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. … 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 readers riveted to the last page as they root for the beloved characters and their fight for justice.
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Good read. Patrick draws u in because he has had some bad break in life and u feel so sorry for him and his grandfather trying to do the right thing by him. A lot of action with DeNunzio (lawyer) at her best.
Can’t put it down.
I love all of Lisa Scottolini’s books. This one was so good. I didn’t want to put it down.
I especially love reading anything by Lisa Scottoline. She is a fabulous storyteller.
Very well written page turner.
I always love a Lisa Scottoline novel! Sigh… I love the community in her world! The characters I get to know and love as I read each one!
Great book. People have potential to help other people. Such a good book.
Brings to the forefront, the special needs kids and the circumstances they deal with every day. The limitations and frustrations within school systems to cope with special needs adequately is cleverly woven into the story line. The laws that protect” inadequate” , expensive services are revealed in a gripping, personal story, with outcomes many only dream of.
Scottoline delivers an exciting, suspenseful tale that grabs your interest from the start. You get pulled into the story and before you know it you can’t put the book down. Characters are so real and so fascinating, you feel like you know them. They become part of your internal landscape for a while.
I love all of Lisa Scottoline’s books, especially if the main character is Mary DiNunzio.
In this book, you’ll meet ten-year-old Patrick O’Brien. He 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.
As usual, I couldn’t put this book down, and I fell in love with little Patrick,
This was very good! This is the fourth book in the Rosato & DiNunzio but it reads as a stand-alone novel. This is one of those series where you can just jump in at any point. I have read a couple of the previous books in this series and consider myself a fan of Scottoline so I had a pretty good feeling that I would enjoy this one. I was pulled into this story from the start and was eager to see how things would work out. I am so glad that I decided to listen to this book.
The story opens with Mary taking on a new case. At the center of this case is a young boy named Patrick. Patrick is ten years old and lives with his grandfather, who means the world to him. Patrick has dyslexia and is not getting the services that he needs in order to be able to learn to read. He has also been accused of violence against a teacher’s aide. Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the problems that Patrick will have to face.
Like Mary, I fell for Patrick pretty quickly. This little guy has not had things easy but he was still such a good attitude. He was frustrated with school but who could blame him. It was really hard not to like Patrick and his grandfather. Mary fought for them very hard and I loved her dedication to the case. I am not sure that most lawyers would go quite as far as Mary did but it did make the story interesting. This was a pretty complex case that seemed to get more involved as the story progressed. There were some pretty exciting moments and a few twists that I did not see coming.
Rebecca Lowman did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I think that this is the first time that I have had a chance to listen to this narrator’s work and I really liked her work. She has a very pleasant voice that I found easy to listen to for hours at a time. I liked the voices that she used for the various characters and thought that she did a good job adding emotion to the story. I would not hesitate to listen to more of her work in the future.
I would recommend this book to others. I really enjoyed this story and thought that it was emotional at times. I felt bad for Patrick and Mary and wanted to see good things happen for them both. I look forward to reading more of Lisa Scottoline’s work!
I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
Lisa Scottolini never disappoints. Love these characters & always happy to reconnect with them. My go to author for this genre.
An attorney works to save a damaged child from being charged with murder.
Inconsistent. Some parts were good and some just rushed through.
This is standard fare from this author but enjoyable nonetheless. How we treat children in our schools and courts is atrocious. This was educational in that sense, but the speed at which all this took place was rather exhausting just reading it. It’s not how the world or the system works and I missed some of the more light-hearted moments with her family.
Same old
Good story; I didn’t love this book as much as the rest that I’ve read in the series. I do however, always love the characters, particularly Mary’s family and friends.
It started out ok and the storyline grabbed be but completely fell apart 2/3’s of the way through. It is like the author just didn’t know what to do with it. Don’t bother.
Another classic Lisa Scottoline book–suspense, interesting characters, realistic situations and the opportunity to learn some history!
Excellent book. So touching. Love Mary and family.