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Dirty Blonde

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Dirty Blonde

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

1345 people are currently reading
4126 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Scottoline

137 books15.6k followers
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.

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5 stars
2,565 (23%)
4 stars
4,120 (38%)
3 stars
3,284 (30%)
2 stars
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1 star
169 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 736 reviews
Profile Image for Baba.
4,069 reviews1,515 followers
March 9, 2023
Very nicely put together tale about a top female judge's no longer secret sex life becoming intertwined with the high profile TV rights case she was working on. I can see why Scottoline is a best selling writer, easy read, fast flowing and so accessible. 6 out of 12, Three Star read.

2010 read
Profile Image for Jane Greene.
172 reviews15 followers
January 22, 2008
I have read and enjoyed many of Lisa's books but this one was disappointing. The main character was very self destructive and disrespectful of her position as a judge. As the book progressed Cate's behavior was explained by her painful past but it did not really connect well to the basic story line. It was hard to like Cate given her poor judgment and behavior. I don't want to reveal the ending but I think it would have been more believable if Cate's character had achieved resolution in a more low-key, humble atmosphere rather than as a celebrated heroine.
Profile Image for Sarah.
256 reviews3 followers
Read
January 21, 2008
I usually steer clear of the mass market paperback genres, but Scottoline is a fellow Philadelphian and a graduate of my alma mater's law school, so I was curious. ...ugh! Let's just say that I'm glad I went the audio book route, so that the time I spent going through it wasn't time completely wasted. I suppose it was mildly diverting--but diverting in the same way that the magazine covers of Brangelina at the grocery store checkout are diverting. Cheap thrills, shallow, ridiculous plot lines, and simply awful cliches--moments when I literally cringed. Now that I've indulged my curiosity, I will never again have reason to pick up a book of its kind!
110 reviews4 followers
September 8, 2011
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.
Profile Image for Cindy Vine.
Author 43 books35 followers
April 12, 2011
This for me was more a 2.5. I devoured it, the plot galloped along at a cracking pace, but afterwards I had some questions. The judge was single, so she picked up strange men in bars for quickie sex. That just shows she wasn't into commitment, it doesn't show she was no good as a judge. I wondered how that could have attracted such a media-frenzy. The real murderer wasn't convincing too me. I'd never even considered her as the murderer, so it was a twist that beat me, but still. She wasn't believable. And the last twist for me with Cate's friend Gina? That part wasn't necessary, it felt contrived and I think it detracted from the story and plot. I'd kind of enjoyed the book up until then, and that ending made me start thinking, asking questions and doubting whether I had really enjoyed it after all.
Profile Image for Kristina.
113 reviews19 followers
December 10, 2010
For IQ's 90 and under. Crudely-written, patronizing, and uninteresting, all on the same page. This is kind of impressive, actually.
Profile Image for Jessica Gregory.
433 reviews16 followers
February 25, 2024
I’m not a legal thriller gal so the only reason this was read was because it was our book club pick lol

I didn’t like Cate at all or any character. The ending was not to my satisfaction, but it was entertaining enough to get through.
Profile Image for Christine.
137 reviews25 followers
June 15, 2015
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.

Profile Image for Rhoda.
839 reviews37 followers
May 14, 2011
This book was definitely a page turner and moved along at a fast pace, however I just felt that there was a bit too much going on and none of it was explored in depth. I found it difficult to believe that there would be so much media frenzy about someone's "public" private life, particularly when they are single. I also found the revelation of the real murderer was glossed over and discarded quickly and just didn't seem believable. Good for a bit of light reading, but not wholly satisfying!
Profile Image for Lynn G..
424 reviews7 followers
March 6, 2018
While appreciating Scottoline's intricate story lines and plot twists, her range of characters and subtle humor, I am tired of her primary female protagonists being self-sabotaging, self-destructive individuals. While the author may think that such behaviors make for a more interesting story I think that, at least for the time being, I will look to other authors.
Profile Image for Michael.
1,297 reviews155 followers
October 21, 2009
Cate Fante’s career is on the rise. As Dirty Blonde opens, Cate has just been appointed a federal judge. She has a great career, the great house, all the trappings of success. But Cate also has a little secret—she likes to stop in seedy bars, pick up random men and find the nearest hotel for a little bit of adult fun.

