Damaged

By: Lisa Scottoline

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

One boy. One lawyer. One chance for justice.

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. Soon Mary becomes Patrick's true champion and his only hope for security and justice. But there is more to the story than meets the eye, and Patrick might be more troubled than he seems. With twists at every turn and secrets about the family coming to light, Mary DiNunzio might have found the case that can make her a true protector or break her heart....

With Lisa Scottoline's trademark emotional depth and fast-paced action, Damaged will have listeners riveted to the last track as they root for the beloved characters and their fight for justice.

©2016 Smart Blonde, LLC (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Scottoline writes riveting thrillers that keep me up all night, with plots that twist and turn." (Harlan Coben)

"...Lowman handles the novel's highly charged and sensitive sections without deviating from her precisely enunciated delivery...[She assists] Scottoline in creating a caring, very human protagonist who faces tough cases and even tougher opposing forces with determination and intelligence." ( Publishers Weekly)

No humor, no fun, no Mary DiNunzio here.

I love Mary DiNunzio stories because of the optimism and humor of the big Italian family. Lisa Scottoline usually blends history, family, humor, and intrigue together so that i feel good.

Not so with this book.

At first I thought it could be the downer reader--a good reader, but not reading Mary, certainly! This reader was a depressed woman with very little humor or happiness in her voice.

Then as the story progressed, I realized that this read was perfect for this depressing story. Instead of being excited, educated, and entertained like I usually am when embedded in the family with 3 Tonys, I found myself in family court, a place I avoid at all costs. Frustration and anxiety reigned, and for the 1st time I almost found myself unable to finish a book with my favorite family in it!

Then I realized, "Hey! Lisa probably didn't even write this book! Maybe she has a daughter who feels like the world hasn't given her a good break, like so many successful women have, and the daughter wrote the story!" Once I decided that Lisa Scottoline didn't even write the book, I felt better, and decided that I could still be a fan.

Mary's usual vivacious and outrageous character was just not present. Lisa could not suspend my disbelief that 10 days before an Italian wedding all Mary would be doing is brooding and worrying and trying to foster a child who could be violent and horrible, while her fiance doesn't want the kid around.

The writer throws her fiance to California so he doesn't have to be written into the story because the story itself is so ridiculous, he would never put up with it! A young woman who's getting married and has a full-time job can just run around and think of nothing but this kid. No work, making no money, not talking to her fiance or wedding party. Not a thought of her fiance or the wedding, just this kid. Lisa makes up this ridiculous premise that the fiance and she are not talking because of a job offer. At the beginning of the story, Mary thinks about how stupid it was that she had to do everything for the wedding, that she had no wedding planner, and then BOOM. She does nothing for the wedding. So unbelievable!

No humor, no fun, no Mary DiNunzio here.

Lisa! I say that if you're tired of writing about these people, then don't. But don't let someone write a book that ruins the characters!

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

Outstanding

This is book fifteen in the Rosate Associates series or book four since Mary DiNuzio was made a partner. This is an issues novel about the problems of children with dyslexia and also about foster care. The story takes place in Philadelphia as do all the books in the series. Mary is going to be getting married in two weeks and in the meantime she takes on a new case of a ten-year-old boy, Patrick O’Brien, who cannot read. The public school has provided no special education for him and he is the target of bullies. Patrick was also the victim of physical and sexual abuse by a teacher’s aide. Patrick’s grandfather dies and Mary is attempting to obtain temporary guardianship but someone is out to kill her. Anthony is not happy with her attempting to bring the boy into their lives. So is the wedding going to happen?

The book is well written and the suspense builds steadily throughout the book. There is the usual Scottoline humor with Mary’s big Italian family. This is the third book, I think, about Mary. The series started with Benny Rosate and I would love to have Scottoline write more about Rosate; she seems to have been lost in the last 6 books or so. I have read all the books in the series and have enjoyed them.

Rebecca Lowman did a good job narrating the book. Lowman is a stage, film and television actress who narrates audiobooks. It seems almost every book has a different narrator. When books are in a series I prefer to have one narrator for all the books. All the narrators in the series have been excellent but publishers please try for just one.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Juvenile writing

Trite and unbelievable story. Actions of Mary so far fetched considering the timeline portrayed in the story. Did Lisa Scottoline really write this?

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Mary and Macchiavelli

A great book centered around Mary, one of Bennie Rosato's partners who, like her colleagues has a big heart, strong will and a penchant for finding trouble. Great insight into America's failing schools, the foster system and dyslexia.
The narrator needs to brush up on Italian a bit but overall a great listen with a great plot and ending.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

It's been way too long ! Thanks Lisa Scottoline!

I missed Rosati & DiNunzio! Great story, charecters, & reader! This fulfilled the court room/attorney drama I've been craving this Summer.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Worst reader ever

What would have made Damaged better?

Barbara Rosenblat as reader. The reader made this book a chore to listen to. Very disappointing

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Rebecca Lowman?

Barbara Rosenblat

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Tissues needed!

This book tugs at your heartstrings! I enjoyed every moment of it and thrilled to the twisted and turns of every chapter.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Love this series!!

I hope this series continues. I love the characters and so far, the narrators are perfect!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mary is naive or idiotic or stupid by turns

Mary is supposed to be a savvy lawyer, she's even a "named partner" in the firm, yet she reacts in very un-lawyerly ways, says things no lawyer should or would, is ignorant of many points of law the rest of us know from reading these very books, and is astonished at many things she really ought to know or expect. I kept shouting at the book, "she should know that!"

I skipped a number of books in the series to get to this one, but I have previously enjoyed "the Tonys", but come on, think of a new name already-- Mary is engaged to an Anthony! Gee willikers. But we can get beyond that.

This seems to be Scottoline's reaction to someone close to her trying to get a kid with an IEP out of the clutches of the Dept of Family Services. We are lectured all through the story about dyslexia, its effects and treatments, on what a school's responsibility is, how unfair it is that DFS has so much power when they don't know all the facts, and how hard it is to get out of state custody once you are in. Creepy, slimy lawyers are also targeted in the story. So as you don't get too depressed by all this, there're the gag-me cotton candy conversations between Mary and her bride's maids over dresses, hair and makeup, and waxes, and Mary's stressing over "does he still love me?" and "I'm gonna adopt a kid whether he likes it or not."

Other than that, the story is interesting, sad, poignant, and then resolved. Die-hard fans will love this, but it's not as professional as other authors' lawyer books, and indeed, even as Scottoline's previous books.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Plot twists galore!

Every time I though I knew what was going to come next, something different happened. I couldn't stop listening. Another wonderful read from Scottoline.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful