Customer Reviews

ABSOLUTION

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'Absolution', Susan Fleet; 2008, Self-Published
In New Orleans, a psychotic killer is murdering women and removing trophies from them. New Orleans Police Department homicide detective Frank Renzi joins up with Rona Jefferson, an African-American journalist in his determination to apprehend this monster. Rona believes that too many black males are immediate suspects of the police department. A tip leads them down an unusual and surprising road. When the police begin to close in on the murderer, he gets to know an emotionally broken and weak teenage girl whom he convinces to run away with him. So now they're on the run with the police in pursuit when things really heat up.

For me, it is hard to believe that 'Absolution' is a first novel for Susan Fleet. Her story pulses with the experience of a career author who has written many mysteries. In 'Absolution', Fleet skillfullly introduces topics of corruption in the NOPD, racial tensions and religious conflicts while still maintaining a solid, concise and fascinating plot. She goes inside the head of the killer with a rare talent. 'Absolution' has characters that are engrossing and diversified; Fleet has done an excellent job of writing an 'I couldn't put it down' thriller.

First class writing! Hope there will be more from Susan Fleet.

FTC: Book provided by author

Intertwining relevant 21st century issues with captivating character development, suspenseful action and a little twist of humor now and then, Susan Fleet has created a crime drama that stands in a league of its own, far above the ordinary whodunit murder mystery. Fleet's pre-Katrina New Orleans 2005 has a serial killer on the loose, targeting vulnerable women; nerves are tighter than the strings on a jazz piano, while racial tensions and religious controversy play into the frantic efforts of rogue detective Frank Renzi to find the killer before he claims his next victim.

"Absolution" author Susan Fleet is well known in the music world as a trumpeter, music historian and champion of women's pioneering contributions to jazz and classical music; her website www.susanfleet.com contains an ever-growing wealth of information on these fascinating women. The website also provides another convenient venue for ordering ABSOLUTION, Ms. Fleet's first foray into fiction. This reader gives her newest endeavor a wholehearted "Bravo!"

If you like good suspense writing, you will love Absolution. Not only were there great characters and a colorful setting, but the book's well-crafted plot was full of surprises. Fleet kept me guessing about the killer's true identity right up to the end. A real page-turner!

Susan Fleet's thriller, "Absolution," can make the most disciplined reader totally ignore his usual bedtime in pursuit of "What happens next." It's the story of a serial killer with a tortured past who is intent on making his victims experience his pain. Fleet paints those scenes with a masterful stroke, conveying the horror without elongating graphic description to the degree that it would turn off traditional mystery readers.

The characters are all built on a solid foundation. Their motivations and actions are all consistent and believable. As tensions build, the characters reveal and adapt to their flaws in a way that enhances the plot and keeps the reader guessing about how it will play out. I hope the author intends to make her detective the central character in a series, and releases another one soon.

RJ McDonnell
Rock & Roll Mystery Series
[...]

This brutal, dark and explicit novel has a compelling drive to the third-person narrative that makes it difficult to look away. In part, I suspect, readers may be drawn on by an almost irresistible desire to learn how much farther the author is willing to go.
Set in one of the most suggestive cities on the continent, New Orleans, the author has created a nasty killer of similar proportions. The Sinner stalks his victims with a relentless attention to detail until one begins to wonder if he'll get away with his crimes. At times the suspense is extremely intense.

It reveals nothing to mention that he does meet an appropriate eventual end, because the mystery is in his identity, carefully concealed through most of the narrative. As the title suggests the psycho-sexual aberration at the heart of this killer's impetus is rooted in an intense religiosity and the issues that raises. The sweaty pre-Katrina summer season in New Orleans only enhances the often oppressive feelings of many of the scenes.
The novel combines a multiplicity of viewpoints with several elements of subgenres of this kind of commercial fiction, relentless if sometimes mis-directed police procedures, multiple murders, obscure and difficult motives and complicated relationships between members of a pretty large cast. The tension between the detectives and a local reporter, for example, is very well explored, as are certain racial elements.
If there are a few lapses in logic, an occasional unexplained coincidence, and some dialogue gaffes, overall, Absolution stands out as a highly credible effort.

Absolution (Susan Fleet)
Murder/Thriller/suspense. Frank Renzi is a New Orleans detective. He is on the case of a ruthless brutal serial killer. A crazed man motivated by a painful/torturous past. He stalks and lures his victims into his twisted web until he slays them mercilessly.

Soon Frank begins to piece it together... he knows who the killer is, he just needs solid evidence. Not everyone is so convinced. At first his theory seems improbable...but soon he is striving to catch him before it is too late. With the help of his psychologist friend Dana, they embark on a race for time to end this madman.

Fast paced, Nail-biting, page-turning all night read. Susan Fleet gets deep into the killers mind with heart-pounding chilling detail. I highly recommend to those who love suspense. I look forward to reading her next book , Diva.

Absolution is a thriller with some nasty and surprising twists. A serial killer is terrorizing young women in New Orleans. First, a black woman journalist accuses the police of racial profiling. Then she says the killer may be a priest. This causes an uproar and community outrage. As the body count rises NOPD Homicide Detective Frank Renzi zeroes in on the killer, who continues to taunt police as he lures more victims into his trap.

Renzi and the serial killer are the memorable characters. The killer's psychological problems are clearly explained and totally believable. Renzi comes across as a dedicated cop who wants to stop the killer and prevent more women from dying. Renzi is willing to break the rules as he tracks the killer. The book ends with a tense chase and a surprising twist. The pace is fast and furious from beginning to end.

Hot and steamy New Orleans provides the perfect backdrop to this suspenseful thriller. A diabolical serial killer lures young women into his trap, murdering them in their own homes. Undercurrents of racial bias tinge the police investigation, and controversy arises when a black female journalist suggests that the killer may be a priest. The well-drawn characters grab you by the throat, especially NOPD Homicide Detective Frank Renzi, the psychologically disturbed killer, and his vulnerable victims. Excellent dialogue and fast and furious pacing will keep you up all night. A thrilling read.

ABSOLUTION

I so enjoyed this well-written, exciting novel by Susan Fleet. I liked the characters, the plot, the way she uses words to convey the fear and imagery associated with stalking and serial murders. Her main character, Frank Renzi, is a likeable man, detective and father of an adult daughter around whom he feels very inadequate.

The imagery of New Orleans post-Katrina is heartbreaking and forms an extremely credible background for this plot.

This is the first of Susan Fleet's novels and I do hope she writes more as her second, DIVA, whetted my appetite well and truly for more.