“Second Story Man”–Review

Good evening, bloggers! I hope you were able to enjoy World Book Day. This afternoon, I finished reading another great one from Charles Salzberg, so here’s my review.

Francis Hoyt is athletic, brilliant, arrogant, manipulative, and ruthless. He cares for no one but himself. In fact, he loves talking about himself, all the while truly believing he’ll always be the best at anything. What he’s always excelled in, though, is stealing high-end silver. Somehow, he’s been able to enter homes—usually while families were eating dinner—swipe the silver, and make his escape without leaving any trace of his DNA. How was it all possible? How did he manage to avoid getting caught?

Charlie Floyd is a recently retired investigator with Connecticut’s attorney general department. For years, he’s been a stubborn, yet highly-skilled investigator, but now felt it was the time to take some time for himself. When he receives a phone call from Manny Perez—a Miami police officer who’s worked with him in the past—regarding Francis Hoyt, Charlie is a bit hesitant. It isn’t long before Manny talks him into taking on the case with him, however, and the two friends work endlessly together, determined to not rest until Hoyt is behind bars.

Each chapter alternates from the points-of-view of Hoyt, Floyd, and Perez. When Hoyt eventually learns that Floyd and Perez are gaining on him, he taunts them. There’s no way he’s backing down, no matter the situation. He’ll do whatever it takes to have them out of the picture, even if some people may have to get hurt. I really liked where the story was going and the narration and dialog was well-written. Getting to know Hoyt’s story and why he did what he did made the story even better. Even the ending had me saying, “Are you kidding me?” No spoilers, of course. The whole story was realistic, which is what I do like in a novel. I recommend this one for crime fiction enthusiasts.

Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

About the author: Charles Salzberg is the author of the Shamus Award-nominated Swann’s Last Song, Swann Dives In, Swann’s Lake of Despair, and Swann’s Way Out. He also is the author of Devil in the Hole, which was chosen as one of the Best Crime Novels of 2013 by Suspense Magazine. He lives in New York City and teaches writing at the Writer’s Voice and the New York Writers Workshop, where he is proud to be a Founding Member. For more info, click here. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.

“Exhibit Alexandra”–Review

He thought he knew everything about her, until she went missing.

The story begins with Alexandra Southwood’s disappearance. While the police are investigating her disappearance and questioning her husband, Marc, Alexandra finds herself held against her will in a strange room. She’s forced to watch news clips of her coping husband and daughters who are desperately seeking information on her whereabouts. While held in the strange room, Alexandra thinks back to her memories when she met Marc, leading up to the life they’d eventually build together.

Meanwhile, Marc is keeping contact with the police. When he’s informed of his wife’s bloody belongings that were found, the case goes from missing person to a murder investigation. While friends and family tell him that he may have to accept that his wife’s gone, Marc thinks otherwise. He cannot—will not—accept that his wife is dead. He loves her too much. They’ve always been so happy…

Until months later—while the case is still going on—Marc comes across some letters addressed to Alexandra which may prove that she may not have been so happy after all. Marc, then, embarks on his own journey to find her, to finally get the answers to questions he’s asked for months.

I did like where the story was going. Once I learned the reason behind her disappearance, it made me so mad. In a good way, of course. I just couldn’t believe it, though. No worries, I won’t leave spoilers. All I can do is recommend you read the book. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*FTC Disclosure: I received this copy from Blogging for Books, in exchange for an honest review.

About the author: Natasha Bell grew up in Somerset and studied English literature at the University of York. She holds an MA in the humanities from the University of Chicago and an MA in creative writing from Goldsmiths. She lives in southeast London.