Customer Reviews

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3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Here is another fascinating book by Lisa Scottoline which kept me glued to every word from beginning to end. Mary DiNunzio, a lawyer with Rosatto & Associates law firm represents the interests of a client, Amadeo Brandolini, who had died in 1942. The more she investigates his past, the more she learns about a little known historical/political event when Italian immigrants were interred in a camp during World War II to protect the US from potential harm. Mary becomes obsessessed with learning the truth of how he died and about a piece of paper she discovered in his wallet which she surmised was very valuable. It had circles and something else on it. Everyone to whom she showed it believed it was merely doodles but... her hunch was it had to be very important or else why was it folded carefully in his wallet? The more she dug, the more she wanted to learn the truth. The facts were he was Italian and Catholic and unlikely to commit suicide, this knowledge gnawed at her.

Mary's need to know led her to the internment camp in Montana, where she searched for people to interview who might have known Amadeo Brandolini. She went to the cemetery where he was buried and went to the site where he allegedly committed suicide. Several clues of what she learned there haunted her ... It is totally amazing how Lisa Scottoline ties together the clues and discoveries as Mary DiNunzio is provided hints and gradually puts the pieces of the puzzle together. The reader is fascinated with the life of Amadeo Brandolino, a simple fisherman from Italy who came to the US to build a better life for himself and his wife Theresa. After Mary returns, she believes she is being followed by a black car ... the lawyer who hired her to investigate Brandolini's estate had removed her from the case before her trip (although she persisted investigating on her own) and is found dead in his office. She learns Amadeo's best friend in the camp ... is still alive and a very wealthy elderly Italian man, who also was from Philadelphia and lives in a rich suburban home. Under false pretext she visits him and exchanges a few words ... only to be struck in the face and spit on by his son. The ingenius methods by which Mary DiNunzio achieves her goals are worth discovering. With amazing twists and turns in the plot, the reader is taken for a wonderful reading experience. This reader is totally captivated by the dazzling writing style and talents of Lisa Scottoline.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)

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.

Lisa Scottoline's 2004 legal thriller is as much about history as it is about personal danger in pursuit of justice. Mary DiNunzio is a young lawyer at the all-female firm of Rosato and Associates embarking on a pro bono case to sue the U.S. government for reparations on behalf of the estate an Italian-American who committed suicide in 1942 while at a internment camp in Montana. Wading through documents, Mary uncovers a lead that suggests perhaps Amadeo's death was not as simple as previously thought. Her persistent sleuthing puts her and others' lives in danger, and, as she gets closer to the truth, the stakes become obviously more modern day than historical.

After an awkward start and all-too-obvious false suspense, this novel picks up as Mary starts to understand the history of the Italian-American persecution during World War II and meets the characters both peripheral and pertinent to her case. The strength of this novel lies not in the suspense (which is decent but not page-turning) but in the unfolding of history as it relates to the present; to Scottoline's credit, these historical details are revealed through the experiences and voices of her characters, not through preachy passages. The characterizations are mostly memorable, although the characters that talk in all capital letters can be annoying, and the premise is a poignant one. Scottoline uses the setting of Philadelphia well, making it impossible for this thriller to be set elsewhere. Unfortunately, Scottoline's attempt to make history come alive in present-day Philadelphia results in forced plot turns and unneeded peril. The final revelation and its implications, however, rescue the rest.

Despite some clumsy writing and a premise that is more historical and sociological than by-your-throat suspenseful, KILLER SMILE is an entertaining read. Readers looking for high adrenaline levels will likely be disappointed, as will be those expecting a thorough look at American internment issues. This legal thriller is a light mix of suspense and history, a pleasant enough way to spend a few hours.

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.

I've read other books by this author before and thought that this one would be a quick and fun read, which it was. It was not spellbinding and I certainly didn't feel the need to get up and read the book at every chance I got. It was a cute story, but had many predictable elements. The main character is often times so goofy that you just want her to wake up and enter the real world. The plot elements are also very predictable - making the book unappealing for mystery readers who enjoy interesting and unique plot turns.

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.

I have read all of Lisa Scottoline's books and naturally was looking forward to this one. Usually I can't put them down, but this one (although the historical background is interesting) is VERY slow moving to me. I pick it up and just as easily put it down. I think the narrative could have been told in few pages and maybe the effect would have been the production of a better book. I will keep reading her stories, but would not highly recommend this one especially to an individual who has never read one of her books before.

This is the first time I read a book by Lisa Scottoline. The story is very interesting about a lawyer obsessed with a murder case in the past.
However, I found it very unreal to have a practicing lawyer who would break the law to remove evidence from a crime scene, and so easily trust some reporter and spill her guts.

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!

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