Six months later, Cate is the federal judge on an intellectual property right’s case about the hit drama Attorneys@Law. The defendent, Richard Martz is suing big Hollywood producer Art Simone for allegedly stealing the idea, character and concepts for the show. Cate reluctantly has to dismiss the case, but not before giving Simone her two cents on who he is and what he did. Martz doesn’t take the news well and before you know it, Simone is dead, Martz is the prime suspect and it looks like Cate could be next on the list for revenge.

That is only the beginning of Cate’s string of bad luck. Her proclivities come to light, her life is in danger, her best-friend is in danger and her love life is crashing down around her. Add in findng out a secret about her father from the past and you’ve got a lot happening to Cate in the course of just a couple of days.

While Lisa Scottoline is able to keep the pages breathlessly turning with one twist or big development after the next, this is a novel that is long on plot, short on character. Instead of really getting at why Cate picks up men for random sex but rejects a suitor who pampers her and declares his love for her, Dirty Blonde instead goes for more action and more twist and turns along the way. Sure, the pages turn, but at the end of the novel, I was left wanting more character exploration of Cate and what made her tick.

This problem extends to every other character in the book as well. Character traits and developments come fast and furious, serving little more purpose than to be yet another red herring or blind alley for the story to follow. That is, until we reach the inevitable unmasking of the person behind all of this—a twist that is trying so hard to be a twist, that it’s not convincingly set up. There is no foundation laid for it early in the story and it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you give it any kind of scrutiny.
Profile Image for Antof9.
495 reviews114 followers
January 31, 2011
I'm obviously on a Scottoline binge right now -- possibly because they go so quickly, or possibly because I like orderly lists and there is one in the fronts of these books (Also by Lisa Scottoline), and so I'm getting them from the library in order of writing. Is that so wrong?

Anyway, this might be one of my favorites so far. It was definitely the cleanest. And I liked the judge a lot. Cate Fante is nothing like the Stephanie Plum-esque lawyers (lawyers!) in some of the other books. She's smart and does smart things ... mostly.

There are always some quirky things in her books I'd like to ask her about, like the two wacky courtroom clerks in this one. Or feeding the bad guy his dinner in the hospital. But, like an episode of "Three's Company", if they just cleared the air, there wouldn't be a show. And so, the story unfolds, even though parts of it are cuh-razee.

This also had some of Scottoline's trademark lighthearted comedic moments. "Did you like the bodyguard I sent you?" was one. Another:
The trip home went quickly, the sun clear and cold outside the car window. Brady opened up about his feelings, the way people tend to do on long car rides, except his only feelings concerned the Eagles. He was so annoyed by Terrell Owens that he almost drove over the divider and he believed that Donovan McNabb was "too damn happy" to win a Superbowl.


Anyway, I liked Gina, who turned out to be a normal good friend with good advice (albeit from Dr. Phil), and I really liked Nesbitt.

Best part? There wasn't a single Dansko clog in the entire book.
Profile Image for Ann.
1,851 reviews
April 18, 2009
After a short delay in deciding if I would like the mc, Federal Judge Cate Fanta enough to engage myself in the book (her promiscuous lifestyle was off putting) I realized that this was as good as any of the recent Scottoline books with a smart and gutsy female mc who went after what she wanted with a self depreciating sense of humor and a personal style. The Philadelphia setting is enhanced by the real life town of Centralia PA, an Appalachian coal mining town that was but is now a ghost town after underground fires in a myriad of mines made it unstable and unsafe for human habitation.

I would never have guessed the "whodunnit"
Scottoline as always has a sense of humor and timing that grabs you up on the run to the denouement and pulls together real life drama and slap stick humor.
Profile Image for Joan.
102 reviews
April 28, 2009
Ok, I admit I found this passable listening while cleaning closets. Protagonist, a newly appointed federal court judge and gorgeous,of course, has a questionable sideline that gets her into trouble when she hears a case involving "you stole my tv plot". The rational for her hobby is thin as are some of the stock characters that appear... but I wasn't expecting Proust. Sometimes less is more when throwing out shoulder pads from the 80's.
Profile Image for Andrea.
801 reviews11 followers
June 28, 2009
This is another one I wish I could rate 2.5 intead of a 2 or a 3. The main problem with this book - ugh, I just didn't care about the main character. I supposed Lisa Scottoline was trying to illustrate the double standards still in society, especially in the judicial system. But really - who cares that the main character picks up strangers in bars. Although - it's really hard to feel any sort of sympathy for a character that is that stupid.
Profile Image for Eric Satchwill.
8 reviews38 followers
July 30, 2011
It's been a long time since I've ripped through a book like that. Several times I had to force myself to put it down at a chapter break because I knew that if I didn't, I'd never look up again and miss my bus stop.

