Betrayed

September 22, 2014
When Iris Juarez, an undocumented immigrant, turns up dead in her car in bestseller Scottoline’s rewarding 13th Rosato & Associates novel (after 2013’s Accused), lawyer Judy Carrier winds up investigating, since Iris was the best friend of Judy’s cancer-stricken aunt, Barb. Meanwhile, both Judy’s personal and professional life explode: her boss orders her to take on a series of dubiously ethical asbestos cases, and her boyfriend, Frank Lucia, proposes just as Judy prepares to break up with him. Judy is a sympathetic protagonist—passionate about her job, loyal to her family, and dogged in her pursuit of justice—which makes her struggle to reconcile her ideals of justice with the realities of working at a big Philadelphia law firm particularly compelling. While Scottoline does a good job of balancing the various elements of Judy’s life, the novel feels like a small part of a much larger story, leaving the mystery with an unfinished quality. Author tour. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency.

Maria Bello narrates as if she's preparing for a fight. Her delivery is not at odds with a plot that focuses on hardworking women, but it takes some adjusting to. The second book in Scottoline's DiNunzio & Rosato series concentrates on Judy Carrier, a young, principled lawyer at the all-female law firm. When Judy is summoned to a family emergency, she meets Iris, an undocumented Mexican worker. Within hours, Iris is dead, seemingly of natural causes, but Judy has doubts. Bello is excellent in her portrayal of the numerous Mexicans Judy interviews in her quest for answers, at the same time dealing with the illness of a beloved aunt. At times, BETRAYED seems more family drama than thriller, but Bello battles onward to a satisfying conclusion. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

April 1, 2015

Rosato and DiNunzio associate Judy Carrier is embroiled in multiple dramas and feeling anxious in all aspects of her life--she's frustrated with her boyfriend, Frank; her aunt's breast cancer diagnosis brings Judy's estranged mother to town; and she's wrongfully accused of misconduct in her current case. As Judy works to solve the murder of her aunt's best friend Iris Suarez, an undocumented immigrant who may have been involved in a Mexican drug cartel, the plots move quickly, although not always in sync, and at times it feels as though too much is going on at once. Nonetheless, Scottoline writes familiar characters who are well developed, fun, and interesting. The audio performance by Maria Bello is average and not of the same caliber as long-time Scottoline readers Kate Burton and Barbara Rosenblat. Bello's performance is often stilted, and her pronunciation of certain words, especially Spanish words, can detract from the narrative. VERDICT Fans of Scottoline's and of like-minded authors such as Tess Gerritsen, J.A. Jance, and Iris Johansen will enjoy this work.--Nicole A. Cooke, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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