In her exciting debut, personal injury attorney Rizio crafts a legal thriller with compelling characters and tense action that more than compensate for a familiar premise.

Nick Ceratto is a young attorney at the prestigious Philadelphia firm of Maglio, Silvio and Levin, a rising star and protégé of “supreme litigator” Joe Maglio. But when Maglio and his family turn up dead Christmas Eve, apparently the result of a murder-suicide, the incredulous Nick begins to suspect Silvio and Levin. Shortly after, when the firm’s eavesdropping receptionist is the victim of an apparently random homicide, Nick discovers that she has left him a vital clue in her safe-deposit box—what seems to be an ancient VHS copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark. With the help of Maglio’s fiery Italian cousin, Maria Elena, Nick begins to investigate his employers, while also taking over one of Maglio’s high-profile cases. Although this murderous boutique law practice will remind some readers of The Firm, Rizio’s book has several qualities that surpass that more famous work. Scenes are filled with cleverly observed details, from a conference room that was “supposed to be soundproof” but from which “yelling had been audible for at least twenty minutes” to a receptionist picking up a phone and pressing an “angry flashing button” with a “sculpted, inch-long red fingernail.” Additionally, an appealing tart cynicism haunts the novel’s scenes of legal maneuvering: “Nick Ceratto sat on one side of the dingy courtroom, its magnificent Victorian paneling and ornate plasterwork overlaid with generations of dirt,” evoking Raymond Chandler’s tone far more than John Grisham’s. Rizio also writes excellent, unfussy action scenes. A chapter where Nick attempts to subpoena a reluctant witness is a model of the form, as is a climactic confrontation in which two children are menaced by a killer. There are some missteps: An engrossing, you-are-there first chapter is besmirched by a jarring jump between characters; the murder of an appealing female character feels superfluous; and a key villain is lazily sketched, especially when cliché dictates he pontificate about classical music. But these are minor quibbles. For a debut, Rizio’s novel is remarkably accomplished. An entertaining thriller full of clever touches, whose characters and tone enliven an overworked genre.   

This novel finds a widower bumping heads with mobsters and crooked law enforcers as he rushes to save his abducted daughter.

Ex-lawyer Nick Ceratto loses his beloved wife, Grace, to cancer. He leaves Nantucket and returns to their Philadelphia home with the couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Starr. Grace’s funeral happens to coincide with the New Year’s Day Mummers Parade, where Nick loses Starr among the jam-packed crowds. When it’s clear someone has kidnapped the tween, the FBI arrives, including profiler Carmen Lopez (“I’m going to psych out the who, what, when, where, and why of this crime, which might allow us to bring back your daughter”). The agent has a startling connection to Nick, as she blames him for causing her mother’s death and nearly getting Carmen and her sister killed. But the abduction case only becomes more bizarre; Nick seeks unlikely help from a mob boss while several individuals aren’t who they appear to be, from police officers to Grace’s family, which Nick has only just met. As authorities suspect sex traffickers have the girl, Nick, Carmen, and others frantically search for Starr before she’s sold. But there’s a much deeper conspiracy at play, which involves a veritable horde of people. Rizio’s fast-paced thriller sequel is nothing short of exhilarating. Nick and Carmen repeatedly find themselves in harrowing circumstances, as a bevy of dubious types—and not just gangsters—ignites twists throughout. This practically necessitates a huge cast, which the author gradually and masterfully introduces without ever easing off the narrative’s accelerator. Some of the plot ties to Rizio’s preceding Nick-centric book, Blood Money (2011), but those threads are subtly incorporated to cater to all readers. Though he’s returning, Nick, like many of the other male characters, isn’t particularly likable; he’s hotheaded, and he often comes across as incompetent while scouring Philadelphia for his daughter. In contrast, the women shine gloriously, especially quick-witted Carmen and the equally shrewd, wise-cracking police detective Rose Formosa. Considering the genre, readers should expect loads of violence, deaths, and profanity-laced dialogue.

A sharply crafted, engaging thriller with a healthy shot of adrenaline.