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Retirement. Publishers, thank you for the many years of reading pleasure you gave me, but all good things must come to an end. Due to failing eyesight I am forced to retire. I can no longer review your books, and any that you send will be donated to the local library, unread. Do not send any more. I can only read for a couple hours every day, and this does not allow me to finish a book in reasonable time. I will be devoting time to my own books from now on, and reading on a personal level. Books that interest me. I prefer paperbacks and hardbacks, not eBooks. My eyesight has been failing the last few years, and I cannot handle hundreds of review books any more. My books are still available for review. Anyone interested in reviewing any of them, they are found in the Link to Tom’s Books On Amazon. Contact me for pdf copies at fadingshadows40@gmail.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Blood Curse

Blood Curse (World Noir)
By Maurizio Giovanni
Europa Editions
ISBN #978-1609451134
384 Pages
Price $12.84
Rating 5-Stars

“A Mystery With Twists, And Characters That Come Alive.”

It’s 1931 Naples, and an old woman is found murdered. Investigation reveals that she was working as a fortune-teller and loan shark. Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi, Commissario of Public Safety in the Mobile Squad, Royal Police Headquarters, and his partner, Brigadier Raffaele Maione are assigned the case. They discover a notebook that lists the dead woman’s clients and their record of debts. Any of them could have killed the old woman, but it’s their job to find the guilty party.

The reader is captivated from the first page, and holds on for the full ride. We are never let down. Ricciardi has second sight; he can see the ghost of the victim’s final moments, and hear their last words. But this is merely a vague clue, and he must uncover the hidden meaning behind the final words. This is the type book that you either hate or love. I loved it. Although there is little or no action, we follow the investigators as they uncover clues and question suspects. We also get a view of their own lives in the background, and the story has two strong points: a great plot, and characters that come to life. It’s the characters that pull you into the story, and the plot that entangles you into the mystery. Just as the reader thinks they know who the killer is, twists will throw them off the scent again. I highly recommend this novel to pure mystery lovers.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories

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