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So what’s the set up?

The Killing Room is the sixth in Byrne and Balzano Philadelphia crime novels. It is all as you were before, but that’s not a problem because why would you tinker with a winning formal. After all, I’m still reading them, aren’t I?

What’s the killer’s thing?

Religious fanaticism. Unpleasant deaths, and I mean very unsettling. Deals with the Devil. Abandoned churches. High level of creepiness.

What’s the situation with Byrne?

He has become a mentor to a young boy in care whose brother was killed by drug dealers. He (Byrne, not the kid) gets a bit out of control with this dealer and ends up in mandated therapy. There may be a new woman in his life.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

Has moved house and is settling down with her lovely family. She is thinking of starting to hit things professionally again. One of the victims has a particular effect on her which lingers throughout the book.

Is there anything new here?

The level of backstory for the murderer is higher than before I think, and the external influences are a bit more obvious.

What did I think of it?

I liked this entry in the series a great deal; I’ve always been one for a high level of mayhem inspired by religious mania and we have it all here; belief in the Devil, making people deliver on the deals they have made with that particular entity, murders carried out in a bizarre but well thought out way. It has to be said though that there are some similarities to the very first book, The Rosary Girls – Catholic Church in embarrassing scandal, inconvenient sleazy journalist and so on, and elements of the story echo back to Se7en (though not quite as bizarrely gruesome). It even includes a significantly nasty killer returning from an earlier entry in the series. But as always what makes these books so good is the characterisation of the two leads, the vitality of the setting, and the pace and plotting. I read it in a single sitting (again).

However, they have kind of started blurring together a bit so I am going to take a break before reading the final two entries in the series. Still very highly recommended though!

So what’s the set-up?

The Echo Man is the fifth in the Byrne & Balzano Philadelphia series of crime novels. We are still following our two main heroes, but there are other characters more regularly in the mix.

What’s the killer’s thing?

Our murderer’s focus is on recreating past unresolved Philly murders by killing those who were apparently guilty but never prosecuted or convicted and posing them (and their accomplices where appropriate) at the original crime scene and related sites. They are all posed the same way, their faces covered in paper.

What’s the situation with Byrne?

Lots happening with the big guy. This case is tied in with his very first homicide investigation and his feelings for the woman convicted of that killing, a beautiful and talented cellist.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

At the beginning of the story Balzano takes down a nasty piece of work which you feel will inevitably come back to haunt her. She is also wanting to adopt a small boy she came across on a case, and she and her family are moving home, so lots going on here too.

Is there anything new here?

Bigger cast of characters, a return to more in-depth backstory for B&B, but honestly, how many women are there in Byrne’s life; they all seem to get involved in his work one way or another.

What did I think of it?

I liked this one a lot though I must admit there were times I just wanted  to give Byrne a shake, though it seems to be a trait prevalent in US law enforcement that the hero will go off the grid regardless of what the consequences might be if he thinks he is right (yes Ryan Hardy from The Following, I am looking directly at you). I also really thought I’d worked out who the killer was only to be totally blindsided by the reveal at the end. Some of it was a bit far-fetched but the characterisation of everyone involved is so strong and the writing so clear and pacy that you just tend to stick with it. I basically read this in one sitting and totally got swept along with it.

So what’s the set up?

Play Dead is the fourth in Byrne and Balzano Philadelphia crime novels. The deal is very much as it was before.

What’s the killer’s thing?

Someone is targeting (mostly) young runaways and using them to recreate magic tricks/illusions in real life. It is not pretty. And there are clues being fed to the police in a standard race against time scenario..

What’s the situation with Byrne?

He’s still in love with his ex-wife (there may be developments in that area hinted at here)  and he may also have a connection with one of the victims.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

Back with her husband properly now, not hitting things quite so much, settling down into being an experienced member of the team.

Is there anything new here?

Not really, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

What did I think of it?

