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Summary
Summary
Lady Killer
Author Notes
Lisa Scottoline was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1955. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in the contemporary American novel from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1981. Before becoming an author, she worked as a trial lawyer.
Her first novel, Everywhere That Mary Went, was published in 1994. Her other books include Come Home, Keep Quiet, Every Fifteen Minutes, and Most Wanted. She also writes the Rosato and Associates series and the Rosato and Dinunzio Novel series.
Lisa's title, Daddy's Girl, is a April 2016 New York Times bestseller.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Philadelphia attorney Mary DiNunzio, last seen in Killer Smile (2004), agrees to help her high school nemesis, Trish Gambone, at the start of this less than convincing thriller from bestseller Scottoline. Trish, whom Mary used to regard as "the quintessential Mean Girl," has turned in desperation to the lawyer, "the all-around Most Likely to Achieve Sainthood" at St. Maria Goretti High School, because she wants to escape from her abusive, and possibly Mafia-connected boyfriend, Bobby Mancuso. Trish rejects Mary's practical suggestions for dealing with Bobby, but once Trish disappears, Mary finds herself under pressure from other high school classmates as well as people from her old neighborhood who blame her for not doing enough. Mary unwisely hides a connection with Bobby from the Feds, who then shut her out of the search for Trish when they learn of it. Scottoline fans will cheer Mary as she stumbles toward the solution, but others may have trouble suspending disbelief. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
After a couple of stand-alones, Scottoline returns to Rosato & Associates, abandoning the courtroom this time for the streets of South Philly. The tale focuses on shy, businesslike attorney Mary DiNunzio, who may have moved uptown but is still rooted to South Philly's Italian American community. She's shocked one day when her high-school nemesis, Trish Gambino ( We used to call you Holy Mary . . . . Little Miss Perfect ), barges into her office in hysterics. She's had enough from abusive boyfriend Bobby Mancuso and wants out. Unfortunately, he's Mob connected, and she's afraid that he'll kill her if she leaves. When Trish refuses to take Mary's advice to go to the cops, Mary tries to put the episode out of her mind, though her long-ago crush on Bobby makes it hard. Then Trish and Bobby both disappear, and Mary, feeling guilty, plays detective. It's all wildly improbable, with Mary sacrificing all for someone who constantly tells her she's an idiot, but there's a clever twist at the close, and Scottoline makes good use of South Philly argot and stereotypes. And, of course, Mary comes out of it all with an understanding of her own, quite considerable, strength of character. Not the best of the Scottolines, but plenty good enough to please the author's enormous audience.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2007 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Philadelphia's favorite all-female law firm is back with a case that poses refreshingly little danger to life, limb or professional ethics. Nobody would be more surprised than Mary DiNunzio (Killer Smile, 2004, etc.) to hear that she's the rainmaker at Rosato & Associates. True, her lawsuits on behalf of neighbors with bad roofs or schoolchildren with special needs, and her legal advice to the Dean Martin Fan Club of South Philly when they contemplate action against the Sinatra Social Society, will never make her rich. But her billable hours are through the roof, and Judy Carrier, her associate and best bud, thinks Bennie Rosato should make her a partner--until Trish Gambone walks through the door. Mary's high-school nemesis has become a beautician who's finally found a bigger bully than she is: low-level Mob soldier Bobby Mancuso, who alternates between skimming from the heroin payments that pass through his hands and beating the tar out of the woman he hopes to make his wife. Trish won't run away from her abuser; she won't apply for a protective order against him; she won't do anything except wail that Bobby's going to kill her on her birthday, which happens to be that very day, and that Mary is no help. Trish vanishes overnight, leaving Mary with a major case of guilt and an immediate future crystal-clear to fans of the Rosato franchise (Daddy's Girl, 2007, etc.)--trouble with the cops, trouble with her client's family and Mean Girl friends and trouble with her boss, who gives her an ultimatum: Forget about Trish or leave the firm. If you can't predict Mary's choice, you must be new around here. As usual in Scottoline's recent cases, the opening movement is the best. This time, the half-hearted mystery is upstaged by Mary's pleasantly unlikely romance. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
New York Times best-selling author Scottoline has returned to her most interesting and popular characters, the women of the Philadelphia-based Rosato and Associates, and to her first leading lady, Mary DiNunzio. Mary finds herself unwillingly engaged in a domestic violence case, tinged with Mafia connections, that revolves around her old high school rivals, the "mean girls," and her first love. As the case becomes more intense and dangerous, Mary must choose between righting a past wrong and maintaining her legal career. Simultaneously humorous and appropriately serious, this wonderful story will delight faithful fans and enchant listeners new to the series. Narrated by top-notch performers Barbara Rosenblat and Kate Burton, respectively, both productions of are of high quality. The readers have different styles and do a wonderful job of conveying humor and distinguishing among numerous characters in a smooth and engaging fashion; Burton maintains a slight edge in the abridged version, capturing the very distinct South Philadelphia dialectal flavor. Both programs are highly recommended. [HarperAudio has another version of Lady Killer available: 9 CDs. unabridged. 