Moment of Truth

Rosato and Associates #5

by Lisa Scottoline

Jack Newlin comes home to find his wife dead. Convinced that he knows who killed her - and determined to hide the truth - Jack decides to make it look as though he did it. Unfortunately for Jack, hiring Mary may turn out to be his only mistake.

A winner of the Edgar Award and the bestselling author of six acclaimed novels, Lisa Scottoline has unabashedly earned the distinction "queen of the legal thriller." Critics have celebrated her storytelling talents, noting that she skillfully depicts "personal quirks that give her characters dimension." Publishers Weekly has raved that "Scottoline's legal background lends verisimilitude" to her stories, and Kirkus Reviews has praised her ability to devise terrific plots, proclaiming that she "comes up with the best hooks in the legal trade." Now this gifted author has summoned her array of talents to pen Moment of Truth, her most exciting and unpredictable novel yet--a riveting story of a man who frames himself for murder.

Attorney Jack Newlin comes home one evening to find his wife, Honor, dead on the floor of their elegant dining room. Convinced that he knows who killed her--and determined to hide the truth--Jack decides to make it look as though he did it. Staging the crime scene so that the evidence incriminates him, he then calls the police. And to hammer the final nail in his own coffin, he hires the most inexperienced lawyer he can find, a reluctant rookie by the name of Mary DiNunzio, employed at the hot Philadelphia firm of Rosato & Associates.

Unfortunately for Jack, hiring Mary may turn out to be his only mistake.

Though inexperienced, Mary doubts Jack's confession and begins to investigate the crime. She finds that instead of having a guilty client who is falsely proclaiming his innocence, she has an innocent client who is falsely proclaiming his guilt. Her ethics and instincts tell her she can't defend a man who wants only one thing--to convict himself. Or can she? Smarter, gutsier, and more determined than she has any right to be, Mary decides to stick with the case. With help from the most unexpected sources, she sets out to prove what really happened--because as any lawyer knows, a case is never as simple as it seems.

And nothing is ever certain until the final moment of truth.

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

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

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

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Lisa Scottoline binge continues, the stories remain of high quality. Scottoline develops her protagonists well and adds great adversity to keep them sharp and learning with the turn of each page. In this piece, Mary DiNunzio steps up to fill the shoes left by her vacationing boss, taking a murder case that could have many implications. While a fellow attorney confesses, Mary is not certain that it is as easy as that. As she pushes to investigate the crime, Mary discovers some oddities that point to another potential suspect, though the police are not yet ready to listen to anything. Mary will have to work to protect her client while ensuring the truth comes to the surface in time. Scottoline delves deeper in the law with this piece, sure to impress those who have enjoyed the previous novels in this series.

Returning home one evening, Jack Newlin finds his wife, Honor, dead on the floor. Being a lawyer, Jack understands the law and is fairly certain he knows who killed his wife, choosing to stage the scene to make it look as though he is the culprit and calls the police to arrest him. To round out a solid conviction, Jack hires Mary DiNunzio, of Rosato & Associates, to defend him. Mary takes the case, though she is a rookie in criminal defence, as her boss is vacationing and she wants to prove her worth. This looks like an open and shut case, at least on the surface.

Mary doubts her client’s pleas of guilt and begins investigating herself. What she uncovers is a set of facts that points squarely to another suspect. Weighing the ethics of trying to defend a man she knows is innocent but who is shielding another, Mary begins to push for the true murderer to come forward, though there is little help from Jack. Mary will have to use all her skills to coax out a confession from the true killer or send an innocent man to death row. There has to be a way and Mary is determined to find it, if only for the sake of justice. Another sensational book by Lisa Scottoline that pulls on all the strings to ensure a stellar piece of writing.

The varied writing style and plot presentation by Lisa Scottoline presents a great series for readers to enjoy. There is nothing like the perspectives offered up in these books to keep the readers on their toes and shows how versatile the legal profession ca be. A strong narrative base helps keep things moving, as the characters enrich both the story and their own development repeatedly. I could not ask for something greater, with plot twits and turns that help keep the book from being too predictable. There is so much going on, though it is not difficult to keep it all running smoothly, given a little mental effort. I am eager to see where things are headed, as I keep bingeing this series that is so rich with legal matters.

