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Born: 7/1/1955
Lisa Scottoline uses her experience in the legal world for her fictional creations. Her second novel, Final Appeal, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1994.
Native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, mystery writer Lisa Scottoline was born in 1956. After earning a BA in English at the University of Pennsylvania, she went on to law school and then practiced law. During the late 1980s, she began writing stories and eventually published her first mystery novel, Everywhere That Mary Went (1993). Since then, her novels have been bestsellers sold and she earned an Edgar Award for Final Appeal (1994). At the time of this writing, Scottoline lives and writes in Philadelphia.
Lisa Scottoline was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1956. She grew up in the suburb of Bala Cynwyd, receiving an excellent education in the process. Scottoline was so accomplished that she matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania, finishing her B.A. in English in just three years and graduating magna cum laude. During her time at Penn, she was fortunate to study the contemporary American novel with Philip Roth, a highly-acclaimed author. Following graduation, she went to Penn's Law School, graduating in 1981. She is divorced and has one child, a daughter named Francesca whom she now co-writes with.
Her early professional career was entirely legal in nature. Scottoline became a clerk to Pennsylvania Superior Court Presiding Judge Edmund B. Spaeth. This experience provided her the opportunity to join the large Philadelphia law firm Dechert, Price & Rhoads as an associate. In 1986, however, she left the firm to raise her daughter and began a part-time career writing legal fiction. In 1994, she returned to the legal profession full-time as an administrative law clerk to a United States Court of Appeals judge.
In 1994, Scottoline completed her first novel, Everywhere That Mary Went, and sold it to HarperCollins Publishers. The book achieved success and she was nominated for an Edgar Award for Excellence in Mystery Writing. It also sold well, which was particularly rewarding given the financial privations Scottoline and her daughter underwent during its composition. The Mystery Writers of America presented the Edgar Award to Scottoline's second book, Final Appeal. Since that point, she has written twenty best-selling mystery novels, all of which are set in Philadelphia. She averages a book per year.Many of them revolve around the various partners of the all-female law firm of Rosato and Associates. All of her novels are known for having characters that readers can connect with. Janet Maslin, a New York Times reviewer, argues that Scottoline's books are "punchy, wise cracking thrillers," successfully incorporating "characters who are earthy, fun, and self-deprecating." Ultimately, Maslin credits Scottoline with having created "one of the best branded franchises in current crime writing."
Her 2009 book, Look Again, was named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post. Scottoline continues to receive many awards and honors for her best-selling books. She won the Fun, Fearless, Fiction Award by Cosmopolitan Magazine and Publisher's Weekly named her a PW Innovator. Additionally, Scottoline won AudioFile's Earphones Awards for both of her recent non-fiction works, Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog and My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. For the former, Scottoline also was named Voice of the Year for her recording of it. Furthermore, Scranton University has honored her with the Distinguished Author Award and WOmen in Business at the University of Pennsylvania have awarded her a "Paving the Way" award.
Scottoline is currently President of Mystery Writers of America. She is also the author of a weekly column for the Philadelphia Enquirer, entitled Chick Wit, which she co-writes with her daughter Francesca. She also currently reviews popular fiction and non-fiction for various newspapers, including The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. She also teaches a course called "Justice and Fiction" at the University of Pennsylvania, her alma mater. She continues to write, averaging a book per year. She currently resides in the Philadelphia area with her dogs.
Fiction
- Everywhere That Mary Went. New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1993.
- Final Appeal. New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1994.
- Running from the Law. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
- Legal Tender. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
- Rough Justice. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.
- Mistaken Identity. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
- Moment of Truth. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.
- The Vendetta Defense. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
- Dead Ringer. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
- Killer Smile. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
- Devil's Corner. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
- Dirty Blonde. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
- Daddy's Girl. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.
- Lady Killer. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
- Look Again. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2009.
- Think Twice. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2010.
- Save Me. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011.
Nonfiction
- Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2009.
- My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2010.
- "Interviews — Talking Pigeons With Lisa Scottoline." The Mystery Magazine Online. 21 July 2005. <>http://overmydeadbody.com/lscottonline.htm>
- "Lisa Scottoline." The Gale Literary Database: Contemporary Authors Online. 26 May 2011. 27 Sept. 2011.
- "All About Lisa." Scottoline.com. 2011. 27 Sept. 2011. <>http://scottoline.com/>.
- "The Edgars and Other MWA Awards." Mystery Writers of America. 2005. 21 July 2005.
Photo Credit: "Photograph of Lisa Scottoline." Photograph. Cropped to 4x3. Source: Online Resource.