I think I said in my review of the last volume in the series that it could have been the end of the trilogy and that it had hinted at potential changes for our two lead characters, but what was a little disconcerting (and a bit disappointing if I’m honest) is that those narrative threads are just dropped. Byrne’s lady friend has just fallen off the map entirely with no explanation, and Balzano’s thing is referenced very briefly nd only in passing. I wonder if the author was trying for something a little bit new because although the structure of the novels is still very similar (alternating between killer and the two main detectives POVs) we know exactly who the murderer is and what he’s up to and why right at the beginning, and a fourth perspective (that of a runaway who we assume is a potential victim) is introduced. Although the killer’s backstory adds real depth there are an awful lot of things and people stuffed into the book, and I wonder if that’s why the ongoing backstory for B&B is not so well-defined.

But still a high quality thriller, a bit more gothic than the others and for that reason alone hugely enjoyable.

So what’s the set-up?

Broken Angels is the third in the Byrne & Balzano Philadelphia series of crime novels, taking place some time after the events of  The Skin Gods and I won’t say more than that. The structure is the same as before, alternating narratives from the perspectives of the two detectives and the unidentified murderer(s). There may be a pattern here 🙂

What’s the killer’s thing?

Murder and mutilation of mostly (but not entirely) young women in the manner of classic fairy tales. But, to complicate matters, there seems to be another set of killings taking place. Of course they’re connected, but the question is exactly how.

What’s the situation with Byrne?

Right at the very beginning of the book Byrne is involved in an incident at a local coffee shop which, to say the least, does not go well, and he has to cope with the fall-out from that throughout the novel.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

Things are settling down in her personal life but she is getting broody, and is worried about her partner. She is still good at hitting things.

Is there anything new here?

Well, there is the introduction of a new detective to the team, Josh Bontrager, who looks like he might become a major fixture and has an interesting back-story, having been brought up in the Amish community. Cue lots of jokes.

What did I think of it?

Once again I enjoyed this novel but I think the formula is beginning to stretch a little bit, which is why I was glad that in some ways I didn’t have to work out who the murderer was (we know quite early on about one of the killers, and the other is identified to us through an alter ego). There is an interesting sub-plot about a retired detective and the case that continues to trouble him, and of course it’s all connected and of course they finally get to the bottom of it, but a lot of damage is done to everyone concerned. There is a fabulous set-piece near the end in the snowy countryside, and for that reason I thought this was probably the most cinematic of the books so far. The end of the novel seems to be setting up some potentially major changes for our heroes, and it felt a little bit like the conclusion of a trilogy and could have stopped there quite happily, but as we know there are another five in the series (so far).

So what’s the set-up?

The Skin Gods is the second in the Byrne & Balzano Philadelphia series of crime novels, taking place some time after the events of The Rosary Girls because of Stuff I Can’t Get Into (without spilling the beans on the previous book’s ending). The structure is the same as before, alternating narratives from the perspectives of the two detectives and the unidentified murderer.

What’s the killer’s thing?

Murder and mutilation of a wide range of people in the manner of famous movie murders, scenes which are filmed and spliced into video tapes for innocent members of the public to find.

What’s the situation with Byrne?

Suggestions of tainted evidence in an old case let a very nasty person out of jail while his conviction is reconsidered, and Byrne (who helped put him away) feels responsible for the woman said bad guy attacked and goes off the grid for parts of the novel to find out what’s going on and Put It Right.

What’s the situation with Balzano?

Still dealing with whether her husband is cheating or not. Has the joy of going undercover into the seedy parts of the film industry. Is still very good at hitting things.

What did I think of it?

Another enjoyable and pacy serial killer thriller (surely that’s a thing?), with some incredibly gory set pieces and a high level of inter-connectedness in the victims which strains credibility a touch but only if you stop to think about it, so I didn’t. Once again I thought I had worked out who the killer was only to get it totally wrong. Oh, and the FBI get involved in this one, and as someone who loves shows like Criminal Minds it was nice to see what it’s like from the local PD point of view when the Feds turn up. There is potential for the books to become a bit formulaic if the pattern in the first two is followed too closely in future volumes, but at the moment it’s still cool, largely because the two main characters are still flawed but immensely likeable.

I’ve already finished the third in the series and have started the fourth so that should tell you something. I may have said that before *tut* repetition, repetition 😀

So 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.