Rating: 
Summary: Swift and entertaining
Review: The Vendetta Defense sets itself apart from generic courtroom thrillers with Lisa Scottoline's snappy dialogues and vivid characterization. No less intriguing is the the plot that revolves around hot-shot lawyer Judy Carrier stumbling onto a murder case in which Tony Lucia - an octogenarian particularly fond of pigeons - kills the influential Angelo Coluzzi out of vengeance. The read vacillates to expound on Tony's hatred towards Coluzzi. Not only did he perniciously murdered Tony's wife Silvana but claimed the lives of his son and daughter-in-law in an automobile sabotage. Lisa Scottoline shrewdly creates empathy for the defendant and then jolts us with provocative questions as to seek balance between compassion and justice. The last few pages fly by electrifyingly with Judy's twisting the evidence and solid arguments. Equally captivating is the scope on Italians' culture in Philadephia who integrates in the frenetic pacing of the novel to bring out texture beside the galvanizing action. The Vendetta Defense moves swiftly with its colorful ensemble of characters - and judiciously uses the procedural to excite and thrill.
Rating:
Summary: A Family Feud
Review: Judy Carrier has always conducted her legal career according to the book - working long hours, spending time writing and researching antitrust law, checking in with her boss Bennie at regular intervals. Her only rebellion has been a refusal to wear the standard navy suit. Judy's world gets turned upside down, however, when her best friend's father asks her to defend his friend, Anthony Lucia, known throughout their South Philadelphia neighborhood as 'Pigeon Tony,' who is on trial for the murder of Angelo Coluzzi. When Judy first meets Pigeon Tony, she is taken in by his charm -- and his handsome grandson is an extra attraction. Judy isn't prepared to hear the lawyer's least favorite words -- a confession that Tony did, in fact, commit the crime for which he is on trial. Knowing that Tony committed the crime, Judy is facing a tough trial. She discovers a generations-old family feud that has spanned two continents. But can this feud help to defend Pigeon Tony? And what will in mean for Judy's developing relationship with his grandson? This action-packed novel is another success by Philadelphia writer Lisa Scottoline, and it will be enjoyed by all fans of courtroom drama.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced tale of revenge, regret and family
Review: Philadelphia lawyer Judy Carrier takes on the case of "Pigeon Tony" a self-confessed murderer of Angelo Coluzzi, another octagenarian Italian-American with whom he has had a "vendetta" for 60 years. This story is an interesting look at the culture of the Italian families in Philadelphia and their history and culture, particularly the acknowledged requirement to avenge wrongs from the past. Through flashbacks, we relieve Tony's experience as a 17 year old farmer in Italy, his meeting with his wife, his bullying by Coluzzi...P>There are interesting characters and a love interest for Judy. I enjoyed Tony's logic and flashbacks and even didnt mind the broken English. Much of the action took place before Tony's trial for murder, so I would categorize this book as more a legal procedural than a courtroom thriller. The ending was interesting: some reviewers here don't think it was believable but I can see how a jury could make the same choice. A very entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Back on Track
Review: The last of Lisa Scottoline's novels which I read, "Rough Justice", was a big disappointment because its plot and her characters' actions defied the laws of nature and common sense. In "The Vendetta Defense" Ms. Scottoline, has taken full advantage of her literary license to develop an intriguing plot, with interesting, three dimensional characters, without resorting to the tactics which marred "Rough Justice". As an added bonus, the novel raises thought provoking questions about the meaning of justice and revenge. As usual the novel is a page turner and reflects Ms. Scottoline's gifts as a storyteller and her witticism. Without question, the best of her novels I have read so far.
Rating: 
Summary: UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!
Review: I have read all the Scottoline books up until this one. I Think this one is the most unbelieveable of any I have read. It is very hard to discuss the book and not give away the ending. Judy Carrier is trying to get the jury to believe Anthony "Pigeon Tony" Lucia did not kill Angelo Coluzzi. This is after Pigeon Tony admits he did kill him. Go figure. The Coluzzi family trys to get to Judy and attempts to kill Pigeon Tony. The book will hold you attention, I give it that. It is also very funny in places. The names are great, such a Pigeon Tony, Tony From Down the Block and Tony Two Feet. This is so people won't get the Tonys mixed up. I did not like the flashbacks that Pigeon Tony had, supposed to make you know why he felt like he did but I thought they were way to long. Would like to tell you what I thought was so unbelieveabe but would give away the ending to do that. Part of the book was very good but the flashbacks and the ending was a downer for me.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing--not one of her best
Review: I have read ALL of her books. Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. This book started slow and I almost gave up on it. To be honest, a vendetta between two old Italian men is not what I want to read about. This novel has a lot of flashbacks to the vendetta story, regarding past injuries and injustices and the current situation involving the killing of one of the protagonists. I gave this book a chance because I wanted to read a story with Judy Carrier as the main character. If you've read any of the author's previous works, you know who Judy is. In this book, we learn a little more--particularly about her work ethic. Judy seems to work more hours than there are in one day. She works almost exclusively on this one case and she's not getting paid for it although she racks up some pretty hefty expenses. There are a lot of loose ends here and a lot of items introduced but, never explained. For example, there is a character named Murphy in Judy's office mentioned a couple of times as a "sidebar" and then the conflict between the two characters is never mentioned again. The only character we really learn a lot about is Pigeon Tony. I mention that because that's what I really missed the most in this book--the strong characterizations from her previous works. This is still an interesting read. She's a good writer and there's lot of action here but, just not one of this author's best.
