Blood Money [Kindle Edition]

Laura Rizio (Author)

Book Description

Nick Ceratto, a young, cracker jack litigator looking for a partnership in the prestigious Philadelphia law firm of Maglio, Silvio, and Levin discovers his firm's dark seceret for increasing it's bottom line while preparing a medical malpractice case for trial.The partners are setting up major cases by seriously injuring and even murdering their clients to produce huge jury awards. When the firm discovers he knows, Nick's only hope is to stay one step ahead of the hitman long enough to intentionally lose his case and expose the firm's corruption. As his mission careens towards an explosive climax, the only question left, is whose lives will be sacrificed along the way.


BLOOD MONEY is a classic examination of the duality of the American justice system, it's strengths and weaknesses, and the interplay between it and raw ambition.


BLOOD MONEY is a disturbing depiction of a system gone wrong, and the one time golden boy who is finally able to understand the bigger picture and remember the oath taken and his dream that was once so clear.


REVIEWS:

"For anyone who already dislikes lawyers, Blood Money will feed your disdain. It's an insider's view of how the law is played as a dirty business, and how nothing -- least of all, the law itself -- will stop the "worst of the worst" players from getting their way." ~ E.J. Beard, 5-Stars


"I must recommend to you Blood Money (an apt title), an excellent book, a real thriller. I just finished the book. Actually I just started it, and then finished it in record time because I could not put it down." ~ Rick Pickwick, 5-Stars

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Laura Rizio's BLOOD MONEY is an amazing legal thriller! Her writing is sharp, realistic, and the story is absolutely compelling, one that leaves you thinking about the U.S. legal system long after you've had the pleasure of reading. " ~ The Kindle Book Review

"In her exciting debut, personal injury attorney, Rizio, crafts a legal thriller with compelling characters and tense action that more than compensate for a familiar premise. An appealing tart cynicism haunts the novel's scenes. For a debut, Rizio's novel is remarkably accomplished. An entertaining thriller full of clever touches, whose characters and tone enliven an overworked genre." ~ Rebecca Cramer Kirkus Indie--Kirkus LLC

Kirkus Reviews has named BLOOD MONEY one of the 100 BEST BOOKS of 2012.

From the Author

This book, although fictional, attempts to examine the duality of the American Justice system, it's strengths and weaknesses, and the interplay between it and raw ambition. It attempts to demonstrate the unpredictability of juries and the fact that you win cases you are supposed to lose and lose cases that you are supposed to win. The courtroom becomes a casino and justice a myth.
My novel BLOOD MONEY is admittedly cynical---a disturbing depiction of a system gone wrong and a young man's determination to fix it. Although Nick Ceratto is flawed like the rest of us, and greedy like most of us, he is finally able to understand the bigger picture and remember the oath taken and the dream which was once so clear.
I hope that you enjoy the journey and that you come away wiser for the read.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 925 KB
• Print Length: 338 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1453618708
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004TTX0KK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,472 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Took a strange twist May 19, 2012

By Mom to 6

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought the book was pretty good for the first half. Then all sorts of unbelievable things began to happen. SPOILER: WAY too many people die. Nobody seems to get the obvious connections between the deaths. A young girl takes out a hired assassin not once, but twice. And the assassin...he's invincible...until he meets the young girl. He clears an entire airport of all taxi's and outside personnel just by telling them all flights have been canceled, and they believe him! The relationship between Nick and Grace makes NO sense at all. The judge who was up for the Supreme Court "suddenly" goes crazy in the middle of the trial. SO many crazy things happened it was laughable. I felt like the author got tired of putting effort into developing the story and just tried to finish it with a bang.

49 of 56 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Sorry-can't get past the grammatical flaws July 20, 2012

By Proud to Stand for Science

Format:Kindle Edition

I should have known before ordering - simply by reading the online book description, presumably prepared by the author or publisher, wherein it referred to the bank and "it's bottom line." What was called for was the possessive its, not the contraction for it is.

And so it goes throughout the book. Yes, it looks like there is a glimmer of an engaging plot and some real characters there...but I simply could not get through the inept use of language here.

