He kills Angelo at the local pigeon club, and when the police arrive at his house, he knows they have come to arrest him.

Judy Carrier is an associate in the all-female Philadelphia law firm of Rosato & Associates. The father of her best friend Mary DiNunzio (who’s on leave after being shot and critically wounded) enlists Judy’s assistance for Pigeon Tony. Even though Judy contends that she cannot take a criminal case and her boss, Bennie Rosato, insists that her current load of civil cases does not permit her to undertake a criminal defense, Judy finds herself gradually persuaded by his friends and his handsome grandson to defend the elderly man.

Judy’s initial reluctance to undertake Pigeon Tony’s defense is overcome when she learns the details of his past. This is a man who never received justice for the wrongs done him. She may be his only chance.

Because the killer is known from the very first sentence, The Vendetta Defense is not a whodunit. And with one of the most sympathetic killers (Tony adamantly denies he’s a murderer) in fiction, it’s more a how-she’s-gonna-get-him-off kind of mystery.

Over the course of the book, two plot lines are developed: first, the history of Pigeon Tony and Angelo Coluzzi from their youth in Fascist Italy continuing on through their years in South Philadelphia until the climactic moment of Angelo’s death; second, the progress of Pigeon Tony’s defense and the events that threaten the case as well as their lives.

Lisa Scottoline’s mysteries/legal thrillers are set in Philadelphia, particularly in the Italian area of South Philadelphia. Hers are among those books where the setting is crucial to the tone, and it would be impossible to relocate them without significant changes. I’m quite familiar with the Greater Philadelphia area and easily found myself mentally traveling along with Judy on Philadelphia streets and into the nearby Chester County countryside.

A lawyer herself, Ms. Scottoline’s lead characters are mainly lawyers. In most of her books, these characters are associated with Rosato & Associates. Although these books are connected, it’s not vital that readers have read previous books to understand or appreciate later ones. (In fact, I’ve read some of them out of order and never felt lost.)

In the eight years since her first book was published, Lisa Scottoline has gone from obscurity in paperback format to best-seller status in hardback. In my opinion, her writing has improved over time, and her latest is her best. Readers who have already discovered her well-crafted mysteries will not want to miss The Vendetta Defense. Those who have yet to read one of hers will find this a good place to start - they’re sure to be seeking out her backlist soon.

--Lesley Dunlap