The Vendetta Defense
Lisa Scottoline
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2001 HarperCollins
ISBN: 0061031429

Lawyer Judy Carrier takes the case of her career when she agrees to defend elderly pigeon racer “Pigeon Tony” for the murder of his life-long enemy Angelo Colluzi, on a vendetta that began more than half a century ago. The Colluzis want revenge & its up to this gutsy lawyer to secure justice for, risking everything, including her life.

Advocate & Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Lisa Scottoline has written a legal thriller that goes beyond the definition of a courtroom drama. It's a work that defines & distinguishes two almost similar words, “killing” & “murder”, & it is in this background the novel is set. This work once again reaffirms Scottoline's position as the “Female Grisham.”

The Vendetta Defense is a taut legal thriller that keeps the reader glued to the pages. “Pigeon Tony” confesses to rookie lawyer Judy Carrier that he killed Angelo Colluzi, on a vendetta that began almost 50 years ago in Mascoli, Italy.

During WWII Colluzi & Tony, both had wooed the same girl, Silvana, & she had chosen the poor, romantic & illiterate pigeon-farmer over the rich, brash fascist.

Two years after learning that Silvana & Tony had married & had a son, an enraged Colluzi kills her & Tony, intent on keeping his son alive, leaves Italy for America without taking his vengeance.

After the war, Colluzi escapes his fascist past by also emigrating to the large Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia & the hatred between the two men simmers especially after Colluzi causes the death of Tony’s grown son. He cannot, however, prove it.

With more than half a century of festering deep revenge, Tony finally takes out his vendetta, in a sudden moment when these two old enemies happen upon each other in the club house of the local pigeon racing club.

Tony is charged with First Degree murder, even as he insists that he did not “murder” Colluzi, only “killed” him & it is up to Judy to help him prove this distinction.

Scottoline keeps the legal arguments thick & fine for both the Prosecution who confidently presents a case of a clear-cut murder, & the Defense that takes the stand of sudden & grave provocation, calling for acquittal. The action in & outside the courtroom is rich & titillates the reader regarding a just decision.

All in all a great thriller!

The author keeps the “law theme” simple devoid of heavy legalese. As a student of law, while studying the Law of Crimes, we were taught the difference between “culpable homicide amounting to murder” & “culpable homicide not amounting to murder.” The area between “murder” & “killing” is a gray one, the lines are blurred & there is no clear-cut differentiation.

The Vendetta Defense comes to the rescue here. It clearly distinguishes the two phrases in a simple, gripping page-turner in the truest sense of the term. Highly recommended!

More from Lisa Scottloline: Mistaken Identity; Everywhere That Mary Went; Rough Justice; Legal Tender; Running from the Law & Final Appeal.
(11/11/01)

Narayan
2001©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org