A shame. Lesson for the author, and authors everywhere: get yourself a diligent editor!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! September 30, 2012

By Phoenix

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a great surprise. This book was offered for free and I snatched it up. It was everthing and more than I expected. The characters were likeable, the plot was twisted, and the story was exciting. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. A legal thriller for sure - that is one of the best I have ever read. I loved this book. I enjoyed how the story builds to the exciting ending and then is wrapped up in a neat package. No loose ends here. I HIGHLY recommend this book and only wish this author had more writings to read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money January 1, 2013

By ann

Format:Kindle Edition

Story is disconnected. Plot jumps from this to that. Author needed to focus on transitioning cleanly.

To be honest - I never finished the book. It was just too painful.

By the way - it's the trachea that delivers air to the lungs - not the esophagus!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story March 26, 2012

By Carla J. F. L.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Pretty standard "legal thriller" fare, with an interesting twist for someone like me who works in this exact environment (but on a smaller scale.) The story was fast-paced, and an easy read ... and hopefully something that will never actually happen, although we all know the desperate extremes to which some people will go for money.

It won't keep you up all night, but you probably will want to know how it all turns out.

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Vulgar June 2, 2012

By Justine Perez

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Forced myself to finish this book. Very foul, vulgar writing. Poor story line, jumped all around. Kept hoping I would get better. The only reason I finished it is my OCD of not completing a task. Would not recommend at all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Play the game, rig the game July 25, 2012

By Clytie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Like another interesting legal thriller I read recently (Game of Proof, based in England), this book shows lawyers as conscious players in a game. Justice is a myth, and their job is all about winning the game. It's not about who is innocent or guilty, not even about finding the truth. Indeed, the truth can be quite embarrassing.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Cheating and manipulation as shown in the Game of Proof series are amped up to widespread social corruption in Blood Money. What if you could not only rig the legal system, but provide its victims?

What if, despite your solemn public oaths, you were willing to bribe, intimidate and murder any number of people simply to enrich yourself? Where does it end?

I particularly like the tension in this book between characters' self-interest and personal greed, and their belief in justice. It's not as simple as being a "good" or "bad" person. Everyone has their view of what is "right", and for many in this book, it's "right" that they get richer, and they really don't care on whom they're stepping to get there. However, each character has his or her personal loyalties, which are all they have left when their society fails to assure justice. Will those personal connections save you or get you killed?

Even the contract killer sees what he's doing as "right" and fitting. He takes pride in his work. It might be a "pity" when he has to kill an attractive woman, but hey, what's another body? He has no problem murdering children, and positively enjoys manipulating people and situations. Why not? He wants the power fix, and the money. He's the sharp end of a "justice" system rigged by the greedy. You will be manipulated by money, patronage, sex, intimidation, lawsuits and murder, in that order. Toe the line or die....

In this book, there are very few people willing to put in their time and effort, and risk losing their livelihood and actual lives, purely for justice. Even with the intervention of two of them, the court case ends up crushing the life of an innocent man. The only hope offered by the book is to get away from urban society.

Human society can do much better than what I sincerely hope is not an accurate contemporary depiction in this book. We need to focus at least as much on what we can contribute to our community, as on what we can take out of it. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put this book down! July 9, 2012

By Zoe Varaso

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Spent the weekend at the beach and needed a suspenseful and thrilling book and boy did I find this in, Laura Rizio's "Blood Money". Fantastic story line based out of Philadelphia, my home town, was quite the bonus. Finished this book over the weekend and I find myself wanting more, I can't wait for the sequel! A great friend of mine recommended this book to me and I am so pleased she did!

More About the Author

Laura Rizio is a litigation attorney with the firm of Rizio,Hamilton& Kane which she co founded with her husband in 1978. She practices law in Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and the Dickinson School of Law.
Prior to her working in her present firm, she was an Assistant District Attorney under Arlen Specter and later became a litigation attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Comission trying sex and race discrimination cases.She,along with other members of her team at the EEOC helped bring about a large settlement against Phillip Morris in a failure to hire and promote case.
Currently she represents severly injured plaintiffs who are victims of auto accidents,building collapse, fire, slip and fall in and on premises, and dangerous products as well as medical malpractice.