Killer Smile audiobook

I'm not sure how I missed this book when it was originally published, but I recently found it and I am glad I read it. I would give the book 5 stars for style and fun, but only 2-3 stars for realism. It was fun to read, but a lawyer like Mary would probably last about 3 minutes in a real court room. Forgive the book for not being believable, but enjoy it for the kick butt attitude.

I learned that Italian Americans were also interned in the US during WW2. Action was a bit far fetched for my imagination of what a lawyer would do by herself.

Jumped into the middle of the series but this was grounded enough I wasn't lost. Voice for days. Loved it and a bonus I always like to find in pleasure reads, insights in a historical event, the tracking and interment of Italian Americans during WWII.

Being a fan, I have read all the previous novels and found this to be one of the best. Mary is a reluctant heroine and acquits herself admirably. Each novel in the series focuses on a different attorney and each is well characterized along with stories that are well plotted.

I really like the main character Mary DiNunzio. She has spunk and isn't afraid of getting what she wants, even it means breaking the law. As she digs deeper into the case, unraveling clues like the layers of an onion, Mary finds herself immersed in a web of violence, murder, and corruption. All while being set up with blind dates from her friends.A fast-paced story which at one point takes the reader back to the 1940's during World War II.  Mary's enthusiasm and sometimes comical approach to seeking clues and fighting off obstacles that are in a way; are truly entertaining. An enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

If you like your legal thrillers with a snarky heroine who notices every brand -name piece of clothing, jewelry and accessory she sees this is for you. It’s an odd characteristic that she has, or maybe the author just likes to throw them in for texture. But the bones of the story are very good and the plot zips along with twists that keep it fun. Loads of Philadelphia environment make it a well-rooted tale, and the bad guys in it are really bad. I recommend this.

The character of Mary is not believable due to her continued leaps into obviously dangerous circumstances. Although the story was a bit much at times, I’m glad I stuck with it.Listened via audiobooks. Many facts included about the incarceration of Italian living in the United States during WW2. The author talks about her family’s experience at the end.

Ninth in the series, which rotates among the associates in the law firm as main characters. Glad to read that Mary is finally "putting on her big-girl pants".

AFter reading Lisa Scottoline's column in the Inquirer every Sunday, I thought it was time to read one of her books. I enjoyed Killer Smile, a story about a Philadelphia lawyer, Mary DiNunzio from South Philadelphia, who is trying to solve a mysterious death that occurred years ago. It is fun to read about Philadelphia as part of the story. This book is a good read.

OK, I won’t make any claims about this being Serious Literary Fiction, but I have yet to find another writer that can make a lightweight read as redeeming as Lisa Scottoline. As a fan for several years, I’ve been working my way through the back catalog -- if I’ve counted right, this is the 14th Lisa Scottoline novel I’ve read so far -- and Killer Smile comes out as one of my top faves. Scottoline pulls off a neat little trick here. Killer Smile is as easy-reading a page turner as any of her other books, but there’s a very respectable degree of substance in there, too. Sure, there’s all the usual peril elements of a Scottoline mystery, but in this case, the central whodunit cannot be unraveled without an extended trip into the history of US WWII internment camps. While this is not the first of Scottoline’s novels to bring in some serious real world history (see, e.g., The Vendetta Defense, where the plot reaches back into Mussolini-era Italy; and Dirty Blonde, which surely was the first time most readers had heard of the Centralia, PA, coal seam fire) it may be the most poignant, with some of the details drawn from the real personal history of Scottoline’s own grandparents. In addition, all of the familiar elements I’ve come to expect from Scottoline are there: a female-centric narrative, warmly drawn characters, and lots of local Philadelphia references. And although Scottoline’s law-firm-setting novels rarely go heavy on the legal points, the resolution of the plot here even relies on some clever lawyering -- bonus!But actually, I think the biggest surprise of this book is that it’s provided me with my new favorite quote, delivered by Mrs. Nyquist, in Montana, over huckleberry pie: If you can’t be brave, be determined. And you’ll end up in the same place.

Because I grew up in Philly, I love to read Lisa Scottoline's mysteries. I discovered her with her very first book "Everywhere That Mary Went" and have read every book since. The throw-away references to 'trinities' and 'Tastykakes' and the 'Skuykill Expressway' make me homesick.The plot is out there a bit but it is fun and so are the characters. This story was a little more personal because it dealt with the internment of Italian Americans during WWII. I had no idea. She includes copies of her parents alien registration cards at the end of the book. We should never forget these things happened in this country and could happen again.

Love her books! She really let's us get to know the characters while weaving in history and a fun to read mystery.

As a legal-murder mystery, this is remarkably engaging for its personal qualities, with the emphasis on character and humanity more than nefarious doings (though there are plenty of those), plus lots of humor and character asides. Also, it focuses less on the what (you know the guilty parties half way through) than the why: What true motivation can they have? The reason depends on the kind of odd detail that would almost certainly be overlooked yet makes perfect sense.Mary DiNunzio is delightful as a bright but flummoxy young lawyer, naive in unlikely ways yet consistent in her self-deprecating approach to the world. You can't help liking her as she grows into self-assurance with help from unlikely sources.. Scottoline is at her best in the scenes of Italian South Philly family life, with all the details and sense of place.The plot follows Mary's pro bono work for the descendants of an Italian fisherman interned during WWII who committed suicide at a government camp. No need to say more.For a lifelong Philadelphian and Penn Law grad, Scottoline makes some odd minor errors about Center City names and layout, but that may be in the copyediting. I'd read two of her novels a few years back and actively disliked them and their (as I recall it) snippy, unpleasant tone. None of that here.