Customer Reviews

Badlands: A Novel of Suspense (Thorndike Crime Scene)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Runaway girls are turning up brutally murdered, in various bizarre ways, in the city of Philadelphia. Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balazano are on the case, trying to hunt down the sadistic killer.

I thought Badlands was a pretty good thriller. Having read a number of books in this series, I think the Byrne/Balzano partnership works quite well. The plot held my interest throughout, as the detectives try to track down this particularly nasty killer, before he can strike again. Overall, not quite a page turner, but worth a look.

I've said it before and I'm saying it again having now read all seven of Richard Montanari's books: I am convinced that he is incapable of writing a bad book and he deserves to have a much wider reading audience. Montanari's writing style and interesting, well-developed characters will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next in the fourth book in the series featuring Detectives Byrne and Balzano. That being said, however, Badlands does not quite measure up to the first two excellent books in the series, The Rosary Girls and The Skin Gods, but it is better than Merciless. Putting these comparative comments aside, Badlands -- which has Byrne and Balzano working working a "cold case" involving the death of a runaway teen in the dangerous, desolate North Philly district dubbed the Badlands -- is filled with suspense and excitement, strong characterizations, very believable prose and several complex plot twists. The only factor that keeps me from giving Badlands a 5-star rating is that I found the ending to be somewhat predictable -- but let me reassure you that this is only a minor criticism, and one that I hope will not turn you away from considering reading a book that is a real page-turner.

Lock the doors, settle into a comfortable chair, and prepare to be swept away in the mystery and intrigue of Badlands. This chilling suspense novel, filled with gruesome murders conducted along a twisted plot in north Philadelphia, will keep you turning page after page as the puzzle unfolds.

Joseph Swann, known to his victims as Mr. Ludo, is the brilliant son of a magician-gone-madman. Keenly adept with his hands, he builds keepsake furniture pieces for the wealthy to support his passion for magic, puzzles, and murder. With tormented thoughts from a long-lost childhood, Swann attempts to collect revenge on his past by hunting teenage runaways to become his magician's assistants. A handsome, smooth-talking man with knowledge on current events and pop culture, and a vast array of stage disguises that transform him into anyone he wants to become, Swann is able to gain the confidence of his young victims and lure them into his trap. In his relic mansion with hidden passages, Swann tenderly cares for each of his victims until he is ready to display their bodies as part of his Seven Wonders.

Detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are assigned to the cold case of Caitlin O'Riordan, and quickly find that the case is not really cold, and the killer is on the loose. Collaborating with officers who worked the case in the past, street-smart runaways, and the famous author of a tangram book, the detectives begin to close in on their prey. The question is, will they catch him before the seventh girl dies?

Author Richard Montanari is a skilled novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work has appeared in numerous national and regional publications. He is an OLMA award winner and has also written Merciless, The Skin Gods, The Rosary Girls, Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and The Violet Hour.

Armchair Interviews says: Chills and suspense in a well-written novel.

The word that came to my mind after reading this book was "WOW!" Badlands is located in North Philadelphia in an area that is old, run down, bad, and does not have the nicest living there or hanging out near it. Police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are switched to the elite Special Investigations Unit of the city police force. Mostly young runaway girls are found brutally killed and every time the police think they have a new clue that will corner and capture this killer, something else is left for them leading them in another direction. These clues are, as they finally find out, clues from puzzles and/or magicians. The killer sends or phones messages but they always lead to another area or house in the Badlands. The police are always one step or more behind this horrific killer. Byrne and Balzano are kept very busy as are the police added to assist in this search.

The villain watches young women in various areas of the city, determines which ones would be the easiest for him to gain faith and trust. Eventually, the victims are unknowingly drugged and are taken one at a time to his hidden lair. He alters his appearance so a description was next to impossible for anyone that might have seem anything going on. The killer was smart but the police knew he would make a mistake some time but WHEN? Eve Galvez was a top-notch cop and very good friend of detective Balzano. When Eve disappeared the dragnet increased with more resources immediately thrown into the search. This now missing woman involved one of their own, and that message increases every cop's urgency.

