Dead Ringer

Rosato and Associates #8

by Lisa Scottoline

Dead Ringer

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Legal Thriller, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar award-winning author of 33 novels. Her books are book-club favorites, and Lisa and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America, and her reviews of fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice and Fiction. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series! a well written series that consisted of some even well developed characters/strong also plus its enjoyable to read (paperback!)

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Scottoline returns with another legal thriller in her long-running Rosato and Associates series. While the books are piling up, the action and intensity have not taken a hit, nor should the reader feel as though things are getting stale. It’s all-impact all the time with this piece. Bennie Rosato is back in the central protagonist role, juggling running her firm with some of the foibles that come with being a lawyer to the everyday citizen. After one of her clients balks at paying a sizeable fee for trial, Bennie is left scrambling to see how she will stay afloat. She finds herself tangled into a class-action suit, which could pay out significantly, but will have to win in order to see the money. Trying to get herself named as counsel is one things, but she has another hurdle before her. Sightings of Bennie Rosato around Philadelphia have not been good, with her being accused of various foibles. All the while, her associates try to work and stay afloat. Scottoline does well with this piece, sure to pique the interest of curious readers.

While Bennie Rosato is a sharp-witted attorney in Philadelphia, even she has her limits. After a client balks at paying his sizeable fees in a high-stakes case, Bennie is left holding the bill and her firm is teetering on the brink of financial ruin. She finds an out, working a class-action lawsuit, but even that will be a gamble to ensure she gets the money needed to cover basic bills. After making a plea to serve as counsel of record, the pressure is on Bennie to ensure things go her way.

At the same time, there have been sightings of Bennie all over the city, committing crimes and getting into mischief. Bennie assures everyone that she is not the one they are seeing, and can only surmise that her estranged twin is back, wreaking havoc and trying to drag Bennie down. Juggling work and these issues, Bennie will have her hands full. It all ones to a head when her client is murdered with er as a suspect. Both her freedom and the class-action are in jeopardy, which is sure to have a domino effect.

With three associates trying to earn a living as well, they will have to cobble together enough work to stay afloat. While Bennie would release them from the firm if they want to explore other employment, these women are dedicated to the cause. With everything balanced precariously, Bennie will have to carefully ensure she does not lose her business, her life, or her friends! Scottoline does well to push the series along and kept me wondering.

I have been very excited throughout my Rosato and Associates binge. Lisa Scottoline does well putting together a strong narrative, filling the pages with exciting stories and legal matters that serve the reader thinking. Things flow well and keep moving in a forward direction, with character development adding some depth to the overall experience. Plot lines in this novel work well and the revisiting of Bennie’s sister leaves the door open for countless moments of confusion in this piece. I am eager to see how things resolve and what is on the way for Rosato and Associates in the next novel.

Kudos, Madam Scottoline, as you never seem to leave me unimpressed.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Ann Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like how Lisa Scotoline brings humor into her characters!

[Terri Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series about an all female law firm but took 2 stars away from this book because of some issues I had with it. In fact, at many times I wondered if Lisa Scottoline had written this herself. Here is why:

(1) Bennie Rosato is a feminist lawyer who owns her own all woman firm and believes that women are strong, intelligent and capable. She wants for women to be treated that way. So why is she suddenly out of the blue calling DeNunzio, Carrier, and Murphy "girls", "the kids", "children" and "baby birds." This is what some of the old sexist cops in the books might say but not Bennie.

(2) The Bennie we know and love never turns down an offer for money or jobs but throughout this book, all she did was turn down money that would keep her law firm solvent, try to discourage clients, and talk down about herself. Where is our Bennie?!

(3) The story was apparently really written to return her evil twin sister Alice Connelly back to the series by having another guy kill his brother and Alice try to kill her until a Eureka! moment when Alice discovered their dad was dead and that seeing a man who killed his brother made her realize she didn't want to be like him. What? This is as thin and lame as it gets.

(4) A sudden burst of homophobia reared its ugly head. Bennie has a gay male friend but when she found that one of the parties in the class action suit she was helping handle is gay, the author makes a point of calling homosexuality a "sexual preference" that the man "chose" and saying it is "no biggie except for gays wanting to get married." Huh? Homosexuality isn't a choice. People are born gay. It isn't a preference. And why should gays not be able to marry like we heterosexuals are? She also paints her gay lawyer friend Sam in a girlie light.

