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.

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....

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.

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.

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.