Kudos, Madam Scottoline, for dazzling once again.

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

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 very convenient. I found Mary to be a complete wreck. Every time she turned around, she was running in the wrong direction and chasing leads that turned out to be incorrect and made her look like an idiot over and over and over again. When I was sitting here thinking, "Why doesn't anyone check Paige's stomach for bruises?" Mary just rushed her in to the police department and didn't even think about bruises. When I thought, "I bet Whittier didn't really jump", Mary just went with it - fully believing that he chose to end his life because she was "onto him". Although I get that she was inexperienced with criminal cases - especially murder - some of this had less to do with being a good lawyer and more to do with having common sense. I found Brinkley way too devoted to potentially ruining his career by breaking the law. And I found Jack to be completely idiotic to not even for a second ask his daughter what happened before jumping on board an confessing to the police. Even after Mary approached him about his being innocent, he was so naive that he refused to believe that Trevor could have been involved. I found the DA completely taking full responsibility for prosecuting Jack (as much as he could in a day or so) to be unbelievable as most DA's stand by their instinct, even if it later turns out that they were wrong. It also irritated me how he took time at a press conference to announce his resignation - taking something that wasn't supposed to be about him and making it about him. Very annoying. At one point the streets are described as being completely empty - no one around for miles. No cabs, no cars, no people. I thought it must have been around midnight. In the next chapter you learn it was only 6:00 pm. Did Scottoline forget that this took place in Philadelphia? Unlikely that a business district would have entirely empty streets at 6 pm for a man in a ski mask to chase Mary and Paige down a street shooting bullets at them without a soul around. And were the security guards at Tribe & Wright the stupidest ever? They didn't think it was odd that so many people were around so late at night the night that Jack showed up and Trevor was there? They didn't think it slightly strange when Mary walked in at nighttime wearing sunglasses claiming that her sister was having her baby up on the 23rd floor? They didn't think it unlikely that her "sister" would have called her, rather than calling 911 or calling security themselves? They didn't even think it was strange that Mary almost walked right past them, but only as an afterthought asked them to call 911? Wasn't it odd that Mary herself just didn't call 911 even when her sister did not? Mary was a terrible, terrible liar, but everyone else in the book was so naive and acted so stupidly that they openly believed all of her terrible lies.

I also felt that the book dragged on forever and looking back, I think a lot of it was unnecessary. I was shocked to learn that the book took place over approximately a one week time period. It seemed like weeks and weeks to me. Time seemed to stand still and the days seemed endless in the story. Unfortunately it also felt like that while reading the book too. And the book proudly exclaims on the back from the San Francisco Examiner: "This is one of those books you pick up and find you can't go to bed until it's finished." What book did they read? I went to bed night after night after night happily putting the book down because it could not hold my interest.

I think I will stick with Lisa's books, but probably only the newest ones.

[Janis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started using Goodreads for the sole purpose of giving this book a bad rating. I needed some brain candy for a long flight, and bought this book because it came up on some list on my ereader and had good ratings. It was absolute garbage. Let's leave the predictable plot, unrealistic romance, and poorly formed characters aside, the book was filled with racist, homophobic, sexist, and Islamaphobic language. I kept reading it for the sole joy of feeling morally superior to author. Terrible, terrible book. Why do so many people keep reading her books? I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS. And just for the record, sometimes people who eat meat do, in fact, consume hummus.

[Lisa Reads & Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

The setup is interesting -- a lawyer frames himself for the murder of his wife. The potential for conflict between him and his defense lawyer along with anyone else trying to help him is intriguing. Unfortunately, I wasn't wowed. Too many dull scenes and cluttering dialogue dragged on the story, making the read seem endless. Despite coffee and anticipation for a late night of engrossment, I often fell asleep. Brain was not engaged, and for a successful legal thriller, it damn well should have been. That aside, some of the characters were fleshy and complex and would have served a more compelling plot.