(5) She devoted a whole chapter to Bennie wearing uncomfortable expensive pantyhose from Murphy and continuously refers to her partners as girls and girly. Also, her associate Judy Carrier dyes her hair hot pink which no lawyer with half a brain would do.

None of this is reason to not read the book but if you are a serious fan, this can be disappointing. The story itself has plenty of excitement. Somehow Bennie, the highly successful law firm owner has suddenly become incompetent with money and is going broke. She gets the opportunity to handle a case for sexy Frenchman Robert who has to all but force her to take the case and the money since it is a class action suit and she had never done one. Unfortunately as she fights for control of the suit from a sleazy but powerful class action lawyer, her evil twin Alice returns after 2 years bent on destroying her because years ago her mentally ill mother kept Bennie when their dad abandoned them and then Alice got to be raised by a nice couple in the suburbs while Bennie lived in poverty and more or less raised herself.

There are killings, sexy men (including a mysterious SEAL with a secret who helps Bennie), etc.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just listed to Killer Smile by Scottoline, I chose this one on audio CD to listen to since I liked the voice of the reader (Barbara Rosenblatt). The story centers around associates and the owner of a Philadelphia law firm. I feel like I know Mary DeNunzio, Judy Carrier and Bennie Rosato. This time, it sounds like Bennie's twin sister is up to her old tricks - posing as Bennie, etc. We'll see...

Merged review:

Enjoy listening to these books on CD. Barbara Rosenblatt (reader) does a great Philly accent. I'm hooked on the characters - Mary deNunzio with her Italian mom and dad who remind me of my own grandparents; the other associates who are about my daughters' ages - up and coming, ambitious, smart and beautiful. The plots twists whose backdrop stems from the fact that Bennie Rosato, the good identical twin has an evil counterpart in her sister, Alice Connelly, are interesting enough for me to overlook the "I got tired of writing, so I'm going to contrive an ordinary ending" endings of Socootline's books. If readers are drawn to Philly; lawyerspeak; detective stories and/or are of italian descent, this book is for you!

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved reading the novels in this series but this novel won't win a top recommendation. At first I thought it would be as highly engaging as previous storylines especially since Bennie Rosato as owner and lead lawyer of the all female firm Rosato and Associates would be in a race against time to save her law firm, clients, and reputation from her "evil" twin sister. As Bennie's sister hasn't been heard from in a few years many of the people that Bennie interacts with on a daily basis aren't even aware that she has a sister - let alone an identical twin.

As compelling as the story is with the overall "good vs. evil" theme Bennie doesn't seem to be the same character during some of the dialogue exchanges and personal thoughts.

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining story of Bennie, a very smart and savy lawyer who has all kinds of misadventures with her twin sister, while she tries to keep her law practice afloat. A tragic murder happens and Bennie charges ahead to find the perpetrator. This was well written and it carried the reader through all kinds of happenings. You keep trying to figure out where the bad sister is and why she is plotting against Bennie. A great book for those who like legal drama and suspense.

[Cara Putman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Inhaled this.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series. The women working in this law firm is what keeps bringing me back. Onward!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Several unexpected twists and turns. It kept me turning the pages and not wanting ton put it down! :)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While biding my time until the next Lisa Scottoline book is released, I picked up Dead Ringer; published in 2004. It tells the continuing story of Bennie Rosato, lawyer and owner of Rosato and Associates which is an all female law firm based in Philadelphia. R&A is having deep financial problems when a gift from the heavens in the form of a potentially lucrative class action suit falls into their laps. Meanwhile, Bennie is experience odd occurances which could mean a family member from her past has returned to cause trouble. Fast paced and rife with the humor that made me fall in love with Lisa Scottoline, this book gets a solid four stars from me!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benny is struggling to keep her law practice from going under and a new client with a huge class action suit may be the answer to her prayers. Meanwhile, her twin is causing all sorts of trouble by impersonating her and running up her bills. Things escalate when her client is murdered and her twin attempts to kill her dog. Overall, a pretty decent story but there were times when Benny's pride made me want to slap her.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bennie's identical twin sister is back and causing havoc. She's broken into Bennie's apartment, gotten drunk in front of a bunch of Bennie's colleagues, and threatened her dog's safety.

