Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Legal
In Feared, Mary DiNunzio’s ruthless nemesis, lawyer Nick Machiavelli, comes back with a vengeance. Machiavelli aggressively strikes close to the DiNunzio household, attacking Mary’s father and one of their beloved family friends by filing a lawsuit that accuses them of embezzling from the treasury of a local South Philly social club to which they belong. The lawsuit is frivolous, but Machiavelli ups the ante by spreading rumors that support its allegations, muddying the reputation of Mary's father.
The claims shake the DiNunzio clan to its foundations, threatening her father's weakening heart, and Mary steps in to fight back. But Machiavelli is a more than worthy adversary. Then the unthinkable happens, and Mary goes to her own dark side, finding a part of herself that makes her more fearsome than ever before. Is it still a battle between good and evil, when good turns evil? And will Mary be able to find herself, before she loses her soul completely?
Lisa Scottoline's Feared is the Sixth installment in the authors Rosato & DiNunzio series. This is a series that I first started reading when it was called Rosato & Associates. That series reached (11) books before the series changed. Why? Because Mary DiNunzio, the protagonist for this story, was made partner by Bennie Rosato the senior member of the firm. What has changed? Nothing. Not the characters. Not the humor. Not the family dynamics. (Of course I am going to love Mary's family since we are both Italian).
Not the friendships between Mary, Bennie, Anne, and Judy. I love the secondary characters; Anne Murphy, Judy Carrier, Lou Jacobs and Marshal Trow are important cogs to the law firm and it wouldn't be the same without them around. Unfortunately, I have no clue when Judy became full partner since I requested and haven't yet read books 2-5. I'll change that soon! Bennie and Mary have regularly called Rosato & DiNunzio a female law firm. That particular saying has implications in this book.
When three men announce
that they intend to sue the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm for reverse sex
discrimination—claiming that they were not hired because they were
men—Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato are outraged. To make matters worse,
their one male employee, John Foxman, intends to resign, claiming that
there is some truth to this case. The plaintiffs’ lawyer
is Nick Machiavelli, who has already lost to Mary once and is now back
with a vengeance —determined not to not only win, but destroy the firm.
Nick
puts the firm through so much nonsense just because he is a sore loser. Sorry not
sorry for that particular spoiler. But, it's 100% accurate. It soon becomes clear that Nick will do anything in his power to
achieve his end…even after the case turns deadly. The stakes have never
been higher for Mary and her associates as they try to keep Machiavelli
at bay, solve a murder, save the law firm they love, and win a huge case that could make or break the law firm. With so much at stake, they could win big, or lose everything they’ve worked for.
Told with Scottoline's trademark
gift for twists, turns, heart, and humanity, this latest thriller asks
the question: Is it better to be loved, or feared... The loved or feared aspect of the story is really between two characters: Nick and Mary. Mary is loved by everyone because she has such a huge heart and is willing to take on cases that may seem laughable to anyone else. Mary battles with both Machiavelli and her own pregnancy and her idea of what she will do in the future now that she is expecting her own child.
Will she continue to be a lawyer, or will she step away and focus on building her own family. Feared, well I already explained what a douche-canoe Nick is. This is a series that has always been set in and around Philadelphia. It is unique, and realistic, and she gets the family dynamics correct. It is the author's trademark that she knows her neighborhoods, and especially the Italians who live in South Philly. I absolutely adore Mary's family, and their extended family as well. One of the dynamics that makes this a must read for me.
Oooo Lisa Scottoline. I grab any of her books when I see them. They never let me down. Sounds like this is another good one. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental