Alyssa Giordano, a first generation American, never thought being a woman in this day and age would be a disadvantage until she met her first boss. The young lawyer couldn't believe that Duncan Kennedy would accuse her of a double cross and sack her after she'd rebuffed his advances and Alyssa, pride wounded, loses faith in the one thing she'd grown up believing in: justice.
Giordano finally hits the big time and finds that roles are reversed. Kennedy is labeled a swindler and a leading journalist, a woman no less, holds his fate in her hands. But he vanishes in a cloud of lies and creditors and, on his death, Giordano is rid of him... Until he walks back into her life and tries to take it...
Alyssa Giordano, a first generation American, never thought being a woman in this day and age would be a disadvantage... until she met her first boss. Her grandmothers, one Irish, the other Italian, fought so hard to be seen by other women as their husbands’ equals. But Alyssa’s grandfathers, and her father, knew who really ran things.
Barely a year into her career, the young lawyer couldn’t believe that Duncan Kennedy would accuse her of a double cross and sack her after she’d rebuffed his advances. Nor could she believe that his partner, Lydia Price, refused to support her. As she leaves behind her first job in the only career which she’d ever wanted, Alyssa, pride wounded, loses faith in the one thing she’d grown up believing in: justice.
After struggling to get her career (and her life) back in order, Giordano finally hits the big time and finds that roles are reversed. Kennedy is labeled a swindler and a leading journalist, a woman no less, holds his fate in her hands. But as he vanishes in a cloud of lies and creditors before he can be brought to justice, Giordano’s faith in it, justice, freefalls again.
Later uncovering reports of Kennedy’s untimely death, Alyssa’s faith in justice returns and she begins to believe she is rid of the cruel menace who almost destroyed her. Until the day he walks back into her life to seemingly ask for her help in restoring his reputation... and tries to take her life...
Excerpt
A preview of the first 9 chapters can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/47178828
Australian author Belinda D’Alessandro’s Discovering Wounded Justice: Cruel Menace reads like a legal thriller, but breaks into different genres as well. Cruel Menace mixes plot and character development, resulting in a well-written, engaging read.
The prologue accurately sets the pace for the rest of the novel. Here we get a glimpse of Alyssa Giordano, a female lawyer who, at the heart of it all, truly believes in justice. After facing controversy and finding herself at a disadvantage simply because of her gender, Giordano loses faith in the system that she so much believed.
“The door seemed impenetrable – it slid with some difficulty; it seemed as if there was something impeding its progress as Alyssa tugged at the handle. The small shop front was at the end of the single-floor building row, which contained a mix of professional, retail and eatery businesses across the road from Hoboken’s largest shopping mall.
The can’t be good… No, don’t panic, she thought. It had taken her over two hours and her last hundred dollar bill to get through the Holland Tunnel: the cab had been caught behind the overturned truck. She had thanked the powers that be for her foresight to have removed her jacket while waiting to pass through the tunnel: the early August summer heat permeated the taxi, even with the windows down. It was an unusually long, hot summer.”
Save for her never ending desire to be early and, luckily, the cabbie knew the building where her interview was as his daughter worked in it, she would never have made it on time. As she pushed the door closed behind her, she turned away from the reception desk to take a gasp of air without the receptionist seeing.
The novel follows the career of Giordano and the obstacles that she must overcome to revive her passion in the system that failed her. What makes Cruel Menace like a legal thriller is the vast knowledge of the law. However, the character of Giordano allows Cruel Menace to fill the void that so many of its legal thrilling counterparts have: character development.
D’Alessandro’s writing is filled with details and descriptions in the first few chapters. I found myself hooked after the in depth introduction to Alyssa Giordano, which is set a few chapters into the book. That being said, readers of literature, crime and mystery novels will enjoy Cruel Menace.
Click here to find out more about Belinda D’Alessandro, her writing and BDA Books.
