A review by canada_matt
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Lisa Scottoline adds another novel in her  Rosato and Associates series, dazzling once more. A story thrusting Mary DiNunzio back in the spotlight, forcing her to address issues of professional and personal struggle, while trying to keep level-headed. When Mary learns that she has been bringing in a large amount of the work at Rosato and Associates, she hopes to make a play for a more senior role, even partner. However, Bennie Rosato is not yet ready to admit the needs to expand. Mary tries to keep her calm and is soon derailed when a old high school enemy tries to hire her to help with a domestic matter. This sends Mary spiralling into old memories, while trying to use the law to her advantage. Things quickly get out of hand and Mary must try to solve a mystery placed before her, while being pushed out of the firm for disobeying. Scottoline impresses once more with this stellar penultimate novel in this initial series.

Mary DiNunzio has the makings of an amazing lawyer, having shown her worth within Rosato and Associates. Her smarts and sharp wit cannot be discounted by anyone, and her billings have shown that she is a cornerstone to keeping the firm running. When Mary tries to make the case that she deserves a larger role within the firm and they should hire another associate, Bennie Rosato dismisses it as a temporary high that has no long-term impact, so Mary will stay where she is at present. Her plan stymied, Mary tries to focus on her work, which soon takes quite the turn.

When Trish Gambone arrives to hire Mary, old rivalries resurface. Trish was the mean girl in high school and wanted nothing but to bring misery to Mary’s life, a self-professed good-two-shoes. However, Trish seeks the lawyer’s assistance, as her boyfriend has been abusive, threatening, and showing ongoing criminal tendencies. While Mary wishes she could do something, without firm proof and evidence, there is little the law can do for Trish. Undeterred, Trish vows that she will get the evidence she needs to have Mary act and send him to prison.

While no one is fully aware, Mary knows the man well, having had a crush on him when they were in high school. She also discovers that he is part of the mob and will stop at nothing to get his way. When Trish goes missing, everyone panics and Mary second-guesses herself for not acting sooner. Could all this have been prevented by pushing for a restraining order? Mary goes searching for Trish, come what may, in hopes of getting answers, even after Bennie tells her to leave the crime fighting to the police.

When a body turns up, Mary can only wonder if she will be thrust into a full-blown legal matter. Could this have been a mob hit, sent as a message to those who would cross them? Might Trish Gambone’s illicit past be coming back to haunt her once more? Mary will have to delve deeper, though her actions have cost her a position at Rosato and Associates, as Bennie tries to consolidate her firm and stay out of the fray of criminal acts. Mary has an uphill battle before her,  especially as events from her past make a painful reemergence into the present, but her stubbornness will keep her from letting others get the upper hand. Lisa Scottoline’s series keeps getting better and this novel goes to show that Mary DiNunzio has a lot to prove going forward.

The binge I have undertaken with this series has proven to be well worth my time and efforts. Each novel in the series builds on the previous ones, adding a strong narrative base and keeps loose story arcs to build for the dedicated reader. Lisa Scottoline’s writing allows the reader fo feel a connection to the events in the book, both legal and personal, as well as great description of Philadelphia and its Italian community. The many characters who return from one novel to the next are given time to mature and develop, as the series reader will see growth and depth, as well as the ebbing and flowing of protagonist centrality. Mary has been a core character, whose past keeps being hashed out of the reader, as well as some impactful personal issues in the present. The plots that emerge in the story are both a means of building on Mary’s professional and personal struggles, as well as showing how flexible the law can be, revealing much for the attentive reader. I can see how Mary and Bennie’s clashes will come to a head in the final novel of this series, which is sure to help define how the second, yet related, series will come to fruition. Before we get there, let us dive into the final book in this collection, which is surely full of rich legal and personal matters. Scottoline has much to do and I am ready to see how things progress.

Kudos, Madam Scottoline, for impressing me to no end. 

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