Exposed
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Published: August 15, 2017
AUDIOBOOK
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: August 22- September 2, 2017
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 Stars
Book Description from Amazon:
A BATTLE FOR JUSTICE PITS PARTNER AGAINST PARTNER…
Mary DiNunzio wants to represent her old friend Simon Pensiera, a sales rep who was wrongly fired by his company, but her partner Bennie Rosato represents the parent company. When she confronts Mary, explaining this is a conflict of interest, an epic battle of wills and legal strategy between the two ensues—ripping the law firm apart, forcing everyone to take sides and turning friend against friend.
SOMETIMES LOYALTY CAN BE LETHAL.
Jessica’s Review:
Exposed is the fifth book in the Rosato & DiNunzio series. They can be read as standalones and you not miss much with the backstories or even read out of order. I have been reading them out of order as I won Damaged (the fourth in the series, my review is here) in a Goodreads giveaway not knowing it is a series. My local library has them all in audio, so I plan to listen to the other two that I have not listened to yet.
Mary is again the main lawyer featured in Exposed. Bennie is featured some as well. In the previous books of the series Mary’s family is around a lot; in Exposed they have a smaller role. I kind of missed them as her family tends to be the comic relief in these books.
Mary wants to represent her friend Simon. He feels he was fired from his job because his child is very sick and his employer did not want to pay for the high medical bills. Of course his employer says that is not the reason, it was his job performance. There becomes a conflict of interest issue with Mary against Bennie since Bennie represents the parent company that Simon works for. Exposed never dragged for me, but most of the novel focuses on this issue and it was too much ‘legal talk’ that did not interest me at all. Scottoline could have condensed that more to focus on the excitement of the last portion of the novel. Exposed becomes so much more than a case about Simon and his job. It picked up for me in the last two discs. I never thought about stopping the book as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
Scottoline ends the novel with optimism and a promising future. I really enjoyed the ending and look forward to the next in the series. I can’t wait to see where Rosato and DiNunzio go next!
Exposed is recommended.
Accused
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Audiobook
Published: October 29, 2013
Dates Read: May 23- June 9, 2017
My Rating: 3 stars
Book Summary from Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Lisa Scottoline revolutionized crime fiction when she introduced her Philadelphia-based all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates, thrilling listeners with her twisty, fast-paced plots and capturing their hearts with her cast of strong and relatable female characters. Now Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier, and Anne Murphy are back with all cylinders firing in Accused.
Mary DiNuzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty. But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. The Gardner family is one of the most powerful in the country and Allegra’s parents don’t believe in reopening the case, so taking it on is risky. But the Rosato & Associates firm can never resist an underdog. Was justice really served all those years ago? It will take a team of unstoppable female lawyers, plus one thirteen-year-old genius, to find out.
My review:
Lisa Scottoline first introduced readers to Mary DiNunzio, Bennie Rosato, Judy Carrier, and Anne Murphy in her Rosato & Associates series and now she is back with a new series: Rosato & DiNunzio. The first in this series is Accused and Mary has just been promoted to partner.
I won a copy of Damaged( from Goodreads) which is the fourth in the series. Not realizing it was part of a series, I decided to go back and listen to the audiobooks of the first three in order. I know a little about what will happen, so it gives me a different perspective going back and listening to the others on audiobook. It seems to me that the series improves as I enjoyed Damaged more than Accused. There seems to be growth with Mary as the series progresses, especially from the beginning of Accused to the conclusion.
I first want to say I have not read any of the Rosato & Associates series, so all of these characters are new to me. I know I have missed their backstories (including the murder of Mary’s husband). Rosato & DiNunzio is an all-female law firm and Bennie Rosato is the boss, but Mary has just been promoted to partner in Accused. In the beginning Mary seems unsure of this promotion; she even does not want the stationary changed. **This is a minor spoiler, as this happens early on, but Mary’s boyfriend proposes to her. She says yes, but is unsure on if she should have given that answer.
In Accused, Rosato & DiNunzio is hired by thirteen year old Allegra Gardner. Her sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and despite the defendant Lonnie Stall pleading guilty, Allegra is convinced that he did not kill her sister. Rosato & DiNunzio take on the case with Mary in the lead.
For me Accused was decent. I liked Allegra and wanted more of her in it. I also liked that she had a different type of hobby. Allegra is definitely a ‘different’ sort of girl. I also liked that we had more of Mary’s family and her neighbors ‘The Tony’s’ in it. They are definitely the comic relief in the novel.
