Edgar Award-winning author Lisa Scottoline’s career as a writer began with the birth of her first child in 1993.
A former judge’s clerk and litigator, the Philadelphian’s best-selling mysteries often feature strong, empathetic female leads and draw their plots from relatable family issues that invite the reader to ask, ‘What would I do?’.
Here are seven books by Lisa Scottoline you don't want to miss.
After Anna
The arrival of a long-lost teenage daughter, Anna, into the contented world of second-time-around couple Noah and Maggie Alderman seems to be a blessing.
However, it soon turns out to be a curse in this tautly plotted, psychologically compelling mystery. The troubled Anna is soon antagonising her stepfather with her reluctance to follow even the mildest of rules.
Maggie, so grateful to have her daughter back in her life again, sides with the girl. Unease seeps through the once peaceful home, and when Anna is brutally killed, the finger of suspicion inevitably points at Noah.
With even his beloved wife believing him guilty, an innocent man must fight to clear his name and find the real murderer.
Save Me
Filled with issues that will resonate with women everywhere, Save Me tells the story of Rose McKenna, whose new role as a lunch mom at her daughter Melly’s school seems idyllic until an explosion in the kitchen injures Amanda, a girl who has been bullying Melly.
The local community jump to the conclusion that Rose rescued her own kid while deliberately allowing Amanda to come to harm. As Rose’s life and marriage begins to unravel amidst small-town hostility and legal threats, she sets out to determine what really happened that fateful day.
If she can, there’s a chance she can turn things around and bring her family back together again.
Keep Quiet
Scottoline’s novels often revolve around the destructive effects of family lies and examine how parental love can lead ordinary people into dark places. This 2014 mystery is no exception.
It charts the uneasy relationship between a respectable father, Jake, and his wayward teenage son, Ryan. The pair are perpetually at loggerheads until a nighttime drive that seems to be building bridge between them takes a fateful turn.
Now the pair hold a guilty secret together, one that threatens to slowly prise their world apart.
Come Home
Paediatrician Jill Farrow is living the perfect suburban family life. She’s recently found love after a messy divorce, her daughter Megan is happy and busy, and her work life is fulfilling.
However, the unexpected appearance of her former step-daughter, Abby turns her world upside down. Abby brings news that Jill’s ex-husband has been killed. Abby believes it's murder, but the cops aren’t convinced.
She asks Jill to help her find evidence that will point to the killer. A mix of love, guilt, and pity compels Jill to agree.
It’s a decision that will have potential disastrous consequences for the successful doctor and the happy world she has built for herself and those she cares most about.
One Perfect Lie
The arrival of a handsome young stranger in a small Pennsylvania community serves as the catalyst for drama in this emotionally charged suburban mystery. Chris Brennan is tall, handsome, charming, and plausible.
He applies for a job as the baseball coach at the local school. Soon, he’s setting the hearts of local baseball moms beating a little faster and inspiring the players to greater success.
There’s just one problem: Chris Brennan is not the stranger’s real name. He’s a man with a plan that, if it succeeds, will destroy the lives of the women and children who’ve come to admire and trust him.
Will any of the moms wake up to the threat within their midst before it’s too late? A genuine page-turner.
Most Wanted
Tapping into the subliminal fears of parents, this 2016 mystery centres on Christine and Marcus Nilsson.
A happily married couple, the Nilsson’s desperate quest to have a child appears to have come to a blissful conclusion when Christine becomes pregnant after the couple opt to use a sperm donor.
Sitting at home awaiting the birth, Christine flicks on the TV and finds herself watching a news report about the arrest of a brutal serial murderer. To her horror, she believes she recognises the blond-haired killer—he’s a man she has seen at the donor clinic.
Is it possible the murderer is the man whose child is now growing inside her?
With the anonymity of donors guaranteed, Christine sets out on her own to discover what could be an awful and destructive truth.
Every Fifteen Minutes
Teenager Max has OCD and must perform the same mental ritual every fifteen minutes to keep himself calm. The psychiatrist who’s treating him is Dr Eric Parrish, a dedicated physician and struggling single father.
Dr. Parrish fears for the boy and his fixation on a local girl, Renee. Max seems more misunderstood than violent, but when Renee is found murdered, Max disappears.
The psychiatrist’s attempts to absolve him make the police suspicious about his motives and what he might be hiding. The pressure on Dr. Parrish increases when a female colleague brings a sexual harassment suit against him.
Is it all a coincidence, or is there a deadly sociopath lurking in the background, set on destroying the doctor’s life? And if so, who is it?
Featured image: Julian Rösner / Unsplash
