Michael A. Black

I'll give Mr. Belzer this, at least he knows how write in his own voice and it's obvious he had a blast writing this book. While not as funny as I'd hoped it would be, it was nice to see a slice of New York you don't often see in books, like the Russians who inhabit Brighton Beach and the Russian mafiya which has reared its ugliness in recent years.

As with any book in this genre (accidental detective?) the situations are a little, OK, a lot improbable, but then it wouldn't be much fun to read otherwise, right?… (altro)

A hilarious novel written by one of New York's finest - well, on TV at least. Our hero, the snarky actor-turned-investigator Richard Belzer (yes, the same Belzer!) tracks down the people responsible for his friend's disappearance with his usual dry wit and unapologetic way with words. Drags a bit at places, but wraps up nicely at the end and never fails to satisfy. I'll definitely be reading the next one in the series - and I really hope Mr. Belzer (the actor, not the character) continues his latest career as fiction writer for a couple more novels, at least :)… (altro)

Detective Colby is a champion worth rooting for! The tale starts off in his younger days when he and his partner Dicks have serial killer Morgan Lairds tracked down and on the run. The action grabbed me right away, pulling me into the story and never letting go.

The bulk of the story takes place years later in present-day Chicago. Colby and Dicks are still police detectives but Lairds has just been paroled. A new set of killings happen, looking just like Lairds’ work. This hits close to home for Colby and immediately he starts narrowing down the list of people who had access to the original files and photos on Lairds.

Meanwhile, us readers know who is behind the killings. There’s a medical laboratory that has been doing some interesting and cutting edge experiments with human cloning. This aspect gave the story a scifi thriller subplot which I quite enjoyed. The bad guys are little stereotypical but it was easy to hate on them and root for our hero, Colby.

There were few female characters, which I felt was a weak spot in tale. Leslie, a detective from Canada where one of the murders occurred, is in Chicago to work with the police in solving the murder. I forget her last name because she’s so often referred to by her first and her good looks and sexiness is the first thing always described. Unfortunately her main role in the tale is as a romantic interest and not as a detective. Bummer. The ladies could have added more to this story.

I liked that we readers know from the beginning who is behind the killings and why, yet we have to watch Colby figure everything out. He’s got so much stacked against him! A reporter (another lady who is mostly a sexy love interest) has some behind-the-scenes info on the old Laird murders and Colby’s bosses think he himself might be the leak. Then there’s trying to work out who would copycat Laird and why. Toss in a few more snags in the investigation and Colby has his hands full! This case could end his career!

The cat-and-mouse action kept me glued to the book. I really wanted Colby to win out but I wasn’t sure he would and I also worried that someone close to him would pay a hefty price for victory. The pacing was great and the ending was satisfying. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: James Romick gave a great performance. He had distinct voices for all the characters and his female voices were feminine. I especially liked his ability to portray the emotions of the various characters. His pacing was perfect and there were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.… (altro)