I’m not sure what it is about Mary that I don’t really feel a connection with. I felt that same way when I read Damaged. I think it might be her personality and the immaturity she has. For me, she becomes too attached to the children involved in these cases, and that attachment is almost instant and it seems to cross professional boundaries. Again, this could be because I have not read the Rosato & Associates series and am missing her backstory. I’m not sure of her age, but she doesn’t really seem like partner material and comes off as young, more like someone fresh out of law school. She does experience personal and professional growth over the course of Accused, which I was happy about.
I was also not heavily drawn into this case. Yes, there is an answer to whether Lonnie Stall actually killed Fiona, but I was not intensely involved in the novel. I would definitely say that this is more of a Mystery novel versus a Suspense/Thriller novel.
I did look to see that Betrayed, the second novel in the Rosato & DiNunzio series focuses on Judy and the third, Corrupted focuses on the ‘big boss’ herself Bennie Rosato. I will continue the series as I want to learn about these ladies, especially Bennie who is an enigma to me.
Despite the issues I had, Damaged is recommended.
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Author: Lisa Scottoline
375 pages in Paperback
Published: August 16, 2016
Dates Read: May 8- May 20, 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars
Book Summary from Amazon:
One boy. One lawyer. One chance for justice.
Ten-year-old Patrick O’Brien is a natural target at school. Shy, dyslexic, and small for his age, he tries to hide his first-grade reading level from everyone: from his classmates, from the grandfather who cares for him, and from the teachers who are supposed to help him. But the real trouble begins when Patrick is accused of attacking a school aide. The aide promptly quits and sues the boy, his family, and the school district. Patrick’s grandfather turns to the law firm of Rosato & DiNunzio for help and Mary DiNunzio is on the case. Soon Mary becomes Patrick’s true champion and his only hope for security and justice. But there is more to the story than meets the eye and Patrick might be more troubled than he seems. With twists at every turn and secrets about the family coming to light, Mary DiNunzio might have found the case that can make her a true protector, or break her heart…
With Lisa Scottoline’s trademark emotional depth and fast-paced action, Damaged will have readers riveted to the last page as they root for the beloved characters and their fight for justice.
Review:
I won a copy of Damaged from St. Martin’s Press via Goodreads. When I entered in the giveaway I did not know that it was the fourth in Lisa Scottoline’s newer Rosato & DiNunzio series. This series was preceded by the Rosato & Associates series. I enjoyed Damaged, and even though it is the latest in the series I feel I did not miss much, other than some background on the characters.
Damaged is my first legal thriller by Lisa Scottoline and it will not be my last. I will actually listen to the rest of the Rosato & DiNunzio series from the beginning on audiobook since my local library offers it. I have read several of Scottoline’s books and she is becoming a favorite author of mine.
Mary DiNunzio is the focus of Damaged who is a partner at her law firm. She is to be married in two weeks. Her fiancé Anthony and the wedding are a minor plot point in the novel though there was more attention towards the end. I will admit I wanted more of this plot point, but the book focuses on Patrick (a ten-year-old dyslexic boy) and the cases surrounding him. The first case is about Patrick being accused of attacking a school aide. His schooling and disability comes into play in this case. There is also a twist that occurs and a second more important case comes about involving Patrick. The attorney on the other side in the school case is Nick Machiavelli and you can’t help but love to hate him. I hope he makes appearances in the rest the series. He is quite the scumbag villain and I love a well written villain!
One issue I had with Damaged and this may be from not reading the rest of the series, but Mary became attached to Patrick too quickly for me; It seemed an almost instant connection/attachment. This could just be the kind of person Mary is or Patrick is just a boy you can’t help but instantly love. She advocates for Patrick very well and has his best interests at heart. She truly wants to help him.
I also liked John. At first I did not like him, but we get to know him as Damaged progresses. I hope he is central to future novels if he has not been a focus in the previous books in the series.
I loved Mary’s extended family! They are an Italian family and are hilarious. They are a comic relief and it was a welcome as at times this is an emotionally charged novel. I hope they are in more of the Rosato & DiNunzio series.
I did notice that the books in the series follow the alphabet so far:
- Accused
- Betrayed
- Corrupted
- Damaged
- Exposed (To be published August 15, 2017)
It appears that Scottoline may be going the ‘Sue Grafton route’ with the books in this series following the alphabet. Will she have 26 books in this series? Time will tell!
Damaged is recommended.
***Thank you St Martin’s Press via Goodreads for my copy of Damaged. It was a pleasure to read and I will be starting the series from the beginning in audio next!
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