I
confess that I am unable to resist a mystery that seizes me and holds me in its grasp. That is
exactly how I felt about Rizzo.
One
cannot help but sympathize with Nathan Rizzo. Here he is--a Pittsburgh Police
Detective, retired after 32 years, a widower still mourning the loss of his
wife, and he decides to accept a position as Police Chief in the small
Pennsylvania town of Braden. With minimal crime in this new location, life will
be quiet and peaceful, and he should have just enough to do to keep his mind
occupied and give this 15 officer police department and rural population the
benefit of his experience and leadership.
The
apple pie doesn’t always bake to our satisfaction, however. Sometimes the crust collapses, and that is precisely
what seems to be happening to Rizzo. As he navigates the precarious politics
present even in a small town setting, five months after his arrival the
unthinkable is happening. A series of grizzly murders occurs, and Rizzo is left
to untangle the web of secrecy and mystery surrounding them. The challenges
that present themselves are magnified by deficient access to the sophisticated,
big city resources and support to which Rizzo is accustomed.
This
book has everything--the obvious anticipation inherent in digesting the details
of multiple whodunits, danger, a hint of romance, organized crime connection, small
town characters and cigars. Rizzo relishes his rooftop reflections with a
favorite cigar in hand.
Upon
reading the final chapter, I returned to the beginning to once again consume
clues that I may have overlooked during the initial read. Don Lewis, with his
legal background and expertise, excels at crafting an intense legal thriller.
I
can’t imagine that anyone would be disappointed in this book. Be aware that
there is a smattering of strong language and some graphic descriptions of
murder scenes, though neither are as gross as they potentially might have been.
For that, I was exceedingly grateful. Some language and visuals are merely
typical of a particular setting, subject matter, occupation or lifestyle. And
although I personally don’t care for foul language, I am well aware that thugs
and criminals wouldn’t ordinarily converse in sugar-coated, angelic phrases. To
his tremendous credit, Lewis minimizes its use.
To
escape into the world of an intriguing saga, Rizzo is an ideal selection!
Book Description
Nathan
Rizzo, a retired Pittsburgh Homicide Detective, recently widowed, needs
something to get his life started again. He finds it in an offer to become the
chief of police in a small town in North Central Pennsylvania.
Expecting
the job to be essentially stress-free, Rizzo and the small town of Braden are suddenly
confronted with a number of brutal murders, all seemingly committed by the same
person, yet without clues to connect the victims, and no evidence pointing to a
suspect.
The
investigation leads Rizzo to the ten year old unsolved murder of a police
officer in Twin Falls, Idaho. The key to solving the murders in
Braden may have to be found in Idaho.
A
number of suspects begin to surface, none but one of whom would seem to have a
sufficient motive for the extreme barbarism exercised in the Braden murders,
and that person died in an auto accident years earlier.
As
Rizzo winds his way through the maze that blocks the identity of the killer,
outside entities, including organized crime figures, influence and hinder the
investigation.
Working his way through a trail of
blood, brutality, and old buried psychological scars, Rizzo’s experience and
focus are severely tested, and leave him wondering if he should return to the
calmer, less taxing job of a Pittsburgh Homicide Detective.
Insight from Don Lewis
Detective
Nathan Rizzo, retired homicide detective and recently widowed, finds himself
and his life, lacking a purpose. Seeing this happening, his old friends and
fellow detectives at the Pittsburgh Police Homicide Squad, set him up with a
job as the chief of police in a small town in North Central Pennsylvania. Hoping and expecting that the
slow pace and lack of serious crime would allow him to keep busy in a
stress-free environment, he accepts the job.
As
it turns out, the most stressful case he had ever handled, a series of brutal
killings, lands in his lap in small town America. How he deals with this
situation and brings his experience to bear in a situation where he is
basically lacking the support network he had been used to, provides an insight
into the life of Chief Rizzo.
As
a career prosecutor and criminal trial attorney, I have known many police
detectives and have seen them work. I also know several big city cops who took
their act to the country and have watched them deal with this strange and
totally different environment. Thinking it would make for an interesting story,
I have followed the fictional Nathan Rizzo to such a town and have tried to see
into how such a man would react in the story line I have created in Rizzo.
 |
| Don Lewis |
About Author Don Lewis
As a trial lawyer in hundreds of
criminal jury trials, including more than 60 murder cases, Mr. Lewis is
uniquely qualified to author crime novels like Rizzo. During those years he has had exposure to all types of
witnesses and evidence.
Born
and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Lewis, a former
paratrooper and Vietnam Veteran, completed his undergraduate work at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania, and in 1970 received his law
degree from Duquesne
University Law
School in Pittsburgh.
In
2002 Mr. Lewis retired from the practice of law to devote more time to his
writing. In addition to Rizzo, he has
authored three other crime novels: Satan’s
Boots Don’t Creak, Dark Covenant,
and Kalup’s Crossroads.
You
may learn more about the author and his books and read sample chapters of each
at Mr. Lewis’ website: www.mysterywriterdonlewis.com.
*****
Stop by again in two weeks for another post about a "must read."
Happy Thanksgiving 2013 to all,
Mary Anne Benedetto
Author of Eyelash, 7 Easy Steps
to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!, Never
Say Perfect, From Italy with Love & Limoncello and Write Your Pet's Life Story in 7 Easy Steps!
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