Rock Bottom

by:  Erin Brockovich and CJ Lyons
published by:  Vanguard Press
publish date:  March 1, 2011

Ten years ago, a pregnant seventeen-year-old, Angela Joy Palladino, fled her hometown, Scotia, West Virginia, as a pariah. Over time, AJ succeeded in establishing herself as an environmental activist, dubbed “The People’s Champion,” only to be forced to retreat from the spotlight in the wake of a crushing media disaster.

When AJ is offered a job with a lawyer who is crusading against mountaintop removal mining, she is torn. As a single mother of a special needs nine-year-old boy, AJ can use any work she can get. But doing so will mean returning to the West Virginia hometown she left in disgrace so long ago.

Upon arriving in Scotia, AJ learns of the sudden death of the lawyer who hired her. Soon after joining forces with his daughter, Elizabeth, threats begin to surface, bodies begin to pile up, and AJ discovers that her own secrets aren’t the only ones her mountain hometown has kept buried. Hitting rock bottom, AJ must face the betrayal of those once closest to her and confront the harrowing past she thought she had left behind.

No, you didn't read that wrong.  It is THE Erin Brockovich, the one that Julia Roberts played in the movie.  She teamed up with author CJ Lyons to write Rock Bottom.  According to Goodreads, this is the beginning of a series.  I'm assuming the rest of the series will feature AJ and Elizabeth teaming up to protect the environment and concerns of consumers.  In fact, you won't have to wait long for the second book to come out.  Hot Water is schedule for release this October.

I happened to really like this story, much more so than I had anticipated I would.  I downloaded the audiobook from the library strictly because I saw it was co-written by Erin Brockovich and it was a novel, so I was curious.  First off I will say, if you don't like tree-hugging, leftist, environmental and political activism, this book is not for you, fair warning.  Beyond that, it was a well written, exciting, thrilling suspense novel. 

AJ was a very interesting character.  She had a lot of flaws, which added a lot of dynamics to the story that were a little frustrating at times, but completely realistic.  Her son, David, was a really cool kid.  I liked him a lot.  Elizabeth wasn't particularly my favorite, but maybe she'll grow on me in future books.

Overall, I'd recommend this one.  I'd definitely recommend the audiobook.  The narrator, Coleen Marlo, was excellent.   I'll definitely be keeping up with this series!