But Bennie has lots of other concerns as well. She has no money, and may have to declare bankruptcy. Her firm isn't getting enough cases, but there is one that could be part of a huge class-action lawsuit. But when the plaintiff ends up dead, Bennie's determined to find the killer.

Same MO as the others - zippy dialogue, handsome love interest, and interesting female characters.

[Beth Lechman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I love Lisa Scottoline books and enjoy the Rosato and Associates series I was really disappointed in this one. Bennie Rosato is a maverick in the legal field but this one just didn't ring true for me. Her dialogue just didn't seem to fit the character she has portrayed in the previous books. Her actions even seemed off the wall for me in this one.

[Pati Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

#8 in the series, Bennie's twin make a reappearance.

[Kathleen McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, but some annoying dialog referring to the other younger lawyers as the kids. The ending didn't grab me either, but I was kept guessing about who the bad guy was.

[Steven Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawyer book about Bennie Rosato and her fight with her twin sister - good for a lawyer story

[Leslie McNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first. I wondered that the characters and plot were too run-of-the-mill, but Scottoline really delivered. Sure, there were twists and turns, as there should be in this type of mystery, but they were interesting, and fun, shored up with good character development. I loved the wit and the surprises.

[Soho_Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picking up books from random places can work to your advantage sometimes, but not always. For one thing, it can get you a book for a very low price, or even free and can introduce you to a new author you may not have tried otherwise. On the other hand, you don’t get to choose where you start in a series and sometimes you discover an author you realise why you hadn’t discovered previously. Lisa Scottoline’s “Dead Ringer” was one that fell into the second of these categories, as it proved to be the 8th in a series of Rosato and Associates novels that didn’t entice me to try any of the previous seven.

Bennie Rosato has found herself in a bit of a bind. She has just won a major case, only for her client to announce that he is bankrupt and can’t pay her, which may leave Rosato facing bankruptcy herself. Fortunately, a new case lands in her lap that could turn her fortunes around, except that it’s a class action case she isn’t used to dealing with and she needs to fight to ensure her client is considered the main one so she can collect all her fees. But before she can argue her case, Rosato finds herself accused of making a drunken fool of herself in front of some of the most senior judges in town and then of stealing some expensive earrings and assaulting a store security guard and then her big new client is murdered. The only person who could have done some of these things is her twin sister, Alice, who Bennie didn’t realise was back in town.

There is an awful lot going on in “Dead Ringer”, which proves to be a mixed blessing. It means the pace of the book is always very high and there is always something going on. It makes for a breathless reading experience and the pages turn very quickly, making this a decent read for a beach or a journey. However, the downside is that there is a bit too much going on, which impacts on the character building and the ability to follow the story as there are a few too many plot threads and some, such as the case Di Nunzio brings into the office, are shoved into the background.

This is also true of the majority of the characters. Di Nunzio’s mother is briefly mentioned and pops up only at a couple of moments and in a way that makes her feel more like a plot device than a person, as she is never really integral to the plot. Rosato’s associates often feel like background characters rather than major ones as they have so little to do, other than to dye their hair a very unlawerly hot pink in the case of one and look good in a tight dress in the case of another.

This was perhaps one of the aspects of the book that annoyed me the most. This is a law firm comprised entirely of women, which I would have thought would have offered a number of opportunities to show women lawyers in their best light. However, there are far too many descriptions of what they are wearing and not nearly enough about what they are actually doing. In an early chapter, the entire chapter is taken up with a discussion about tights and clothing and when Rosato finds herself being assisted by a stranger later on, he is of course an attractive, strong man who Rosato cannot resist, which is a worrying cliché in a book that could have been better than that.

One of the other annoying aspects was the ending. After rushing headlong through one unsatisfying set piece after another, the ending was incredibly weak and not in keeping with anything that had gone before. There were too many of the plot threads colliding in unrealistic ways and the motivations some of the characters had to use to rationalize their actions proved to be entirely out of keeping with the character traits they had displayed throughout the story. Unlike some thriller writers who can surprise you with an ending that comes out of nowhere, Scottoline surprises you with one that really was nowhere and made no sense when it appeared.

