Review of "Corrupted: A Rosato and DiNunzio Mystery" by Lisa Scottoline

In this 3rd book in the 'Rosato and DiNunzio' series, lawyer Bennie Rosato defends a young man she tried to help when he was a child in juvie. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****



Philadelphia attorney Bennie Rosato first met Jason Lefkavick thirteen years ago, when he was a sweet 12-year-old boy. Jason had lashed out at a middle school bully named Richie Grusini, who was calling Jason's deceased mother names. The resulting fight landed both boys in juvenile hall, and Jason was sentenced to several months in juvie jail.



Jason's father Matthew hired Bennie to try to get Jason out sooner.

Bennie discovered that Jason and his dad were manipulated into giving up Jason's right to consult an attorney before he pled guilty. Thus Bennie entered an appeal for Jason, which appeared likely to succeed. However, it would take longer than Bennie had hoped.



In the meantime Bennie started dating the bully's uncle, a good-looking state trooper named Declan Mitchell. Bennie and Declan were soon smitten with one another, and Bennie had to give up Jason's case. As a result, Jason's appeal was aborted and - after serving his sentence - Jason emerged from juvie angry and disillusioned. In the end, Jason's entire childhood was blighted.



A subsequent exposé revealed corruption among juvenile court judges. Some of them - including Jason's - were 'on the payroll' of private detention facilities, and were sentencing kids to jail for the tiniest infractions. Unfortunately, this scandal broke too late to help young Jason.



Jump to the present and Jason, now a 25-year-old man, is accused of murdering his old enemy Richie Grusini. There's a LOT of evidence against Jason, but he claims he was framed. So Bennie, who feels like she failed Jason when he was a kid, takes the case. Bennie gets some assistance from the employees of her law firm, Rosato and DeNunuzio, especially the firm's investigator Lou.

The fact that Bennie is representing Jason upsets Richie's uncle Declan, who's now a lawyer. Declan doesn't want Bennie to use her formidable skills to get Jason off.



So - though Declan hasn't seen Bennie in over a decade - he comes to her house and implores her to drop the case. Of course Bennie refuses, despite the fact she still has feelings for Declan. (In my opinion Bennie is way too soppy about Declan and mentions his very handsome face a few too many times. 🙄)

Jason's case goes to court, and the jousting between Bennie and the prosecuting attorney is a highlight of the book. Though Jason seems reluctant to participate in his own defense, the truth eventually comes out.



In the course of the story we learn a bit about Bennie's past, and see more of her personality - which is tough, but caring and concerned. The book also points up an inherent problem of private prisons, which garner the most profit from holding the maximum number of prisoners - a factor that could put pressure on the justice system.

I think the dual timelines of the story work well, and I'd recommend the book to fans of legal mysteries. 

Rating: 3 stars