1182706So thanks first of all to Lynn because if she hadn’t written this review I would never have come across the work of Richard Montanari. I’ve read the first two of his (so far) eight book series about Philly detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano and am not quite halfway through the third. They are exactly what I needed to get me out of my recent mini-reading slump.

So what’s the set-up?

So in The Rosary Girls we are introduced to the recurring characters of Byrne (veteran) and Balzano (newbie), detectives in the Philadelphia PD Homicide division. And what do you know, the first case they work on together is an unpleasant serial killer targeting young girls. The structure of the books is based around alternating narratives from the perspectives of the two detectives and the unidentified murderer.

What’s the killer’s thing?

Murder and mutilation of Catholic schoolgirls for reasons that are unclear initially of course, but there is (as always) a logic of sorts, and other deaths as collateral damage.

What’s the situation with Byrne?

Veteran detective finally (possibly) putting to bed an old case while getting used to a new partner. He drinks, he’s divorced, his daughter is deaf, he has a tendency to deal with matters in his own way, but I liked him. Oh, and there’s possibly a bit of a psychic thing going on. Irish background.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

Daughter of a police officer, first case as a new homicide detective, smart, well organised, small daughter, unofficially separated from cheating husband who is also a police officer. Oh and she is a boxer. Italian background. I liked her too.

What did I think of it?

Must have enjoyed it because I’m on the third in the series as I said at the top of the post. I really like a good police procedural and although I think the subject matter would be pretty dark for many readers (I have a tendency towards the gruesome and unpleasant so this wasn’t a problem for me) it’s a well written and pacy novel which takes you through how the police handle a case like this through a mixture of their day to day work and (just as importantly), the effect it has on their lives when they are off duty. I really thought I’d worked out who the killer was and was close but no cigar. The most enjoyable thing for me was that the two main characters actually like and respect each other; the necessary drama in their private lives is with other people, but together they are a great team. And no romance on the horizon, at least not with each other, a good thing IMHO.