Rating:
Summary: Great characters, flawed story
Review: This is a terrific read and the characters are so well defined that you really can picture them. Makes me wish I were part of a big, extended Italian family. My complaint involves the murder charge and death penalty case brought against Pigeon Tony. As a longtime court/crime reporter I found this utterly implausible giving the circumstances of the crime ' maybe anywhere but Texas. I simply could not suspend my disbelievability around the charge and that nagged at me the entire book. I cannot imagine a prosecutor zealously pursuing such a flimsy case against an old man, let alone pursuing the death penalty. In fact, I can't imagine first-degree murder and the death penalty being on the table for anyone under similar circumstances, a hand-to-hand fight, save perhaps for a professional boxer. I can't go into more detail without giving away parts of the story, and overall I liked the story very much and recommend it. I just feel that too many crime writers today are building cases on evidence that is full of holes for readers with experience in the criminal justice system ' for that matter, people who watch Court TV and other programs that offer insight. When stories are set in real cities, with real locations and reference real events as past history, I don't feel I should have to suspend my disbelievability. I ought to be able to believe that the situation created really could happen. And I simply don't believe that this one could.
Rating:
Summary: Pigeon Readers
Review: Judy Carrier, a blonde law review member of Bennie Rosato's all woman law firm, takes the case of Pigeon Tony Lucia, a 79-year-old South Philly guy who killed his life long enemy Angelo Coluzzi. Unfortunately, everything is overdone, especially Judy's independent investigations in the face of Coluzzi family reprisals. A cast of ethnic characters, Tony Two Feet, Tony from down the block, friend Mary DiNunzio's parents and Coluzzi's gofer Fat Jimmy Belloo and his ex-wife Maureen, add some spice to the story. The trial is ridiculous with some obvious miscues by either author or reader (I'm reviewing the unabridged audio version) on what objecton was waged by whom. Judy out maneuvers an obnoxious prosecutor, but Pigeon Tony insists on speaking his piece and things get complicated. In the end Judy and Tony's hunk of a grandson Frank resume the romance that started on the case, but Lisa Scottoline will have to find someone else to buy the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: A little bit annoying
Review: Seventy-nine-year-old 'Pigeon Tony' Lucia is accused of murdering Angelo Carluzzi. Lawyer Judy Carrier is tired of working with torts and contracts that she wants to try something new. Pigeon Tony is a friend of someone very close to Judy that she is willing to work pro bono for him. Pigeon Tony admits to killing Carluzzi but not of murdering him. He was working on a sixty-year-old vendetta against Carluzzi whom he blames for killing his wife and daughter. The story relies too much on flashback and after a while you get tired of reading about it. There is also a family feud between the Lucias and the Carluzzis that make the Hatfields and McCoys seem tame in comparison. It is fairly obvious what the outcome of the trial will be. There is some humor in the novel, which did not do much for me. The only other novel I read by Scottoline was MISTAKEN IDENTITY. I thought this was a better novel and I strongly recommend it. I also suggest LEGAL BRIEFS, a mystery anthology. It has a Lisa Scottoline short story that I just found hysterical. I might not like this novel but I still like her work.
Rating: 
Summary: Her Best Yet -- Humorous, Suspenseful, Satisfying
Review: Yet another of the (Ms.) Bennie Rosato law firm associates is our leading lady in Scottoline's latest and greatest -- namely Judy Carrier, Mary DeNunzio's best friend (Mary herself on "sick leave" recovering from bullet wounds suffered in Rough Justice...). The premise here is that Tony Lucia ("Pigeon Tony", from his expertise with homing pigeon racing), on trial for murdering a life-long rival, Angelo Coluzzi, admits to the "killing" but not to the "murder". Will the jury buy that fine line -- that somehow this death was justifiable given that Coluzzi killed Pigeon Tony's wife decades ago in Fascist Italy, and killed his son and daughter-in-law in a fake auto accident here in America, where the two families immigrated to none other than Scottoline's latest stomping ground, South Philly. In the process of unfolding that story line, we get some obviously well researched description of Italy in the Mussolini era, rich with imagery and character development (eventually respun for the jury's benefit as well...). We get glimpses of life in the Italian "sector" of South Philly, using Judy's stream of consciousness to make it fun as opposed to stereotypical, with Pigeon Tony's handsome grandson thrown in to (finally!) give Judy a little welcome sex life, only adding to the character development and good time had by all. Lastly, Bennie herself adds a little to the courtroom machinations, to liven up a case that looks winnable until Pigeon Tony insists he wants to "talk to the judge" (testify). That's why I like this book a lot -- it's a really good mix of writing ingredients, from a compelling story that you want to come out a certain way, to really good characterizations of people easy to like, with plenty of suspense and humor thrown in to really entertain throughout. I was also pleased that some of the lapses into very implausible action (lawyers tailing criminal's cars, or fighting against their own clients) that characterized some of the earlier works in this series was finally absent from the book at hand. Lastly, I keep hearing (I guess from the publisher's blurbs) that Lisa's books are being used for classroom debate, and I suspect this one will as well, if the legal "mores" angle interests you. So -- sounds like a little something for everybody all wrapped up in one "5-star" addition to the genre. Watch out, John !
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