Lisa Scottoline kept me on my toes the whole way, and I felt pulled along by Cate's struggle for life, justice, and self-discovery. I will definitely be reading more by Scottoline in the future.
586 reviews10 followers
March 2, 2010
I could not accept the premise that a judge would go bar hopping and bed hopping as the main character did here. I'm sure Scottoline could've found a better way to write about the mining town in PA. Good to read during commercial breaks while watching the Olympics.
Profile Image for Linda.
243 reviews156 followers
May 14, 2012
The main character in Scottoline's Dirty Blonde is one of the most unexpected heroines I've encountered in a long time: a freshly minted young judge who's still establishing herself on the bench, and whose personal life revolves around some decidedly less than high-brow extracurriculars. When two participants in a civil case meet a violent end in the aftermath of one of her decisions from the bench, Judge Cate Fante falls into the circle of suspicion, which only intensifies when her dirty secrets are discovered and hit the papers.

Once again Scottoline keeps the tension taut and the pages turning with just enough suspects and intrigues. And at the same time, she manages to weave in stories of two human dramas that are altogether too real. The first is the subplot of Cate's closest friend, a mother raising an autistic toddler on her own, trying to cope with the challenges of a world that is often unfriendly to such children, at best, and very rarely an accommodating place for children with needs like her son's. Second, Scottoline also deserves kudos for incorporating in her story the tragedy of Centralia, PA, a town that was devastated by an underground coal seam fire that started in 1962 and has burned unabated ever since. Local officials failed to address the fire properly when it was still manageable, and now it cannot be controlled. Scottoline's verbal imagery of sulfuric steam rising from earthquake-style fissures in the ground, and the all-encompassing, dizzying stench of noxious chemicals in the air rival any photos of the devastation left behind. (Photos included on Scottoline's website show broken links as I write this, but I was able to find this blog post, which includes several representative photos.)
Profile Image for Lisa.
Author 5 books35 followers
July 29, 2014
Despite some slightly graphic sex scenes near the beginning of the book--and the person involved realizes that what she is/was doing is wrong and dangerous--this is a highly successful Scottoline stand-alone. The protagonist is a new federal district judge who finds herself in deep trouble after her ruling in a case apparently triggers a murder and a possible suicide. Unsavory aspects of Cate's personal life are exposed and her position on the court is in danger. Her investigation of the crimes (in opposition to police orders) seems more credible than it often does in Scottoline's books, because so much is at stake for Cate. Other characters, especially Cate's best friend Gina and a police detective, are well-drawn. As she often does, the author sheds light on interesting issues--a mine fire that has destroyed Centralia, Pennsylvania; a young mother and her autistic son and their struggles; and thought-provoking questions about sin, repentance, judgment of others, and loyalty--all without belaboring the points or detracting from the story. One of the author's better stand-alone novels (outside the Rosato & Associates series).
Profile Image for Joyce.
1,801 reviews18 followers
February 1, 2015
After a Federal Judge finds for a sleezy TV producer, he and his suer, a former DA who wrote an outline and script for what is now a successful series, get into a fight. Later that same evening the producer is murdered and eventually the writer is also found dead and suicide is listed as the cause. The Judge is great in Court, but after Court she is more than a little out of control and goes to shady bars in bad neighborhoods and picks up "inappropriate" men for sexual hi jinks. Everything comes to a header when a Philadelphia Detective who was part of the writer's clique tries to kill her because he thinks she hired out both murders. Convoluted? You bet, but equally interesting and up to Scottoline's usual standards. My only disappointment was that the villain just sort of turned up in the final chapters as such. It could have been done better, or so someone who couldn't write a novel on a dare says!
Profile Image for Linda.
1,319 reviews52 followers
January 15, 2010
What a fun book! The eponymous Dirty Blonde is Cate Fante, a new federal judge with a very hot secret. She never dreams that it will become public, but there a Hollywood types involved in her latest trial, and they think her life will make a great TV drama. After she passes judgement on the lawsuit, the plaintiff and defendant each wind up dead. There are other interesting characters in the guise of Cate’s best friend, a former lawyer now struggling to do right by her little autistic son, and Cate has a secretary with the proverbial heart of gold, and two bright but colorfully immature law clerks. One of the other judges has it in for Cate, as does a city cop, and soon her idyllic life appears to be permanently in the trash can. Author Scottoline is a competent writer who spins out a lively, often humorous story that won’t win awards, but does entertain.
Profile Image for Jan.
1,885 reviews97 followers
August 6, 2008
Although it's not one of Scottoline's series books, I was engrossed in the story line and the characters. Who's to say that federal court judges don't have a "secret" lives and/or a wild side. I've known several attorneys who rose to the bench (although not at the Federal level) and they were normal individuals before they became judges. "Conduct unbecoming" does enter into it; however, with so many people ignoring what Clinton did, Cate's secret little diversion may not be the "big deal" that some people make it out to be. I don't particularly agree with that line of thinking but can see how others would assess the situation. There were many other interesting aspects of the book, i.e., autism and the burning of Centralia, and consier it a good read.
Profile Image for Nancy Steinle gummel.
507 reviews98 followers
July 23, 2013
Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors and Dirty Blonde is a fantastic read. Of course Irs in Philadelphia because this is where the author lives. She weaves the story with real places and actual scenarios. Cate Fante is appointed a judge in the District Court. Cate has a secret life which gets revealed during a murder /suicide investigation due to a hearing in her court. One of the petioners thinks Cate murdered Mr. Simone and arranged Mr. Marz suicide. Det. Russo stalks Cate. Cate meets Detective Nesbett the lead investigator. Spsrks fly. Russo stole the file from Nesbett and released it to the press. How does Cate face the dirty details. Will Det. Nesbett and Cate ever get together? Who did the murders? Read for the sobering details.
Profile Image for Alin Ierima.
19 reviews10 followers
October 5, 2019
Loved everything about this book. From the writing style, to the surprisingly developed humour of the author and to the evolution of the characters.
The ending was also very unexpected, I wouldn't have guessed it in a hundred years. It gives a nice feeling of simmetry to the whole book, though.
Definitely will read more of Scottoline.
Profile Image for Linda Boyd.
559 reviews166 followers
June 2, 2011
Ok, can I say Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!! I really enjoyed this book, I didn't know what was going to happen next right down to the last chapter. Judge Cate Fante is something else, and I would love to see the Lisa write her in another book. I give this book 5 stars!!!
214 reviews
January 11, 2023
Another great book by Lisa Scottoline!