After reading other reviews of Lisa Scottoline's works, I learned "Moment of Truth" was one of her earlier stories in the Rosato & Associates series. They claim she has improved quite a bit over the years. Perhaps I'll pick up another Scottoline novel in the future.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this book, and I think it was an abridged version, but honestly it probably just saved me from more crappy writing and bad plot.

Jack Newlin is framing himself for murder because he thinks his 16 year-old daughter did it. It doesn't take a genious to see that she didn't. You will quickly figure out who did, but the why will NEVER make sense because this book is stupid.

[EvelienTalitha · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Lou didn’t want to hear this. Pelvics. Diaphragm cream. Breast exams. If it kept up, he could turn gay. Where was the beer?”

This quote should be more than enough to warn you to avoid this book, but just in case, I’ll expand on why this book is a waste of time. Not only is it filled with sexist stereotypes like this one, there is also a strange obsession with race when race has nothing to do with the plot. There are so many random black characters just for the sake of forced diversity I guess? And the author at one point said that the main character was “not afraid of black men” as if she SHOULD be? It’s so weird how much skin colour comes up and made me very uncomfortable. Feels very racist to me, like the author sees black people as rare specimens.
On top of that, the sexual elements are questionable - Paige is 16 and SO often a grown man is described as literally drooling over her - even detectives involved in the case! It’s so messed up, not to mention the random unnecessary scene where Mary kisses a teenage boy on the bus? *Gag* Also Mary’s crush on Jack is unprofessional and the cringey writing made me feel like Lisa Scottoline was a teenager writing a fanfic.
Lastly, as someone with a BA in Criminology, I was annoyed by the constantly unrealistic “evidence”. I know that getting a DNA sample from hair is not reliable and doesn’t even tell you much about a person, never mind an earring back?? It’s not logical.
For some reason I never give up on books and read them to the end but this one is definitely one of the worst books I have ever read. I’m not even going to give it away like I usually do with books I read - it’s going straight in the garbage.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book from the Rosato and Associates series. This time around Bennie Rosato is out of the country taking a break after her horrible experiences in the last book and it falls to inexperienced Mary DiNunzio to handle a murder case where a rich lawyer confesses to the murder of his wife because he thinks his pregnant teen daughter did it. With the help of two police officers who think his confession is phony, Mary has to maneuver through an incredibly complicated case. I love the twist and turns in this book and how Mary gains her confidence when she realizes people's lives are literally in her hands.

I was ticked off at one point, however, when Mary and her associate Judy were discussing Planned Parenthood (Lou had followed their client's teen daughter there) and said that most of what Planned Parenthood did was abortions which was why they often had anti-choice protesters outside. This is NOT true, never was true, and shows shoddy research. I have personally been involved with Planned Parenthood for over 30 years. Only 5% of their services are first trimester abortions, including pill abortions. The other 95% of their work is in giving contraceptive counseling, providing birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, breast exams, pap smears, pelvic exams, and referrals for those found to have breast cancer, cervical cancer, or HIV/AIDS. Only a tiny portion of their work is performing abortions. It is the anti-choice people who promote the lie that all they do is abortion.

[Yared Negussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read this one on my training trip to Atlanta. I liked it. I randomly picked it up of bookstore, and it was fine reading.

[Jane Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 that quick. I also couldn't believe all the errors Mary made as an attorney including poor judgment decisions. Also, with all the confessions to the crime I think I would have had a hard time believing anyone! Still an interesting read but not a four star.

[Donna Weber ( Recuperating from Surgery) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Lisa Scottoline’s novels especially in the legal thriller genre. Moment of Truth was a fun book to read with the heroine being a likeable self-doubting attorney but agree that the book has its moments that don’t ring true. An interesting premise of an innocent man, a respected estate attorney with a large multimillion dollar law firm that claims he is guilty of murdering his wife. He does this to protect his daughter who he believes murdered her own mother. It begs you to ask yourself how far you would go to protect a loved one. If you are able to overlook the issues surrounding his motivation, it is a well-crafted plot with many twists and turns as well as an examination of a high profile murder investigation.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like a good whodunit as much as anyone, but having 180 degree plot twists every two or three chapters was annoying. Rather than heightening the tension, or making you question your ideas, it just made you want to finish so you can move on to the next book.

