When you pick up a Lisa Scottoline novel, what comes to mind?
Legal thriller? Yes.
Women lawyers? Of course.
Philadelphia? No doubt.
Road trip? Maybe not so much.
But on a recent, unexpected road trip, and a long one at that, I found the audio version of Daddy’s Girl by Scottoline to be a perfect traveling companion. Performed by the incomparable Barbara Rosenblat (this woman can make every voice, from a young child to a elderly socialite to a male prison inmate to a poverty-stricken Appalachian migrant sound believable), the book kept me wide awake for hours.
Now, I’m not saying Daddy’s Girl is classic literature. It follows the standard thriller formula, starting with a hero minding her own business who is suddenly thrust into an impossible situation as all her normal supports – social standing, friends, money, cell phone, car – are knocked away one by one. Eventually, armed with only her wits, she wins the day and proves her mettle to herself and those around her. The book screams “women can do everything men can do” with as much subtlety as punk rock hair cut.
However, Daddy’s Girl did its job well, keeping me awake on a long drive. More than that, the author made me care about the protagonist, Nat Greco. I wanted to see how she solved her dilemma, which she accomplished with the requisite number of wasted cars, hidden guns and funky disguises. The book even had an unexpected twist near the end, a small wrench in the romance end of things, to keep things interesting.
Daddy’s Girl may never make it into my top ten favorite books of all time. But Lisa Scottoline won’t care, because she accomplished what successful authors must do. She made herself indispensable in my little world.
Before my next road trip, I’ll find another Lisa Scottoline audio book to keep me company. And that’s exactly what Lisa was hoping for all along.