As days went by, the discovery of another missing girl, or a body, or bodies with clues that the killer left to tell the police where he was and what he planned next, but the clues were deeply rooted in puzzle clues that were almost impossible to solve.

Mr. Ludo was a name he left for them. The name he was going by now was Joseph Edmund Swann. Swann, now thirty-eight, had a horrible life from a child growing up through his adult years and even now it was miserable mainly because of his mind being so messed up. His mind worked in strange, mysterious ways with thoughts drifting to all times of his life, his parents, and his task now of finding certain characteristics in a girl that he needed for his final puzzle solution. He would change his appearance almost every time he was in public view, making his true appearance different to anyone. Swann's father, Karl Swann, had been a traveling magician, many times using his son, Joseph, in his acts, no matter how dangerous they were. This change in appearance also helped Swann get close to his victims making them think he was helping them.

As the police moved on with the case, they contacted some experts in the field of magic and illusions, some active, some that had written books, and some that were expert puzzle solvers. Several more police joined the team as they rushed from place to place trying to solve the clues before this killer had another victim.

Richard Montaneri is great at describing people and places in words more descriptive and understandable than many authors. He keeps the reader's mind actually in the area with the victims, the police, and Swann himself. I highly recommend this book to any suspense and mystery readers.

Montanari write some of the best mysteries on the market, and it truly surprises me that there are not more reviews for this fantastic book.

Byrne and Balzano are great characters, in fact all the characters are well-defined and realistic. Montanari does a remarkable job making the city of Philadelphia so much a part of the story. It's very existence is a part of the mystery here. Also, the killer is so unique and his murderous reasons so unusual that they truly set this book apart from other mysteries.

While BADLANDS is part of a series, you do not need to have read the previous books to get into the story. This is great thriller.

This book has a great setting and atmosphere: the details of the house are particularly interesting. The crime is somewhat interesting, as are the characters. For me, something was missing in this book: something to make the story compelling. I felt forward movement in the plot, but no rising tension. Nevertheless, I would read another book by this author because of how real the setting felt.

Another great one at the hands of Montenari. again, not as good as the Rosary Girls, but an excellent read nonetheless. Again, I will caution, please read the series in order

If you're going to write great cop fiction, you need two things: great cops and great villains. Richard Montanari has both in his Philadelphia police series and his latest installment, Badlands, delivers an exceptionally creepy villain. This particular killer leads detectives on a scavenger hunt around Philadelphia, leaving clues and bodies for them to find. A dead runaway in a dry, abandoned basement, inexplicably dead of drowning. An old refrigerator in a vacant lot with a grisly surprise. A strange name spelled out in Scrabble tiles at the scene of a suicide. A bible with curious markings. An ancient Chinese tangram puzzle. Video clues on a goth website. The killer's own Masterpiece Theater.

My one great disappointment in the books is that they are not set in Cleveland; Montanari is a local boy, but sadly the Cleveland Police Department was not inclined to cooperate when he wanted to set a crime novel in their backyard. I've heard him tell the story of how, after being turned away in Cleveland, he was welcomed in Philadelphia, and has made great friends with the officers and detectives there. A missed opportunity, in my opinion, but I don't know if the Cleveland PD feels the same way.

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Having now read all Mr. Montanari's books, I can only say to the author "keep up the GREAT work"! And to those of you out there who have yet to read any of this author's books, help yourself to any title, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Mr. Montanari's most original plots, wonderful characterizations, and well-written style (I just seem to zoom through these books) which keeps the reader from actually putting the book down and getting other "stuff" done make for the best entertainment around!!

I don't want to appear impatient as each of his books have been well worth the wait, BUT I must say I can't wait until his next tale arrives on the shelves!!! Thank you, Mr. Montanari, for the hours of enjoyment.

"Badlands" is a collage of treacherous puzzles made of people's lives - some evil, most desperate. The plot is constructed of indestructible cards. Foresight and meticulous planning compete with righteous behavior. My hat goes off to Richard Montanari for providing a realistic view into the minds of civil servants and runaways in Philadelphia. Their lives are intricately weaved into the struggle to mature in the cruel and beautiful world around them.