I've been reading the Rosato & Associates series, in order, for the past few weeks. This book was not up to the standards of the earlier ones. But, I freely admit some people will love it for the exact reasons I did not. I will continue to read the series (starting next volume tomorrow) despite my reservations about this book. Lisa Scottoline is a fine writer.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting or as compulsively readable as her other titles. An attorney confesses to murdering his wife, but his lawyer (Mary DiNunzio) doesn't believe him. She sets on a course to prove his innocence, and uncovers a web that includes abuse, a surprise pregnancy, drugs and more.

Some of the choices that were made bugged me - the pregnant character smoked crack, but there was no followup about it effected the child after it was born. Mary's crush on her client was also an odd choice - not necessary and not intriguing. And Mary gets shot... again. C'mon now.

[Gina Torn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! Jack Newlin has just confessed to the brutal murder of his high society wife. He calls 911 himself and willingly goes with the cops in handcuffs.

But Jack isn’t the killer. So why is he turning himself in and potentially putting himself on death row? He hires the most inexperienced lawyer he can find. Mary meets with Jack and knows from the start he’s lying and he’s covering for someone, but who? Mary starts to unravel the story and winds up in grave danger herself.

This book was soooo good! I loved it! It just kept going and the twists were fun and unexpected! This is my 39th (!!!) book by Ms. Scottoline and she’s just an amazing writer. Maybe I’m biased but she’s my favorite female author. I enjoy all of her books and I’m almost done with her catalog!

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would a parent not do to help one of their children. A parent is murdered and the other parent steps up to take the blame. I am a fan of the all female law firm and enjoy the cases they are faced with. These women are not perfect and in my opinion makes the read all the more interesting. Honor, Jack, and Paige, wow what a family. It would have been good as well as helpful to hear more about Honor. It was entertaining to watch Mary and Judy "work" together. I also appreciated Brinkley and his drive to go with what he believes and stick to it even at the cost of his career. I wish there were more law enforcement folks and went that little extra.

[Kim Bakos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read this before, but didn't really remember it. Enjoyed the second reading :)
Read some of the comments below, and I will say that those who found it anti-Muslim are just looking for a problem. Yes, one of the characters is split from his wife, and deciding to explore Islam is a part of it. The book never mentions his faith, or even if he has one. But I can say as a Christian, I feel that my spouse sharing my faith is integral to our relationship. I don't know if I would continue our marriage if he were to leave our shared faith. So I didn't feel it was about her being Muslim as much as just changing her faith in general.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read a book by Lisa Scottoline for a while and I loved this one. It was witty and had you guessing the why of the murder and not so much who did it. Although, some would say they even knew the why because Honor Newlin was not a very likeable character.

Mary DiNunzio was the main person in this one and her family made an appearance in this one. I like the Italian side of these books as it gives you a look at real Italian life. I hope that Brinkley is in more books to come and also Jack as it appears he might like Mary just a little.

I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to read the next one. I need to get caught up on this series.

[Sheryl Medina]

Darn it, Lisa! You got me again! I thought I had the mystery solved...not once...but twice...and you tricked me again! Well played, Lisa..well played!

Another great book!

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a father’s love for his daughter unwittingly led his actions to create a flawless guilty verdict?

As the legal case proceeds through the justice system will a confession stop investigation for the truth?

“The stoops were the focus of the homes, like the smile of each place; there was marble, concrete, and flagstone, a classy touch.”

Girard – a Philadelphia institution – a boarding high school established by the trust of Stephen Girard for fatherless boys.

“Where you from?”
“North Philly. Torresdale.”