This really was a mess of a book and is salvaged only by being a very quick read and by not having cost me any money as I picked it up from a book exchange shelf at work. Had I paid for it, I would have been cursing myself for the waste of money. Maybe Scottoline’s other books are more what I hoped this one could have been and “Dead Ringer” is a rare off day, but I was so disappointed in the opportunities missed here that I really don’t want to chance reading any of the others to find out, just in case it is actually representative of her writing as a whole.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have promised myself I'll finish the Rosato & Associates series. I love Bennie and the law firm she's built, talented women all.

A warning strikes as Bennie looks valiantly for her wallet and figures she's left it somewhere, no big deal. But it is. Her evil twin is back in town and determined to ruin Bennie's business and possibly murder her. A comedy of events follows as Alice does her best and Bennie goes into hiding as she is accused of many odd and criminal acts. Alice is on a tear.

Bennie works valiantly to clear her name, trying also to find business to keep her failing firm afloat. They take on a class action that promises to use all their resources in addition to paying off big time if they can only survive long enough to reach the end.

Not as riveting as some but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Char · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bennie is a top notch lawyer setting up a new firm with an all woman legal team. Financially they are struggling & need some heavy hitting lawsuits to stay afloat. Bennie has been chosen to represent a very wealthy client in a class action suit. The case will bring in well needed cash to help the firm. One day Bennie’s wallet is stolen, all kinds of expensive purchases are made & delivered to her office. Other lawyers and judges are giving her the cold shoulder, as stories are surfacing about her bad behaviour out on the town, shoplifting incidents etc. Here a backstory comes in. Bennie has an identical twin sister Alice who she is estranged from. Obviously her sister is responsible posing as her & creating havoc. Alice is on a revenge mission to ruin Bennie’s life. She won’t stop until she has accomplished ruining Bennie and everyone close to her.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find myself up in the air about Lisa Scottoline once again. I like her characters very much and she comes up with interesting story lines. But I get irritated by her "style" in some ways. Don't really need to know what everyone's wearing. In this book in one scene it mattered, the character ran a mile in high heels. Quite a feat (foot!) therefore her shoes were a consideration her. But "he didn't know what I had up my stylish sleeve" just raises the hair on my neck. Again, I'm not saying I won't read her again. Her books are quick ( I can skim over the fashion statements)and can be fun. I have 3 more awaiting me that I've found at Goodwill in the last few weeks. I like the Bennie Rosato character. Did not realize she'd written so many of them. I have lots to go...

[Patches Deese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 10 in the Rosato & Associates series. It focuses on Bennie Rosato, the head of the Law firm, who is taking on a class action suit for the first time, and vying for the position of lead plaintiff. Her client is murdered, and Bennie is determined to solve the case. All the while, her evil identical twin is trying to destroy her reputation and kill her.

There is never a dull moment in this story - in fact, I didn't want to put it down! So many twists and turns. The characters are so well developed that I consider them friends.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bernie Rasato’s wallet is missing and soon after major purchases are made and sent to her at her office. After a while Bennie figures out who has her wallet and knows she has to capture the culprit before the thief resorts to murder.

The premise was good but the story was silly. I really enjoy Barbara Rosenblat’s storytelling style.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half way through the book and couldn't care less about the characters or even how it might end.... never a good sign....

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the series but still suspenseful and entertaining

[Vincent Noel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I've read, and I've read The Meg and Raise the Titanic.

The first 200 pages are prologue during which nothing interesting happens, the actual story starts halfway through. Most of the "plot" is rushed through during the last 1/4 of the book, during which you're introduced to several new and paper thin characters.

Instead of focusing on, you know, the actual murder, most of the book is spent exploring the many moods and thoughts of Benny Rosato -- how is she gonna make payroll? How is she gonna pay for her house? How is she gonna manage her many young and wild associates? What should she do with the shy hunky navy seal that she just happens to run into by chance? Will she ever be able to stop cursing? Will she keep wearing that pantyhose? Will she get that drink of water?

Bennie is supposed to be super smart but she's run her all-girl law practice (in theory one of the good ideas in the book) to the ground through bad management and poor decision-making. You get to see her improvise all the time and get out of problems by luck or improbable turns of events. Cops give her lots of confidential information and let her go through secured areas with no good reason. At work, she literally sees her as the "mommy" of everyone else, which feels quite creepy. Everyone has a soft spot for her, but it's not clear why. In the end everything turns out great for her, but by pure chance apparently.

