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Summary: THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!
Review: A reader doesn't just read a Lisa Scottoline novel instead the reader becomes one with the novel; whether Mary is in dialogue with her friends; or in the kitchen with her Mother and Judy. In the kitchen scenes one can smell the cooking; the sauce -0h the sauce - my mouth was watering without ever losing site of the dialogue and the familial affection and respect.
Ms. Scottline brings to the attention reader a subject little know to many American's which was the internment of Italians during the war. The uprooting of immigrants who were the part and parcel of the foundation of our nation and lovers of America who, while enjoying the marriage of their special ethnic heritage and new American ways, were taken by 'big brother' and set apart from home, family and friends and transported across the United States; stripped of hard gained assets and identification to live like prisoners in the country alleged paved with gold.
Share the dedication, loyalty and camaraderie of the friends in the book and the tenacity of each to push forward to find the truth.
You don't have to go to South Philly to become part of this story - just read the first page and you are there.
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Summary: Smart and sassy
Review: Attorney Mary DiNunzio becomes obsessed with an old case involving a WW2 internee, Amadeo Brandolini, who apparently suicided in the internment camp following the death of his wife.A trail of clues leads to the involvement of the descendants of one of Amadeos' fellow internees, Giovanni Saracone and the murder of the attorney whose firm dealt with the Brandolini estate, inexorably points to dirty work at the crossroads! Soon Mary is so involved with the case that her life is threatened and she is actually kidnapped in an attempt to silence her.
It's a slick, pacy story- very modern- with a very likeable heroine who battle on, even while admitting that she's really a great sook at heart!
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Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have read her previous books which had some legal and professional basis. Killer Smile has neither. The idea behind the plot is intriguing but he dialog and events make it more of a comedy than a mystery and some of the legal maneuvers are a joke.
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Summary: Another great book by Scottoline
Review: KILLER SMILE by Lisa ScottolineLisa Scottoline's latest legal thriller, KILLER SMILE, takes the reader back to WW II to solve a mystery involving an Italian immigrant. Lawyer Mary DiNunzio is working for a client whose family goes back to WW II when a number of Italian Americans were rounded up and placed in internment camps, similar to the Japanese Americans. Amadeo Brandolini died during WW II at one of the camps, and Mary is trying to figure out if this was truly a suicide, or murder. She picks up clues that lead her to the conclusion that it was murder, and as she delves further into the history of this man, she finds herself in danger. When her law office is burglarized, she can't imagine that this is related to her investigation of Brandolini's life. Her boss Bennie Rosato is not pleased that Mary cannot let go of this investigation, because it is obvious that all Mary can do is breath and think about Amadeo. A side trip to Fort Missoula, Montana, where the internment camp used to be, helps Mary put more pieces together. She discovers that Amadeo had a close friend at the camp, which may be the key to what really happened. I enjoyed reading KILLER SMILE. It was not your typical legal thriller, since Scottoline spent a good part of the book on the Italian American experience during WW II. It was an eye-opener, as I had thought only the Japanese Americans were sent to the camps during this awful time in history. One thing I was not happy about, however, were the many errors that were made during one scene of the book. An entire scene taking place in a Japanese restaurant showed countless errors referring to specific foods. The word "togarashi" is red pepper, NOT sweet potato cakes as was told in the book. An error such as this is either a poor research job or misinformation, and the author needs to find a different source in terms of researching details such as this. I am assuming the facts about the Italian American experiences during WW II are accurate. Despite the few negative comments, I am going to give this book 4 stars. It was worth the read despite the errors, and non-Japanese readers will definitely not catch them. This is my second book by Scottoline, and I definitely plan on reading the rest.
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Summary: Great & funny DiNunzio tale, with factual underpinnings!
Review: Like her counterpart male lawyers turned writer (Grisham, Turow, Martini et al), Lisa Scottoline is a Philadelphia lawyer turned author who indeed writes about what she knows about. Her series feature the Philly-based, all-female attorney law firm of Ms. Bennie Rosato and Associates, but like several of her earlier novels, Mary DiNunzio is again the "star" of "Smile". Working long hours has become a norm for the young widowed Mary, this time on a pro bono case involving an Italian-American, Amadeo Brandolini, who was interned in that horrid sweep of some 10,000 east coast Italians conducted during WWII. While in a Montana internment camp, Brandolini commits suicide; and Mary has been hired 60 years later to seek reparations for his confiscated property (fishing boats). That she is a South Philly Italian descendant herself makes the case even more personal for Mary, as her family and circle of friends are all counting on her. When her tireless investigations, including a trip to Montana ("it's somewhere left of Philly"), reveal that the suicide may instead have been a homicide, more violence ensues as yet another Italian family, the Saracones, is implicated. Moreover, the Saracones seem to have untold wealth with no obvious source. The plot thickens as Mary becomes hounded by followers and injured left and right. A last ditch effort in court to stave off the Saracones selling the "golden goose" is a fitting touch to a suspenseful tale that keeps the pages turning quite smartly! Scottoline has penned a cogent plot -- yet one with funny dialogue and amusing happenings to lighten the tone that might otherwise be set by the dark deeds that unravel as the book unfolds. Judy and Bennie put in just brief cameos, so it's really Mary and her family that carry the whole storyline. That the internment scenario was one borne out of a similar set of circumstances in earlier generations of the author's own family, complete with reproduced copies of their "alien registration" cards, added a sense of history and intensity to the tale. Only some far-fetched actions by lawyer Mary, such as breaking and entering a crime scene, kept us from a 5-star award. All in all, "Smile" is a fine addition to this growing series that readers, both old fans and new, will find most entertaining. Enjoy!
