Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 06, 2011

Eppie rated it:

I didn't enjoy this one as much.

Amazon.com Review
Moment of Truth begins with what appears to be an open-and-shut case. Jack Newlin, a wealthy attorney with one of the most influential law firms in Philadelphia, killed his wife in a moment of drunken passion, stabbing her repeatedly when she announced she wanted a divorce. Or at least that is what he is claiming to the police.

The fact is, Jack is framing himself because he fears his wife's murder was his daughter's crime More...

0 comments like

Jul 06, 2009

Drebbles rated it:

When attorney Jack Newlin discovers his murdered wife's body, he thinks his daughter killed her and he confesses rather than see her go to jail. He then hires inexperienced attorney Mary DiNunzio to defend him. But Mary believes he is innocent and decides to prove it, placing herself, Jack, and Jack's daughter, Paige, in danger. Can Mary find the killer before she becomes the next victim?

This legal thriller is a fun read. The characters, for the most part, are well written and come More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 09, 2009

Bob rated it:

LP 608 Pages - Mary DiNunzio is the principal in this tale of the Philadelphia all woman Law Firm. She is working late at the office one night when she fields a call from another lawyer who in custody and needs representation. When reaching the jail Mary finds her client has confessed to killing his wife earlier in the evening but has now decided he wants a lawyer. In talking to him Mary doesn't believe he did it although he insists that he did. One of the detectives is also expressing some More...

0 comments like

Aug 02, 2011

Jayne rated it:

Top marks for turning a murder mystery/police procedural on its head, in that we have a murder victim who pretty much everyone is happy to see dead, and a queue of people trying to claim responsibility. Do the police take the easy route and accept the first confession, or dig deeper? There was more to this novel, and the murder itself, that immediately meets the eye, and I liked the way the author built up personality through dialogue. Some great characters - the two detectives who behave like a More...

0 comments like

Feb 05, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

I love Lisa Scottoline books - although I will admit to reading her most recent ones. This book is twelve years old and it was painful. It took me nearly a month to read because I was unmotivated to do so. I found the idea of the book quite interesting, but found the book itself pretty awful.

*Potential Spoilers*:

I could kind of get on board with Jack confessing to a murder he didn't commit that he thinks his daughter did. But I found Paige's memory of the ordeal to be More...

0 comments like

Oct 31, 2010

Jane rated it:

Lisa Scottoline usually writes great books. This one was not quite up to her usual standards. Newlin (an attorney) comes home to find his wife stabbed to death. He instantly assumes his wife was murdered by their daughter so he steps forward to take the blame and protect her. Mary (a new attorney) takes his case and immediately senses he may not be the real killer. Mary forms an attraction to Jack Newlin and fights to find the truth. I can't quite see the relationship/attraction happening More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2009

Marti rated it:

as you might guess from the rating i gave this, i found it really enjoyable with lots of action, shifts in plot and starring mary dinunzio of the bennie rosato law firm. jack newlin, himself a lawyer, pleads guilty to the murder of his wife, to protect their daughter. From the way that honor newlin, an heiress, is described, it is hard to understand how he married her in the first place, or even was attracted to her, since she had a horrid disposition. with a lot of help, mary manages to make More...

0 comments like

Jun 10, 2009

Mindy rated it:

Lisa Scottoline is a great read if you enjoy court rooms and end of chapter cliff hangers. Her stories are informative and witty as well as a joy to read. They primarily center around Bennie Rosato's all women law firm and the cases they take on. Bennie and her attorneys usually participate in each book but they all take turns as the "star of the show." Lisa evidently tends to write each story as it plays out to her...reasonably unplanned.....which makes them read fresh and rather spo More...

0 comments like

Jan 26, 2009

Tierney rated it:

This was my first experience with the author Lisa Scottoline, and I really enjoyed it. Her books take place at an all-female law firm in Philly, so it was neat to read descriptions of neighborhoods and landmarks in my own city. In this novel, young attorney Mary DiNunzio is assigned to defend Jack Newlin - a wealthy lawyer who has framed himself for the murder of his wife. Newlin has assumed that his daughter committed the murder and is lying to protect her from prison. From there, the plot take More...

0 comments like

Sep 11, 2009

Debbie rated it:

Another installment in the saga of Mary/Judy/Bennie/Lou, set in Philadelphia. In this story, Jack Newlin, comes home and finds his wife killed. Jack thinks that his daughter has killed her mother--so Jack stages the scene to appear that he did the killing and then he calls 911. Enter novice criminal lawyer, Mary DiNunzio, as Jack's lawyer. Mary not only bumps along trying to defend Jack, she falls in love with him. As usual, Lisa Scottoline, prods her readers about the strength of a parent' More...

0 comments like

Apr 13, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Rosato and Associates #5

Mary Di Nunzio has an unwilling client; his wife is dead and he seems determined to take the blame for her murder. So Jack Newlin hires Rosato and Associates. Benny Rosato is out of the country so Judy Carrier and Mary Di Nunzio answer the evening call and race over to police headquarters "The Roundhouse" to meet with him.

Despite their client's confession, Mary investigates the circumstances of the murder in order to understand why their More...

0 comments like

Feb 07, 2012

Mary rated it:

When Jack Newlin comes home to find his wife dead on their elegant dining room floor, he's convinced he knows who has killed her. He sets out to stage the murder so that he appears to be guilty. To hammer the final nail in his coffin, he hires the most inexperienced lawyer he can find: Mary DiNunzio of Rosato and Associates.

