Look Again (Paperback)

Lisa Scottoline is best known for her bestselling series featuring the women of the all-female law firm Rosato & Associates. Although the books are generally described as legal thrillers, she told one journalist, "What I'm doing is writing stories about women who care about justice. They are women who think about the difference between right and wrong, what's legal and illegal, ethical and unethical, moral and immoral. . . . So it doesn't matter what the character's occupation is." Scottoline, an avid fan of Nancy Drew mysteries while growing up, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in the nearby suburb of Bala Cynwyd. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in English. (Her focus was on the contemporary American novel, and among her professors was Philip Roth.) In 1981 she completed her studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and embarked upon a career as a civil litigator. In 1986, soon after her daughter, Francesca, was born, Scottoline left her firm for the life of a stay-at-home mom. She subsequently began to write the first Rosato & Associates novel, EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, which was published in 1994--after a long string of painful rejection notices. Since then, she has written numerous other books in the series, as well as several stand-alone novels and memoirs. Additionally, she pens a regular newspaper column, "Chick Wit," along with Francesca. Twice divorced, Scottoline, who has been a president of the Mystery Writers of America, lives in an 18th-century stone farmhouse on more than 40 acres of land in Pennsylvania's Chester County, where she hosts annual fan-appreciation gatherings. (Attendees are chosen by lottery.) Sharing the property are several dogs, cats, horses, and chickens.