cornwell.

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Sep 27, 2011 Gail marked it as to-read

I received my copy yesterday in the mail. I was a first reads winner in the free giveaways. I can't wait to read it. I have never read any of Lisa Black's books before. I am always looking for new authors to read that I would like.

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May 19, 2013 Joann rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. This is the first Lisa Black book I've read. I'll be reading the rest of them. Nice characters, nice mystery, although I was pretty sure I knew who did it fairly early on, and I was right.

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About Lisa Black

Lisa Black spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. Strange, perhaps, but true. After ten years as a secretary, she went back to school to get a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Cleveland State University. In her job as a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office, she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many ot...more

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The Price of Innocence (Theresa MacLean #6)

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Defensive Wounds (Theresa MacLean #4)

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