This book draws you in from the very beginning and keeps you enthralled about two-thirds through and then it slows down a little. But, the ending picks back up and it's not what you expect.

Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Sue Jaffarian.
Author 63 books546 followers
November 13, 2009
I love Lisa Scottoline's work and Dirty Blonde did not dissapoint.
18 reviews
March 15, 2022
This is one of Lisa Scottolines best. Riveting from beginning to end.
Profile Image for Kristen.
2,094 reviews161 followers
March 18, 2017
In Lisa Scottoline's Dirty Blonde, this stand-alone legal thriller is a nail-biter that would leave you at the edge of the seat. Judge Cate Fante is the newest judges in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. When she became oversaw the court case between Richard Marz and Art Simone, things got out of hand, after she had ruled from the bench. From there, it had tossed her a through surprises of her own. When her dirty secret came out from her double life, it causes more than waves for sensational tabloids and a double suicide later. That's when Detective Nesbitt came into the picture about her ruling, when she became a witness and a potential suspect. Not only that, a crazed cop has it in for her and her boyfriend dumps her. It was up to Cate now to fight for her life, when things turn dicey at her hometown and learn some shocking secrets of her own family she had never known. Afterward, she decided to seek out justice and revenge her way, when she had figured out who was the killer with a hunch. But in the end, she guessed wrong with a shocking twist in the end, when she fought for her life and from her arch-nemesis with a chilling conclusion.
Profile Image for Sally Lindsay-briggs.
825 reviews53 followers
August 9, 2025
This was not a typical Scottoline novel. It didn’t center around the all female law group, but this was a high-profile case that exploded into a murder and a suicide. Our main character Cate, was a new judge who was targeted by a cop, and she risked her life and job. Very poignant and full of realistic characters. A bit of a strange twist at the climax and an ending I applauded.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 736 reviews

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