The writing is annoying. All secondary characters are cliches -- all young women squeal excitedly on top of stilettos, old women are senile Italian grannies, cops wear beat-up fedora hats and scribble in tiny notebooks, other male characters include the flamboyant gay BFF or a stern but fair father figure, ugh. The author's idea of dialogue is to fire non-stop zingy one-liners, which quickly gives you irony overload. The "evil twin" is not a convincing threat at any point and is more present in the dialogue than anywhere else. The whole story could have happened fine without the sister character, which kinda feels tacked on after the fact, a pity since it gives the book its title. The final key scene brings together Bennie, her twin sister (who has kept hidden until then) and the actual murderer, who all apparently run into each other by accident because Bennie couldn't find the pay phone at the hospital. And everyone starts explaining themselves? And their reasons make no sense? The worst.

[Lysha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed the book the more I read it. It was a great thriller and I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen next. I wasn't expecting that murder so I got even more intrigued about the mystery of who did it. In fact, I really enjoyed the book up until the last few chapters. I was a little disappointed with how one-note of a character Alice seemed to be. Her talking about how Bennie "stole" her life because she was given up for adoption was so cliche my eyes rolled back into my skull. Seriously? Not to mention her complete 180 turn after she found out their dad was dead. It just seemed like the author ran out of time to tie the lose ends so she ended up ending that thread too neatly. Don't even get me started on the real "killer". It was Georges? Okay, sure. But the way Bennie realized it was him was so ridiculous and with no actual basis that it was so hard to believe! And he started confessing and giving a monologue to Bennie about why he murdered his brother? Wow how convenient of him to do so, so we as an audience can understand his motives and how he did it by the end of the book. I just didn't buy it at all. I was disappointed with how anticlimactic the "climax" turned out to be. It read as though the author just hastily put together an ending after realizing she had to write one eventually.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I really did get invested with the thriller and the mystery. The ending just didn't pay off that well for me. Too bad.

[Kami Thebus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo! Wow wow,!! I'm trying to find the words to describe my enjoyment of this book. Lisa has certainly grew as an author as I remember reading another book of her a couple of years ago and I found it lacking, but this one... Brilliant!
Bennie owns a law firm and she only has female associates, she runs in the mornings, she has sexy legs, she's a bad liar, great sense of humor, very opinionated and very smart and is about to go bankrupt 😕
Just as she finds a client, who are rich and kind and who has a case to win, he gets murdered.
Bennie makes history in court by arguing that her client is the biggest claimant. This wins her clients and she slowly gets back onto her feet. At least she gets to keep her house and firm.
She falls in lust with a handsome Seal, he becomes her bodyguard when her twin sister tries to kill her!
Bennie is arrested for theft and fiercely denies it, but how does she argue when she sees herself on the video footage!?
I love the biting humor and the fast snappy dialogue and the way the plot twist unexpectedly, it's brilliant!!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Lately, Bennie Rosato has her eye focused firmly on the bottom line, especially since she has three dedicated young associates and a very pregnant secretary on her payroll, so she takes a professional risk, charging into a class action lawsuit that could make -- or break -- her career.

Then her wallet goes missing. And Bennie's life goes crazy. Someone is posing as the outspoken, blue-eyed, blond attorney and is wreaking havoc around town, apparently determined to destroy everything Bennie loves. Only one person can pull off this double deception -- Bennie's identical twin sister, Alice Connelly. But as far as Bennie knows, Alice left Philly long ago and never looked back.

When events escalate into murder, the maverick lawyer realizes that the stakes are far greater than she feared. But Bennie Rosato refuses to be anyone's victim. To find the killer, she'll plunge headfirst into a life-and-death investigation that will bring her face to face with evil darker, yet more familiar, than anything before."

h is on the brink of bankruptcy in her law firm. Then she loses her wallet and finds out her hurricane-of-a-twin sister comes back into town, posing as her and wreaking havoc. In the meantime, a client comes in to hire her for a class action law suit.

She enjoys skull boating. And was trying to dock when she sees her twin throwing a ball with her dog, Bear, into traffic. A Navy Seal trainer rescues the dog and helps her discover how sis broke in.