The Concrete Maze [Mass Market Paperback]

Steven Torres (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The author is Stephen Torres, NOT Schorr.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (July 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084395969X
• ISBN-13: 978-0843959697
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,763,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping and Very Human Read, October 5, 2007

By 

Jennifer "Editor, EXPLETIVE DELETED" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concrete Maze (Mass Market Paperback)

Steven Torres is one of the best writers and one of the most unsung writers in the genre. In THE CONCRETE MAZE, he takes a break from his Precinct Puerto Rico series to take his readers on a trip through hell.

Told by Marc Ramos, this story is wrapped around the disappearance of his cousin and his uncle's quest to find her. The police seem uninterested in locating the missing thirteen year old so they travel into dark corners of New York City that tourists try hard not to see to get her back. But the world of drugs and prostitution that his cousin disappeared into is unforgiving and what they find there changes both of them.

Torres uses the perspective of Marc to put the reader the role of the sometimes somewhat unwilling accomplice. Tio (Spanish for 'Uncle') Luis pulls Marc with him day after day and forces him to put himself in danger often so Luis may get his beloved daughter back.

The central theme to this novel is family. Luis is willing to sacrifice everything he has to recover his daughter and that same sense of family motivates Marc to help his uncle. The irony here is that Luis routinely puts Marc in harm's way to get his daughter back.

Torres captures the profound pain of Luis and the conflict in Marc to help the family but avoid being pulled into the dark world of drugs, guns and prostitution that his cousin found herself in.

And while the story is told in first person by Marc, the central character to the story is Luis. His motivations are sometimes clouded and his relentlessness in his pursuit felt disconcerting to me. But this is the hallmark of a great story where the reader feels invested in seeing how it all turns out.

This is a solid novel that shows that Torres can write excellent hard-boiled mysteries. I look forward to his next novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Updated urban noir., May 17, 2008

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Concrete Maze (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was actually a recommendation from the Sunday Salon group book blog. One of the folks who I read regularly there recommended Torres as a good crime writer.

The Concrete Maze is updated urban noir. When the thirteen-year-old cousin of Marc Ramos suddenly disappears, he gets pulled by his uncle into the quest to find her. The police do not take the disappearance seriously, at least at first. Marc does the right thing to help his family, but quickly realizes the danger that his uncle represents. A man with nothing left to lose is a dangerous detective, and does not stop to count the costs.

I enjoyed the book, and read it very quickly. Torres does the gritty dark thing really well. I bought the novel nearly completely. I was less enchanted by how he wrapped things up. (I am not a fan of conspiracy, and the ending felt a bit like a cop out) Still, I will certainly read another Torres if the opportunity presents itself.

A good read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful heart-wrenching novel, July 25, 2007

By 

Kevin R. Einarson "Reviewer for Spinetingler ... (The great white north) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concrete Maze (Mass Market Paperback)

The Concrete Maze is a story told by Marc Ramos about the disappearance of his cousin and his uncle's quest to find her. The police seem uninterested in locating the missing thirteen year old so they travel into dark corners of New York City that tourists try hard not to see to get her back. But the world of drugs and prostitution that his cousin disappeared into is unforgiving and what they find there changes both of them.

This novel is a departure from Torres "PRECINCT PUERTO RICO" series. This novel is darker, the themes more disturbing. Torres uses the perspective of Marc to put the reader the role of the sometimes somewhat unwilling accomplice. Tio (Spanish for 'Uncle') Luis pulls Marc with him day after day and forces him to put himself in danger often so Luis may get his beloved daughter back.

The central theme to this novel is family. Luis is willing to sacrifice everything he has to recover his daughter and that same sense of family motivates Marc to help his uncle. The irony here is that Luis routinely puts Marc in harm's way to get his daughter back.

The style that Torres used in this novel is very personal. The story is heartbreaking in places and angry in others. Torres captures the profound pain of Luis and the conflict in Marc to help the family but avoid being pulled into the dark world of drugs, guns and prostitution that his cousin found herself in.

And while the story is told in first person by Marc, the central character to the story is Luis. His motivations are sometimes clouded and his relentlessness in his pursuit felt disconcerting to me. But this is the hallmark of a good story where you feel invested in seeing how it all turns out.

The Concrete Maze is a solid novel that shows that Torres can write excellent hard-boiled mysteries. I look forward to his next novel.