Rosato & DiNunzio

Accused is the first legal thriller in New York Times best seller Lisa Scottoline's Rosato & DiNunzio series. Fiona Gardner was murdered six years ago in what appeared to be an open-and-shut case. The man condemned pleaded guilty. But Fiona's sister, Allegra, is convinced he is innocent.

Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier, and Anne Murphy are back with all cylinders firing in Accused. Mary Dinuzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner's sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty.

Judy has always championed the underdog, so when Iris, the housekeeper and best friend of Judy's beloved Aunt Barb, is found dead of an apparent heart attack, Judy begins to suspect foul play. The circumstances of the death leave Judy with more questions than answers, and never before has murder struck so close to home. In the meantime, Judy's own life roils with emotional and professional upheaval. She doesn't play well with her boss, Bennie Rosato, which jeopardizes her making partner at the firm.

Judy Carrier has always been a champion of the underdog. When her aunt's beloved friend Iris Juarez is found murdered and a cache of dirty money is discovered, Judy and her aunt know there must be more to it. No one was harder working or more loyal than Iris. Their quest for justice takes them into a shadowy world of people who are so desperate that they cannot go to the police - and where others are so ruthless, they're counting on that vulnerability. As Judy digs deeper into the investigation, she knows she must do whatever it takes to help the betrayed....

Bennie Rosato, the founder of the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm, hides her big heart beneath her tough-as-nails exterior, and she doesn't like to fail. Now a case from her past shows her how differently things might have turned out. Thirteen years ago, Bennie Rosato took on Jason Leftavick, a 12-year-old boy who was sent to a juvenile detention center after fighting a class bully. Bennie couldn't free Jason, and to this day it's the case that haunts her.

For Bennie Rosato, founder of the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm, failure has never been an option. Thirteen years ago, she took on Jason Leftavick, a 12-year-old boy who was sent to a juvenile detention centre after fighting a class bully. Bennie couldn't free Jason, and his remains the one case that haunts her. 

Shy, dyslexic and small for his age, 10-year-old Patrick O'Brien is a natural target at school. But when Patrick is accused of attacking a school aide, the tables are turned and the aide promptly sues the boy, his family and the school district. Patrick's grandfather turns to the lawyers of Rosato & DiNunzio for help, and Mary DiNunzio is soon on the case. But there is more to the story than meets the eye, and Patrick may be more troubled than he seems.

Ten-year-old Patrick O'Brien is a natural target at school. Shy, dyslexic, and small for his age, he tries to hide his first-grade reading level from everyone: from his classmates, from the grandfather who cares for him, and from the teachers who are supposed to help him. But the real trouble begins when Patrick is accused of attacking a school aide. The aide promptly quits and sues the boy, his family, and the school district. Patrick's grandfather turns to the law firm of Rosato & DiNunzio for help, and Mary DiNunzio is on the case.

When Mary DiNunzio takes on a case, she is determined to win, despite the fact that her partner, Bennie Rosato, is representing the opposition. A war of wills and legal strategy between Mary and Bennie forces everyone in the company to choose a side, and the law firm faces being torn apart.

Mary DiNunzio wants to represent her old friend Simon Pensiera, a sales rep who was wrongly fired by his company, but her partner Bennie Rosato represents the parent company. When she confronts Mary, explaining this is a conflict of interest, an epic battle of wills and legal strategy between the two ensues—ripping the law firm apart, forcing everyone to take sides and turning friend against friend.

Rosato and DiNunzio are being sued for reverse sex discrimination by three plaintiffs who claim they weren't hired because they were men. Their lawyer, Nick Machiavelli, once lost a case to Mary DiNunzio, and now he wants a rematch. Mary and her partner, Bennie Rosato, soon figure out that Machiavelli manufactured the entire story and entrapped the law firm's only male lawyer, John Foxman, into admitting sexual discrimination. Events turn deadly when Foxman ends up murdered. Now it's all on the line as the women have to figure out who killed Foxman and save the law firm they love. 

When three men announce that they are suing the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm for reverse sex discrimination—claiming that they were not hired because they were men—Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato are outraged. To make matters worse, their one male employee, John Foxman, intends to resign, claiming that there is some truth to this case. The plaintiffs’ lawyer is Nick Machiavelli, who has already lost to Mary once and is now back with a vengeance —determined not to not only win, but destroy the firm. It soon becomes clear that Machiavelli will do anything in his power to achieve his end…even after the case turns deadly. The stakes have never been higher for Mary and her associates as they try to keep Machiavelli at bay, solve a murder, and save the law firm they love…or they could lose everything they’ve worked for.