Unfortunately for Jack, hiring Mary might be his biggest mistake. Inexperienced she might be, but Mary soon discovers that instead of defending a guilty client clai More...

0 comments like

Mar 18, 2011

Carol rated it:

This thriller is a fast and fun read. The characters, for the most part, are well written, especially Mary and her family. Jack, and his daughter, Paige, are also well written, Paige especially, who, as a teen model, could have been a cliché, but instead she is a sad, complex, character. All the characters are well developed, especially Lou and cops Brinkley and Kovich. I particularly liked them as the story developed. The plot had enough twists and turns that the identity of the real murderer w More...

0 comments like

May 16, 2011

Mckenna rated it:

I cannot believe this is #5 of a series! I always start a series with #1 but I found this book on my bookshelf and noticed it was the same author of "Look Again" which I recently read and really enjoyed. I liked this book a lot also. It was about a man who confessed to killing his wife, because he thinks that his 16 year old model daughter has killed the mother. I like how the story unfolds with it's twists and turns. The author also made me really like several of the characters. More...

0 comments like

Dec 08, 2009

Rose rated it:

_Wow_. I decided I was going to be a bona fide Scottoline Devotee when I read "Lady Killer" last year, which I loved. I love mysteries, thanks to Adrian Monk and Harriet M. Welsch (not that the latter is a member of the mystery genre, but the idea is there), but it's very hard for me to find any that balance a rarin'-good mystery with interesting characters that I come to care about.

"Moment of Truth" caught my eye because the premise intrigued me -- a man frames More...

0 comments like

Jan 13, 2008

Fran rated it:

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

0 comments like

May 30, 2011

Donna rated it:

I read two of her books last summer and didn't end up loving the second one. It is always hard for me to read an author back-to-back. I ended up with a feeling of not loving the author. I decided to try this as a summer read and remembered why I loved this author in the first place. The story was great, and the characters were fun. I look forward to reading all of her work eventually - just not back-to-back

0 comments like

Oct 28, 2009

Anne rated it:

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

0 comments like

Mar 07, 2011

Marci rated it:

This is the first I've read by this author. It reminded me a little of James Patterson, which isn't a bad thing. I liked the pace of this book, the characters, the writing. It was a bit predictable, but still kept me interested throughout. I will definitely look for more books by this author. If you like books by John Grisham and James Patterson, I think you would like this book.

0 comments like

Aug 06, 2011

Sue added it

About a man who sets himself up for a murder that he thinks his daughter committed. He hires a rookie lawyer to represent him, but she doesn't believe he did it and sets out to prove it.

Lisa Scottoline has been hailed as the female John Gresham. I enjoyed this book very much and found it difficult to put down at times.

0 comments like

Jul 17, 2010

Maggie rated it:

When Philadelphia estates attorney Jack Newlin walks in the door and sees his wife's lifeless body on the floor, he doesn't hesitate for a minute. He walks over and picks up the bloodied knife. Jack believes without a doubt that his wife's killer is his daughter. So he goes to the phone, calls the cops, and confesses to a crime he didn't commit.

0 comments like

Mar 29, 2011

Lynda rated it:

Excellent suspense/thriller with Mary DiNunzio handling a murder case on her own. Lots of twist and turns as to "who dun it" as well as possibly two budding romances for teh young widowed lawyer. Great story with intriquing characters. I read one book about the Rosato and Associates law firm earlier and this one is just as good.

0 comments like

Sep 14, 2007

LJ rated it:

Moment of Truth - NR
Lisa Socttoline -
Lawyer Jack Newlin faces his most difficult assignment when he has to convince the police to accept his confession to a crime he didn't commit. Coming home to find his wife stabbed to death, Jack assumes the killer is their 16-year-old daughter, a super model who had recently announced her pregnancy. To insure his conviction, he hires novice lawyer Mary Di Nunzio to defend him. Not only does Mary develop a crush on him but she also is determined More...

0 comments like

Apr 27, 2011

Alohajen rated it:

Didn't know this was part of a series. Never did it refer back to any of the other books. Was able to read this without feeling I'd missed something by not reading the other 4. Found out that it was #5 when I posted it on my good reads list. Nicely done!!!

0 comments like

Jul 20, 2011

Jen rated it:

I like Scottoline's books generally, and this was no exception. In the first few pages you find out that a man pled guilty to his wife's murder to protect the real murderer. The plot twists and turns and kept me engaged.

0 comments like

Mar 22, 2010

Rita rated it:

I love Scottoline's books because they are set in the Philadelphia surroundings. This book had a scene near the Swann Fountain. I found it interesting to read the symbolism of the figures in that fountain.

0 comments like

Jul 05, 2010

Jill rated it:

My first Scottoline novel, and it was ok. Mary is a "lawyer" (used loosely, 'cause man does she do some really stupid stuff), who is convinced that her client - who has pled guilty to murdering his wife - is innocent. After meeting him once. For 15 minutes. If novels based on really far fetched premises don't bother you, you might like this book. The chapters are very short, so it's easy to pick up and put down at short intervals.

0 comments like

Sep 05, 2009

Joe rated it:

Good; Continuing characters: Rosato&Assoc law firm; man says he killed abusive wife in order to protect their teenage daughter, who he thinks did the deed. A few twists, but slow.

0 comments like

Oct 09, 2009

Ruth rated it:

good. Mary DiNunzio is hired because she is inexperienced in criminal. Jack frames himself for murder because he thinks his daughter killed her mother.

0 comments like

Oct 19, 2011

Carol rated it:

Lots of twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out someone else comes into play. Love Scottoline's writings. Great read!!!

0 comments like

reviews