A Novel

On Christmas Eve, 1963, Nina Palmieri, a smart, young law student, is attacked by Joey, the son of Philly’s mob boss.  Within minutes, Joey is arrested for murdering a Philadelphia policeman, a crime that occurs at the same time as Joey’s attack on Nina.  Transformed by happenstance from victim to power broker, Nina’s healing process begins when she strikes a Machiavellian deal with the mob boss, ostensibly agreeing to testify, at  her assailant’s murder trial, as alibi witness.  Her truthful but surprising alibi testimony triggers unintended consequences for Nina, those closest to her, and the targets of her retribution.

A South Philly Story shows a cloistered community, where everyone clings to self-serving notions of right and wrong and where truth and justice are conspicuously left out of the decision-making process.  Publication is scheduled for 2013.