‘The Stolen Ones’ by Richard MontanariPublished by Sphere,
18 July 2013.
ISBN: 978-0-7515-4929-4
Written by American Richard Montanari,
this story combines the pace and comforting cliches of a traditional US crime
thriller with the sophisticated psychological twists and turns more associated
with recent Nordic murder mysteries. It is not hard to see why Montanari's
novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages. Although it took
a while to get into, it then became un-put-down-able.
In
the very first chapter, the reader encounters the murderer, although his
identity is not revealed until much later. However, as Philadelphia Detective
Jessica Balzano and her partner Kevin Byrne quickly realise, this is not so
much a whodunnit as a why-dunnit. The crimes are so extravagant and symbolic
that opportunism is quickly dismissed. The question, then, is what connects the
victims with each other, and with the disparate and unusual ways in which they
meet their ends.
And
murder is not the only crime committed in this novel; child abuse and abduction
also feature, making this not a novel for the squeamish. Skirting the line
between gruesome and disturbing, the graphic details are, thankfully, few and
far between - and the novel is far more eerie for relying on what is implied.
Even
as Jessica and Kevin make the connections they need to break the case, the
murderer becomes ever more audacious and, despite their best efforts, he seems
able to fade into the shadows and avoid the police at every turn. Pressure on
Jessica and Kevin grows and, supported by some pleasingly detailed police
procedural activities (although hindered by the ruthless elimination of
witnesses), they try to close the net.
It
would be giving too much away to say whether they are successful or not:
tragedy is certainly part of the denouement. The twists and turns will keep you
guessing right to the last page, and for this reader, it was a thought
provoking ending that stays with you long after the book is done.
------
Reviewer: Joanna Leigh
Earlier
books are: The Violet Hour
(1998), Kiss of Evil (2001), The Rosary Girls (2005), The Skin Gods (2006), Merciless (2007), Badlands (2008), The Devil’s Garden (2009), and The Echo Man (2011).
Richard Montanari was born in Cleveland,
Ohio, the scion of a traditional
Italian-American family, which means he learned two things very early in life.
One: ravioli tastes much better than baby formula. Two: if you don't get to the
table on time, there is no ravioli. After an undistinguished academic career,
Richard traveled Europe extensively, living in London
for a time, where he sold clothing in Chelsea,
and foreign language encyclopedias door-to-door in Hampstead Heath.
Needless to say, he hawked a few more ties than tomes, but neither job paid enough
to keep him in beer and skittles. So, he returned to the States and joined his
family's construction firm. Five years and a hundred smashed thumbs
later, he decided that writing might be a better job. After working as a
freelance writer for years, during which time he was published in more than two
hundred publications -- including The Chicago
Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, The Seattle Times, and
many others -- Richard wrote three pages of what was to become the first
chapter of Deviant Way. He was immediately
signed to a New York
agency. When he finished the book, Michael Korda signed him to a two-book deal
at Simon & Schuster. In 1996 Deviant won the OLMA for Best First Mystery. 
No comments:
Post a Comment