REVIEW: CORRUPTED, BY LISA SCOTTOLINE

 

 

When a former client, Jason Lefkavich, is arrested for the murder of his childhood nemesis, Richie Grusini, and asks Benny Rosato to represent him, she feels the past rising up again. She knows she has to do it, however, because she owes him for what happened thirteen years ago.

Back in 2002, Benny took on the case of Jason as a juvenile detained in upstate Pennsylvania. Wrongly detained, in Benny’s opinion, as the twelve-year-old had reacted to bullying by pushing his aggressor, Richie Grusini, but the judge took a tough stance.

As Benny narrates the tale for us, we are back in that world of injustice, frustration, and strangely enough, true love. For Benny has fallen for a handsome State trooper named Declan Mitchell. But there is one problem. Declan is Richie’s uncle.

Corrupted is a wonderful story that I could not stop reading, even though it meant turning those pages for most of the night. I loved trying to figure out what Benny would do next when her client’s case seemed increasingly hopeless. What rabbit would she pull out of a hat next? And would a sudden unexpected discovery near the end turn things around finally? And what would seeing Declan again after all these years mean in her life? Could they turn back the clock and start again?

I have always enjoyed the Rosato & DiNunzio series, and each book focuses on a different staff member. They seem like real people that I would enjoy spending time with. Set in Philadelphia primarily, I feel as though I have come to know that city. 5 stars.

***An e-ARC was provided to me from the publisher via NetGalley.