Great & funny DiNunzio tale, with factual underpinnings !

Like her counterpart male lawyers turned writer (Grisham, Turow, Martini et al), Lisa Scottoline is a Philadelphia lawyer turned author who indeed writes about what she knows about. Her series feature the Philly-based, all-female attorney law firm of Ms. Bennie Rosato and Associates, but like several of her earlier novels, Mary DiNunzio is again the "star" of "Smile". Working long hours has become a norm for the young widowed Mary, this time on a pro bono case involving an Italian-American, Amadeo Brandolini, who was interned in that horrid sweep of some 10,000 east coast Italians conducted during WWII. While in a Montana internment camp, Brandolini commits suicide; and Mary has been hired 60 years later to seek reparations for his confiscated property (fishing boats). That she is a South Philly Italian descendant herself makes the case even more personal for Mary, as her family and circle of friends are all counting on her. When her tireless investigations, including a trip to Montana ("it's somewhere left of Philly"), reveal that the suicide may instead have been a homicide, more violence ensues as yet another Italian family, the Saracones, is implicated. Moreover, the Saracones seem to have untold wealth with no obvious source. The plot thickens as Mary becomes hounded by followers and injured left and right. A last ditch effort in court to stave off the Saracones selling the "golden goose" is a fitting touch to a suspenseful tale that keeps the pages turning quite smartly!
Scottoline has penned a cogent plot -- yet one with funny dialogue and amusing happenings to lighten the tone that might otherwise be set by the dark deeds that unravel as the book unfolds. Judy and Bennie put in just brief cameos, so it's really Mary and her family that carry the whole storyline. That the internment scenario was one borne out of a similar set of circumstances in earlier generations of the author's own family, complete with reproduced copies of their "alien registration" cards, added a sense of history and intensity to the tale. Only some far-fetched actions by lawyer Mary, such as breaking and entering a crime scene, kept us from a 5-star award. All in all, "Smile" is a fine addition to this growing series that readers, both old fans and new, will find most entertaining. Enjoy!