10½ hrs. 2008. ISBN 978-0-06-145299-4. $39.95; also available as downloadable audio from Audible.com.--Ed.]--Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Lady Killer Chapter One Mary DiNunzio sat across from the old men, deciding which one to shoot first. Her father, Matty DiNunzio, was the natural choice because he was the most stubborn, but his three friends were tied for second. They sat next to him at the conference table, a trinity of Tonys--Pigeon Tony Lucia, Tony-From-Down-The-Block LoMonaco, and Tony Two Feet Pensiera, who was called Feet, making him the only man in South Philly whose nickname had a nickname. "Pop, wait, think about this," Mary said, hiding her exasperation. "You don't want to sue anybody, not really." She met her father's milky brown eyes, magnified by his bifocals, as he sat behind an open box of aromatic pignoli-nut cookies. Her mother wouldn't have let him visit her, even at work, without bringing saturated fats. Besides the cookies, waiting for her in the office refrigerator was a Pyrex dish of emergency lasagna. "Yes, we do, honey. The club took a vote. We wanna sue. It's about honor." "Honor?" Mary tried not to raise her voice. She loved him, but she was wondering when he'd lost his mind. A tile setter his working life, her father had always been a practical man, at least until this meeting. "You want to sue over your honor?" "No, over Dean's honor." "You mean Dean Martin?" "Yeah. He was a great singer and a great man." "Plus a great golfer," said Tony-From-Down-The-Block. " Great golfer," repeated Feet. "And Bernice disrespected him. In public." "But Dean wasn't there." Mary stopped just short of saying, He's dead . Or, Are you insane, too? Tony-From-Down-The-Block nodded. "Dean Martin wasn't his real name, you know. It was Dino Crocetti." Mary knew. Dean Martin, born in Steubenville, Ohio. Adored his mother, Angela. Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime. She hadn't grown up her father's daughter for nothing. In his retirement, her father had started the Dean Martin Fan Club of South Philly, and she was looking at its four copresidents. Don't ask why there were four copresidents. The fifth had to step down from prostate problems. Mary asked, "How does it avenge his honor if you sue?" "Mare," Feet interrupted, indignant. "Bernice insulted him. She called him a drunk!" Mary winced on Dean's behalf. Her father shook his head. Tony-From-Down-The-Block reached for another pignoli-nut cookie. Feet's slack cheeks flushed with emotion, trumping his Lipitor. "Mare, she hollered at him like a fishwife, in front of everybody. The mouth on that woman. So Big Joey hollered back and before you know it, he's holding his chest and falling down onna floor. She gave him a heart attack." Feet pushed up the bridge of his Mr. Potatohead glasses. "That can't be legal." "I saw on Boston Legal , it's motional distress." Tony-From-Down-The-Block brushed cookie crumbs from a red Phillies T-shirt, which matched his unfortunate new haircolor. He was single again, a fact that his red hair blared like a siren. Also that he might not own a mirror. "That's how they always are, that club," her father said. "They never shut up. Sinatra this, Sinatra that. They think Frank was the best, but Dean had the TV show. They forget that." "Dean was the King of Cool, 'at's all," added Tony-From-Down-The-Block, and Mary's father turned to him. "Don't get me wrong, Sinatra was good, my Vita loves him. But he hogged the spotlight. A show-off." "A showboat," Tony-From-Down-The-Block agreed, and Mary listened to the two men have the same conversation they'd had a thousand times. Pigeon Tony sat silently on the end, dunking a cookie into his coffee. At only five foot two, he was more wren than pigeon, with his bald head inexplicably tanned, his brown-black eyes small and round, and his tiny nose curved like a beak. He was quiet because his English wasn't that good, and for that, Mary felt grateful. Two Tonys were enough for one lawyer. "But, Pop," Mary interrupted, trying to get them back on track. "Big Joey's fine now, and Bernice didn't cause his heart attack. He weighed three hundred pounds." Hence, the Big part. "In an intentional infliction case, you have to prove that the act caused the harm. And the statement she made wasn't outrageous enough." "How can you say that, honey?" her father asked, stricken. "It's outrageous, to us." His forehead wrinkled all the way to his straw cabbie's hat. He was wearing an almost transparent sleeveless shirt, dark pants with a wide black belt, and black socks with pleather sandals. In other words, he was dressed up. "Mare," Tony-From-Down-The-Block interjected, "the drinking wasn't for real on Dean's TV show. They put apple juice in the glass, not booze. It's show business." Feet's face was still flushed. "Yeah. They just spread that rumor to make Dean look bad. They're always trying to ruin his reputation. Can we sue about that, too? If Dean was alive, he could sue, so why can't we? He can't help it he's dead." Mary sighed. "Slow down, gentlemen. It costs money to sue. Even if I don't charge you, there are filing fees, service fees, all kinds of fees. You have to have money." Feet said, "We have money." "Not this kind of money." "We got seventy-eight grand in the kitty." "What?" Mary couldn't believe her ears. "Seventy-eight thousand! Where'd you get that?" "Dean's got a lot of fans," Feet answered, and her father added: "Dead fans. Angelo, you know, the barber down Ritner Street. Remember, his wife Teresa passed two years ago, and they had no kids. Also Mario, who had the auto-body shop on Moore, and Phil The Toot, got that nice settlement from the car accident. He passed, too, poor guy." Her father paused, a moment of silence. "They left their money to the club. We had three hundred and twelve dollars before that, but now we're rich. We can sue anybody we want." "Anybody says anything bad about Dean, we're suing," Feet said. "We don't even care if we lose," said Tony-From-Down-The-Block. "It's the principle. We're sick of Dean gettin' Lady Killer . Copyright © by Lisa Scottoline. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
