Damaged: A Novel (A Rosato & DiNunzio Novel)
By: Lisa Scottoline
Rating: 4 of 5
This is the second book in this series I have read (though I have read other books by Lisa Scottoline as well.) I am getting the drift that in each of these book, Ms. Scottoline focuses on one of the two partners in this law firm and picks a social issue to focus on as well. In this story, we follow Mary DiNunzio as she takes on the needs of a special education child who is not getting the attention he requires and the education assistance he should receive.
Patrick O’Brien is a ten year old with diagnosed dyslexia. He is picked on and made fun of at school not only by other children but, shockingly, by the adults who should be helping him. His grandfather, Edward, is compelled at last to find an attorney to help Patrick and, with that one move towards assistance, sets into motion the events of this legal procedural, action book.
Mary is the attorney that Edwards finds. Mary is getting ready for her marriage to Anthony. I haven’t read the books that bring these two together but, during the course of most of this story, I wondered at how two individuals with such different agendas found their way together. For most of the book, Anthony is off in California and has little to say or do to progress the story.
The book got a little deep into the minutiae of family court child custody hearings. While the custody hearing was important to the progression of the story, the detail was a tad too much and started to wear at my attention a bit. Once done, the story picked back up and gained in momentum through the end. While I think the ending was wrapped up a tiny too bit too happily, I was willing to suspend my slight disbelief and enjoy it.
All in all, I enjoyed the story and will enjoy reading more in this series in the future. As someone who is fairly new to the series and who is just figuring out the overall story progresses, I find the books to be interesting legal procedural and social issues novels.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
