Brutality
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Gutsy, relentless, wisecracking Boston P.I. Fina Ludlow is back with her most hard-hitting case yet in the critically acclaimed series by Ingrid Thoft.
When soccer mom Liz Barone is attacked in her kitchen and left with a life-threatening injury, Fina Ludlow is hired by Liz’s mother to identify her attacker. It’s unusual for Fina to take a case that isn’t connected to the family firm, Ludlow and Associates, but Liz was in the process of suing her alma mater, New England University—a suit that could be a legal gold mine.
Twenty years earlier, Liz was an NEU soccer star known for her physical toughness; however, a serious cognitive decline has soured her soccer memories. She’s convinced that her aggressive style of play—and the university’s willingness to ignore head injuries in favor of a win—has put her health and her future in jeopardy, and someone needs to be held responsible.
Was Liz attacked to stop her lawsuit, or were there other secrets in the seemingly innocent woman’s life? Fina convinces her father and boss, Carl, to take the case, and discovers that wading into the financially lucrative and emotionally charged world of collegiate sports requires nerves of steel. As the list of suspects grows and hidden agendas are revealed, Fina wonders if any game is worth the price.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Thoft's captivating third Fina Ludlow novel (after 2014's Identity), the feisty Boston PI tries to find out who attacked Liz Barone, a researcher at New England University, in her Hyde Park home, putting her in Mass. General Hospital with a severe subdural hematoma and a slim chance of recovery. Fina thinks the assault may have been provoked by the lawsuit Liz filed against New England University blaming them for the mild cognitive impairment she was experiencing, allegedly the result of injuries sustained when she played on the university's soccer team 20 years earlier. In the course of the investigation, Fina must overcome university politics, the petty rivalries among the employees of the research lab where Liz worked, and a strained relationship with the police, who resent her interference in their case. Fina uncovers a host of secrets as she confronts a myriad of potential suspects, including Liz's husband and the university officials opposing the lawsuit, en route to the satisfying conclusion.
