Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Corrupted at Killer Nashville's associate, Amazon.com*
Lisa Scottoline
Credit April Narby
Best-selling author Lisa Scottoline offers another compelling read in Corrupted, the next book in her re-launched Rosato and DiNunzio series. The now-adult Jason Lefkavick is being charged for the murder of the bully that caused him to be sent to a juvenile detention center as a child, a case that has haunted Bennie Rosato for thirteen years. The novel echoes the real life “Kids for Cash” scandal in Pennsylvania, in which thousands of children were jailed by corrupt judges.
Scottoline makes the story her own by focusing on Bennie, who thought she had put that case behind her. Bennie is not sure of Jason's innocence, but feels she owes him for her failure to win his case years ago. There are personal complications, as well as legal ones, which makes the story even more compelling.
This novel is more than just a legal thriller. Scottoline explores themes of ethics, legality, and morality. As readers, we are appalled at the injustice that resulted in the incarceration of the young Jason, and find ourselves cheering Bennie on as she struggles to find a just resolution. The novel has many twists and turns thatkeep the reader flipping pages to the very end.
Along the way, Scottoline presents fascinating knowledge about the legal system, but it is deftly done. She avoids the pitfalls of too much information, giving us just enough to bring the starkness of Juvenile Justice and the intricacies of a murder trial to life.
Corrupted offers a treat for fans of Scottoline’s Rosato and DiNunzio series. But it can also be read as a stand-alone novel for readers new to the series, or to Scottoline’s other works.
Kelly Saderholm has written, blogged, and lectured about aspects of the mystery novel. She has moderated panels and presented papers at literary conferences, on both the Mystery Novel and Urban Fantasy. She is currently shifting from writing about mystery fiction to writing actual mystery fiction, and is working on a novel, as well as a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.
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