In the midst of the serious issues this case presents from outlooks of the prosecution and defense there are some wonderful Philly references that add their own touch of class to the storyline. For this reader there were also many reminisces from sitting on the stoop of my grandparents’ row house and talking with neighbors across the porches to remembering a cousin’s years at Girard. Then the heartfelt smile that broke out as I read North Philly. Torresdale since independently walking from Glenloch Street via Robbins Street to the corner store on Torresdale Avenue and then back to Glenloch via Torresdale Avenue and Levick Street stretched the time and delights of being on my own.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Scottoline’s best. There’s an interesting plot, and Mary DiNunzio carries the case with a little help from partner, Judy. Mary acts more like an investigator than a lawyer. There aren’t much courtroom scenes, and that’s what I like about legal thrillers. Still I like the series and will continue to read more of the books.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Even though I saw "who done it" a mile away due to multiple clues, it was still fun. Lots of twists.

[Eppie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 of passion. Sixteen-year-old Paige Newlin is a successful model whose relationship with her manager-mother had been famously rocky. To make sure that he's convicted, Jack hires rookie lawyer Mary DiNunzio to defend him. But Mary doesn't buy Jack's story, and neither does the senior detective on the case. In a fascinating turn on the usual courtroom tale, then, Jack struggles to maintain his false story of guilt while his lawyer and the police struggle to prove him innocent. Meanwhile, Mary wrestles with both her uncertainty as a lawyer and with her attraction for her client.

Lisa Scottoline, often identified as the "female John Grisham," has led the pack of female authors in the legal thriller genre, winning an Edgar for her second novel, Final Appeal. Moment of Truth does have moments that don't, in fact, ring true. Why is Jack Newlin so quick to forgive his daughter when he thinks she's killed her own mother? And if he's so concerned with her welfare, why did he absent himself from her upbringing? But it's nonetheless interesting for its innovative plot conceit and its examination of high-profile murder trials. If one is able to overlook the problems with Newlin's motivation, the story Scottoline weaves is a compelling one, and her heroine, Mary, is an enjoyable, self-doubting twist on the super-lawyer at the center of most legal thrillers. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title

[Drebbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 to life, especially Mary and her family, although I got tired of reading about Mary's Catholic guilt complex. 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. The secondary characters are also well developed, especially Lou and cops Brinkley and Kovich. The plot had enough twists and turns that the identity of the real murderer was a complete surprise.

This is a good book for fans of legal thrillers.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 claiming to be innocent, she defending an innocent client claiming to be guilty. I give this story a B+!

[Msjodi777 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I need to listen to these closer together, because there are so many characters that I forget who is who from book to book. But I do enjoy this series, and keep on listening even though it is getting harder and harder to find the unabridged audio books. Goodness, does that mean that this could become, yet another series that I will have to read on my kindle? Might just have to get a full sized kindle if I come up with another series... nah, I'll stick with my iTouch. Kate Burton's narration was every bit as good as the story. <><

[Alex Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was dumb. Poorly written. The characters were all one dimensional. Their motivations were flimsy at best. Nothing any of them did or said made logical sense. I quite enjoy mindless entertainment, but it's got to the be entertaining for that to work and this book was not. I don't give one star ratings lightly, but there was nothing I enjoyed in this book. It was obvious to the point it was kind of painful, and then as though the author realized that, made the ending as convoluted as possible. Wouldn't recommend and won't reread.

[Caroline Dwyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what is going on, I generally enjoy Lisa Scotolines books. I have read two, Don't Go and Look Again. I started Moment of Truth and about 6 chapters in I'm just bored. I am wondering if Goodreads is hurting me at this point? I make lists and go through the books reading the description often. Th plots may be ruined? I noticed a little bit in Look Again but still loved the book. Maybe it is only this book that I am just not enjoying. I'm not sure.

[Ghada · Rating 1 out of 5]

an interesting story line that was totally ruined by epically offensive stereotyping on all levels you could think of( ethnic, religious, sexist, racist...) the writing is terrible and the plot twist was way too far and shallow to be convincing. the most silly romance side story to top it as well!

[Carol Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Scottoline. I like the enthusiasm and honesty her female lawyers bring to all of her books.

[Kay Vanatta · Rating 4 out of 5]

best one I've read so far!

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onvan : Moment of Truth (Rosato & Associates, #5) - Nevisande : Lisa Scottoline - ISBN : 7100337 - ISBN13 : 9780007100330 - Saal e Chap : 2000