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Summary: Her Father Would Be Proud....
Review: Lisa Scottoline's "Killer Smile" is more than just a suspenseful and engaging mystery with great characterization and plot. It is historically enlightening as we are reminded of the internment camp relocation of over 10,000 Italian-Americans during the outbreak of World War II. But first and foremost- "Killer Smile" is a fantastic mystery. Scottoline's story is compelling and sincere. What is even more touching is that Lisa draws from her own paternal grandparent's experiences for this novel. Her father would have been so proud of this book by his daughter. "Killer Smile" is more than historically engaging, however. It is a mystery that has you turning pages quickly because it is so gripping and suspenseful. I especially loved the thoughts of Mary throughout the book in regard to her feelings toward her family and friends. Some were particularly hilarious and Scottoline is quickly turning into one of my favorite authors.
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Summary: Enjoyable, but not as good as previous Scottoline novels.
Review: Mary DiNunzio is tired of everyone trying to fix her up so she immerses herself into her job. Mary's latest case is a pro bono representation of the Brandolini estate. Amadeo Brandolini came to Philadelphia to start a family and build up a small fishing business. As World War II is about to break, Amadeo was arrested by the FBI as part of an Italian-American interment. Amadeo was sent to a camp in Montana where he eventually committed suicide. Now, sixty years later Amadeo's son hires Mary to sue for reparations. Mary wants to get to the bottom of Amadeo's suicide and in order to do that she must trace the footsteps of his life only to discover new, puzzling questions. Someone does not want Mary to find out the truth and they will do whatever it takes to stop her...even murder. 'Killer Smile' is an enjoyable read but not one that is not on par with Lisa Scottoline's other novels. I found the plot somewhat dull and the secondary characters un-interesting. Scottoline does a nice job of peppering the novel with witty dialogue and there are some suspenseful moments that will genuinely surprise readers, but as a whole the novel just didn't work. Not one of the better Lisa Scottoline novels. Nick Gonnella
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Summary: A good read
Review: Not as good as her earlier ones, but an interesting plot line. Some of it is hard to believe...a lawyer would all these felonious things like breaking and entering, lying to get information, tampering with evidence??? But if you suspend disbelief, it is engaging and keeps you reading to get the outcome.
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Summary: Spunky Lawyer Looks Out for Forgotten Wrongs
Review: Rosato & Associates has one hard-working, dedicated associate in young Mary DiNunzio who has sworn to find a way to collect reparations for the estate of an Italian-American who died in 1942 while in an internment camp. The immigrant, Amadeo Brandolini, owned three fishing boats. What ever happened to the fishing boats after he died in the camp?
Mary's situation is encouraged by having been recently widowed, so she has time on her hands . . . and blind dates to avoid. So when the budget for the Brandolini matter is exhausted, she works on in a dedicated way late into the night.
The case revolves around records, archives and fading memories of the few people who were alive then. Mary couldn't be more determined, even if it were for her own family.
From a few scattered clues, she becomes convinced that the story of Brandolini's death don't make sense. Could it be that there's a greater wrong hidden behind the government's interning hand?
If you love Mary DiNunzio and poking around in old mysteries through documents, you will think this is a fine novel. If neither one appeals to you, look elsewhere. This is a Rosato & Associates book you could skip without harming your understanding of the series.
I graded the book down because there's a little too much Mary to the exclusion of the other characters. The plot is also way too convenient for how the clues keep turning up at just the right time. In a number of places, I felt like the plot development just didn't make sense . . . even after rereading the material to try to find what I had missed. The courtroom ending will remind you of Perry Mason pulling a rabbit out of the hat at the last moment. And, well, I always thought those were pretty far-fetched too.
But how can I grade down a decent lawyer too far who looks out for the downtrodden? You don't find many stories like that in today's fiction.
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Summary: History lesson
Review: Scottoline's legal fiction doesn't usually provide a history lesson but this one does. Based on the experience of her grandparents, it tells the story of an Italian immigrant, branded an emigrant alien in WWII and sent to an internment camp, where he committed suicide after his wife died. The young lawyer in the story, an Italian American from Philly, investigates on behalf of the immigrant's estate, and finds his death wasn't really suicide. He was murdered by a friend who stole his invention for some kind of a hatch for fishing boats that went on to earn millions for the murderer. Mary DeNunzio travels to the internment camp in Montana to investigate the case and returns to Philly with some answers. She is nearly killed by the murderer's family before she has her day in court, with Scottoline providing some riveting courtroom drama to conclude the book. But the highlight is certainly the history angle, the immigrant's story truly profound and Scottoline adept at telling it within the confines of a novel. And plenty of Philly flavor too, which is another highlight.
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