- Audio CD
- Publisher: Harper; Abridged edition (Feb 7 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061571245
- ISBN-13: 978-0061571244
- Product Dimensions: 15 x 14.6 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,103,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Scottoline's 12th novel was inspired by a real-life jury trial for crack-cocaine trafficking of members of one of the most violent gangs in Philadelphia history (in her acknowledgments, the former trial lawyer admits she watches cases like these "for fun"). Such inspiration lends a tough, uncompromising realism to this stand-alone legal thriller. Scottoline (Killer Smile; Dead Ringer; etc.) sets the book in Philly, of course, and her lead this time is assistant U.S. Attorney Vicki Alegretti, whose petite frame belies her gutsy, unbridled determination on the job. While conducting a routine interview with a confidential informant on a straightforward matter, things go awry, and Vicki's partner—along with the informant—is shot. Resolved to find the killer, Vicki takes on the case (unbeknownst to her boss), and that's when the twists begin. In short chapters with cliffhanger endings, Scottoline spins a tale that finds Vicki joining forces with Reheema, a gorgeous black woman from the drug-ridden West Philly neighborhood of Devil's Corner. Reheema wants to find the person responsible for murdering her crack-addicted mother, and as she and Vicki play detective, they realize the murders may be connected and that they're getting increasingly closer to bringing down a sizable drug ring. Scottoline's ability to mix humor with serious subject matter, combined with her intense research of inner city drug trafficking and a side plot involving Vicki's love life, make for compelling entertainment. Agent, Molly Friedrich. (June)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Assistant U.S. attorney Vicki Allegretti's meeting with a confidential informant goes terribly wrong when the routine appointment turns into a bloodbath, leaving Vicki's ATF partner, Morty, dead along with the informant and her unborn child. Vicki's bosses tell her to move on to her next case, but Vicki, determined to find the killer, launches her own investigation, in the course of which she takes on an unlikely partner, Reheema, an African American woman whose mother was killed in a drug-related murder that may connect to Vicki's case. Vicki and Reheema--the former a product of privilege and private school and the latter a product of Devil's Corner, an aptly named, drug-riddled Philly neighborhood--make an unlikely but very appealing pair. The interplay between the two women shows Scottoline at her best--chatty but intelligent, biting but respectful. Although we miss the all-female Philadelphia law firm of Rosato & Associates, whose members are the heroines of Scottoline's popular series, this stand-alone thriller (inspired by a real-life case) makes an entertaining and exciting change of pace. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Vicki Allegretti always wondered what it would feel like to look into the barrel of a loaded gun, and now she knew. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Vicki Allegretti always wondered what it would feel like to look into the barrel of a loaded gun, and now she knew. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable,
By Frankie (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Devil's Corner Lp (Paperback)
I'm either hot or cold with Ms. Scottoline's work. This one was a hit. They are always easy reads, which is why I enjoy them. I can read them in a weekend, when I want to escape. I enjoyed the banter between the two key characters and the little twists and turns.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (62 customer reviews) 41 of 44 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice read, solid story, nasty plot twists...,
By Thomas Duff "Duffbert" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Devil's Corner (Hardcover)
The kind folks over at HarperCollins sent me an advance reader copy of Lisa Scottoline's newest novel Devil's Corner. This is another author that I haven't read before, but will probably end up doing catch-up reading on her titles...Vicki Allegretti is an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and she's due to interview a confidential informant on a case related to an illegal gun sale. But things go horribly wrong when she arrives at the meeting house only to find two guys who have broken into the house and murdered the informant. During the confrontation, her partner is killed and she almost joins him in death before the killers decide to flee. In the process of interviewing leads on the killing, she assaults a prisoner and is suspended from her job. But instead of just taking the safe road, she decides to conduct her own investigation so that the case doesn't get dropped. To get into the parts of the city where the crime occurred, she has to team up with the person she assaulted, and thus starts an unlikely personality pairing that will either pay off or get them both killed... Scottoline was formerly a trial lawyer and apparently now watches court cases for entertainment (and potential story ideas). Her in-depth knowledge of the legal system and how things actually work shows through in this novel, as I got the feeling that she has been here before. Watching Allegretti try and balance her work and personal life is interesting, as her romantic interest may or may not be all he's cracked up to be. And I really liked the interplay between her and Reheema, the girl she assaulted. Matching up an urban black street-smart girl with a suburban Harvard grad leads to rather sticky situations that neither can relate to but that both have to work through. Solid writing, good pacing, a story with some meat, and a few plot twists to boot... Can't ask for much more in a recreational crime thriller read. 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
"People ... can fool the devil, but they can't fool the neighbors." Edgar Watson Howe,
By michael a. draper - Published on Amazon.com
Vicki Allegretti, Asst. U.S. atty. goes to an informant's home and runs into two men who have just killed the informant. Vicki's associate is also killed before the killers escape.Raheema Bristow is the person the CI claimed to have evidence about and she is freed after the CI is murdered. Vicki goes to Raheema's home thinking that she might get evidence against her before the case is dismissed and is surprised to find that Raheema's mother is a crack addict. Eventually, Raheema and Vicki agree to an uneasy truce and decide to work together in attempt to find those guilty of Vicki's partner's murder and another death. These two women with nothing in common begin spying on an inner city crack house. If the reader can put logic aside and experience the story as a work of fiction, it is a fun read. Vicki is a Harvard educated attorney attempting to be undercover in the slums. I picture Reese Witherspoon of "Legally Blond" in this setting and wonder how Vicki could go undetected and survive. Scottoline did a professional job creating suspense and maintaining the dramatic flow of the novel, adding a well placed plot twist to keep the reader guessing and make the story more interesting. 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
New twists for a solid author,
By Dr Cathy Goodwin - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Devil's Corner (Hardcover)
Scottoline experiments with a new heroine and a new type of crime. But fans will recognize Scottoline's writing touches, as individual as a fingerprint.From the beginning, we get Scottoline's delicious combination of girl-think with violent crime. Staring down the barrel of a gun, Assistant DA Vicki Allegretti wonders if a black gun "makes you look thinner." It's just the kind of combination of gritty suspense and girl talk that we have come to expect from this author -- and she delivers magnificently. Other surprises surface. Allegretti, product of upperclass parents and good schools, teams up with an accused criminal to solve a crime. Along the way, she takes risks, gets suspended from her job, and finds an unlikely criminal. As with Scottoline, the heroine begins to seem like an old friend -- someone we admire and want to follow. And as always, we get a suspenseful page-turner that superbly paced, with not a word wasted. Like many fans, I miss Scottoline's traditional characters: Mary, Judy, Bennie and Anne. Scottoline takes a big jump here with a character whose parents are both lawyers -- someone from the upper echelons of Philadelphia society. She seems most comfortable when dealing with scrappy up-from-nothing women like Bennie and Mary, But I wouldn't be surprised to seem them all come together in a future novel (Scottoline has a way of doing that). Let me guess: Bennie's law firm would be defending a client, Allegretti would be prosecuting, and they'd all unite on the side of justice -- and the pleasure of their loyal readers. |
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