Lisa Scottoline: This Changes Everything

Lisa Scottoline joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, a domestic thriller centered on female friendship, murder and identity. A Bookreporter Bets On selection, it features two best friends — Julia and Courtney — who investigate the murder of Courtney's grandmother in rural Pennsylvania. Lisa describes the book as the "twistiest" she has ever written, with multiple layers of plot and character development. The friendship between Julia and Courtney is the emotional core of the story. They met in high school as outsiders and have sustained each other ever since. Lisa says that female friendships are often undervalued despite being a primary source of support through life's challenges. She highlights this line from the book: "Maybe girlfriends are there to fill in your blind spot." Bennie Rosato, who was in 17 of Lisa's previous novels, adds a third strong female voice and embodies the theme of fighting for justice over mere legal compliance. Lisa also shares details about the various locations in the book. The historical setting is not decorative but thematically essential, connecting personal history, regional history and national history. The audiobook features five narrators — Maria Marquis, Kate Burton (Richard Burton's daughter, who again is voicing the character of Bennie Rosato), Soneela Nankani, Stacy Carolan and Max Meyers — which marks the first time that Lisa has used a multicast format. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: John Searles: https://youtu.be/LA2gXPoc_zk Jenny Jackson: https://youtu.be/V116A5eBBBE Beatriz Williams: https://youtu.be/d554V2bGHSQ Lori Foster: https://youtu.be/C2xlNPgKjm0 Lisa See: https://youtu.be/5UpTJ_YAnxE Ruta Sepetys: https://youtu.be/Mv9XRWohkjs Kathryn Stockett: https://youtu.be/-mNe-Y9CctQ Susan Patterson: https://youtu.be/jvZjwDq_dUw Jane Harper: https://youtu.be/PTqqPXbbX8A Devi S. Laskar: https://youtu.be/FR-6fGxBUS4 Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions