The Mystery Starts Here

If you read as many mysteries as I do – three or four a week, you’re probably getting a wee bit tired of serial killers. I know I am. Fortunately, “Merciless” by Richard Montanari has come up with a serial killer who is very unique and…well, a real fruit loop.

The book starts when a body is found (always a good way to start a mystery) posed on the edge of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It’s winter, she only wearing a vintage dress and she’s covered with ice. How long has she been sitting there and why didn’t anyone notice her sooner? When the detectives arrive and start working the scene, they find something even more gruesome. The woman’s feet have been hacked off.

Another young woman is found dead, dressed in vintage clothing – but she’s still got her feet. The detectives are scratchng their heads trying to figure out a link between the murdered woman, when – yup another one shows up. During the course of the novel we hearthe voice of the killer and believe me, it’s chilling. Montanari writes in short, crisp chapters that keep the reader turning pages. It’s hard to put this one down.

The homicide cops, Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are interesting and work well together slowly analyzing the clues until the very exciting climatic end. I really liked the one of the new cops in squad – an Amish man, Josh Botragner, who is constantly shaking hands with everyone and who likes to tell Amish jokes. Josh was a refreshing change to the usual homicide cop personas.

I do have two small nits to pick with this book. Jessica, a 30-something married woman with a five-year-old child is … a boxer! Oy, can’t we EVER just have a policewoman or homicide detective who’s just a woman! Why do they have to box, or do some other very rough masculine sport? I find this a LOT in books written by men and really, is it necessary? I think a woman can be feminine and still do the job. 

My other small nit is that we never really know WHY the serial killer is the way he is. I know, I know – most of them are born that way but…there were some very tantilizing hints along the way about the killer’s childhood that basically went no where.  Montanari has written other novels with the same homicide detectives and I’ll definitely try to find them. “Merciless” was one of those marvelous books one starts reading and simply cannot put down.

Okay, back to perusing my galleys. I have a romance novel coming out the beginning of August so have to get hustling. Watch for further notices here on “Call Sign: Love.” Yes, it’s a romance but…it features dupties, a pervert running through town, and huge fire in the East County, mystery and…a dog, of course!

Till nex time…

I know, I know – I’m reviewing a lot of novels lately. Well, it’s summer, there’s nothing to watch on television. I keep checking the new movies out and….nothing appeals! Libraries on the other hand are just chocked full of wonderful, interesting FREE books and I love to read.

Okay, down to business. I read the blurb on “South of Hell,” snatched it off the shelf and brought it home because it was different. Louis Kincaid, a P.I. in Florida receives a call from Jake Shockley, a police detective working cold cases in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Kincaid grew up and was a cop at one time. Shockley asks Kincaid to fly back to Michigan and help him with a cold case and tells him the police will pay his expenses. Kincaid jumps at the chance because his girlfriend lives in Michigan. Now, this is a series character and I this book is in the middle but…I didn’t get lost and the author didn’t put in a lot of boring back story about previous cases.

When Kincaid arrives in Ann Arbor, he finds out that Shockley wants him to help manufacturer evidence on the cold case so he can obtain a search warrant. Of course Kincaid refuses. I don’t want to go into too much detail but we find out with Kincaid that Shockley was having an affair with the missing woman, is still in love with her and is going crazy trying to find her …. or her body.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story. Missing bodies, past life regression, the old slave underground railroad – enough to keep you turning pages long into the night. Two things bothered me a bit about the book. We find out fairly early that Louis Kincaid is black and his girlfriend, Joe is white. No biggie but I never believed Kincaid was black and I really cannot tell you why. It just didn’t track to the point that I looked up the author and went to the website. Turns out Parrish is really two white sisters. Now, I’ve written black characters into my books but I’d never have the audacity to make a main character black. I don’t know why the sisters decided this for his ethnicity but perhaps it’s explained in earlier books. I’ll try to go to the beginning and read more because I did enjoy this book, but never bought that Louis was black. I didn’t believe it for a minute. The second thing that bothered me was Kincaid’s girlfriend’s name – JOE! Huh? I’ve never seen a female character named Joe! It’s usually Jo! Joe is male – always. Maybe be a quirk of mine (Yeah, I know, I have a lot) but every time JOE was mentioned, it’s stopped me reading. As a writer, you never want to do that – never.

At the end of “South of Hell,” all the loose ends are tied up, there are many parallel surprises and I have to say I really enjoyed the book. Yup, these characters are worth reading about. What do you think?