First there was Cain and Abel. In this novel we have Bennie Rosato and her twin sister, Alice Connelly (they were separated at birth and raised by different mothers). Bennie grows up to be a highly successful Philadelphia lawyer, heading her own firm, while Alice turns out evil.
Alice has drugged Bennie, burying her alive, and then impersonates her in an attempt to transfer all of Bennie’s money out of the country and flee. She convinces everyone, including the bank, that she is Bennie, and succeeds in transferring the funds to an offshore institution. Meanwhile, Bennie breaks through the box in which she is buried, but runs into all kinds of obstacles when she is believed to be Alice.
In the end, the real question asked and, perhaps, answered is: is the nature of evil born in us or is it in the genes? While the main plot is charged to a high degree, the tale is interspersed with a bit of old-fashioned schmaltz, including the caricature of an Italian immigrant family, up and down love lives of a couple of characters, the emotional permutations of a candidate for a law partnership, and even an Italian witch. Of course, Lisa Scottoline’s writing is smooth and forceful, so the reader is carried along for an enjoyable read.
Recommended.
