Customer Reviews

The Concrete Maze

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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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.

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.

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.

Jasmine Ramos is 13 years old and missing. That is the cold, hard fact. Her father, Luis Ramos, will stop at nothing to find her and then provide the justice that the reluctant NYPD detectives can't seem to meter out. Told through the eyes of Luis' nephew, Marc, the pair dive into a world of drugs, prostitution, and corruption driven by selfish people with too much money and too little humanity. The maze Luis must traverse includes slices of New York City that most don't see and many who have wish they hadn't. A smooth read, it is heart-wrenching at several points with twists that keep you guessing at the ultimate outcome. It is an urban noir thriller engrossing enough for a straight-through read. There is a depth and maturity in the writing that I'm sure will grow and pull this reader back for more. Any minor nit-picking is just that and doesn't diminish this from being a 5 star read.

Family is often a background element in mystery fiction. Beyond the obvious biological family, detectives often have an extended family of sorts that they rely on for assistance. That isn't the case here where Marc has a very involved biological family, a problem that won't be solved easily, and virtually zero outside assistance.

The year is 1992 and the setting is New York City as this suspenseful novel opens. Luis (Tio) Ramos left Puerto Rico years ago when he was drafted by the Army and sent to Vietnam. He saw combat, much of which he does not talk about, was wounded as well and survived the war to ultimately settle in NYC and raise a family. Now his daughter, Jasmine, who recently turned thirteen and hit that horrible acting out phase all teenagers go through to some degree or another, is missing. Tio has searched a little and now has come to his nephew, Marc, a cynical young man, to help him look.

From the start this isn't something Marc wants to do but he really doesn't have a choice as he can't say no to Tio. They begin a search for Jasmine at the local indoor skating hangout known as "The Skate Key" counting on Marc's age as being a way to get other teens to talk. As they begin to look for her and ask questions they run into a wall of police indifference based on racism, kids that won't talk for a variety of reasons, and drug dealers that rule the streets. Tio Ramos is going to attack the problem the same way that he dealt with the Viet Cong in the jungles of Vietnam. He embarks on a search and destroy mission with one goal--to get his daughter Jasmine back and everyone else, including his nephew Marc is expendable.

While NYC isn't Vietnam, the enemy is just as tenacious and dug in with the concrete streets and alleyways serving as his jungle. The characters make frequent forays out into various areas of the city searching for information, fight skirmishes and battles, before returning to their homes for food and a few hours of sleep. That military aspect of the work where the concrete city is the urban jungle and just as deadly as the jungle in some far off war zone is clichéd and yet it works well as does the pain of a missing child, a parent's worst nightmare as the cliché goes, a universal truth that almost anyone can relate to. That certainly is true here and something that Author Steven Torres uses to full chilling effect.

As he does the cynical world weary young college age student, Marc. Tio's nephew, Marc often sounds far older than his years and routinely expresses a cynical view of life, the world, and his family's place in things. Well aware that nothing can be fixed or reversed, he seeks to get the hunt for Jasmine over as fast as possible. Not because Jasmine could very well be in serious danger, but because he finds it all a bit much as she certainly needs to learn a lesson and besides that he has things to do. That sets up quickly a conflict between Tio, who sees family as everything and a reason for being, and Marc, who sees family as a burden to be tolerated.

Of course that results in conflict about strategies to employ in the search for Jasmine as well as how to deal with the other characters inside and outside of the family. While that conflict, that attention to detail could overwhelm the main theme of the work which is the hunt for Jasmine, it doesn't. Instead, it adds a depth and richness to a read full of intriguing characters, plenty of action and a twisting case which ultimately results in an intense and suspenseful novel.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2007

I was introduced to the author thru a short story he wrote in Bronx Noir
that I liked. This book has a similar theme of a young prostitute that becomes a victim of a particularly brutal crime. There are other similarities such as wealthy evil patrons and corrupt cops. Actually, I hate to admit it. But, I preferred that short story. Even though this is a quick read of 284 pages with continuous action it just seemed to be a bit tedious and goes on for too long.

Shows how far parents will go to help a child in trouble and how families can come together to support each other. Steven Torres is a very good author with strong understanding of his subject.

This book is so gripping, never let's you go! In fact, weeks after reading it, I still think about it. The characters are very interesting, you feel the pain of the father and cousin. The victim could be your daughter, caught up in things she has no idea about. It was sad, exciting, gripping, and oh so tough! You just never knew how hard the Puerto Ricans have it here in the USA. You learn alot as you are entertained. Give this one a try, it is well worth the read.

I just finished The Concrete Maze but didn't want it to end. Suspenseful and dynamic, this book was a fantastic read. I don't want to give anything away, just get it and look forward to when Steven Torres writes another one. I like Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Jonathan Kellerman and others. They've got a bunch of competition from Mr. Torres. Wonder when he makes best seller.

You can make it there, but many don't as New York City can eat you up and spit you out if you're not careful. Predators are waiting everywhere waiting for a nice girl to lure into prostitution and drugs. Luis Ramos went to pick up his beautiful thirteen year old daughter Jasmine only she wasn't there. Luis and his nephew Marc look for her and by talking to people they learn she is with Carlos Valle, a drug dealer and pimp. Her loving relatives fear the worst for her.

The police seem very disinterested so it is up to her father to try and find her. They do everything they can, trying to rescue Jasmine from Carlos. They don't stop searching until Detective Pearson tells them Jasmine is dead, her head found first before other body parts were located all around the city. Luis, with the help of Marc are not about to stop looking for the killer(s) and when (not if in their minds) they do, the culprit will learn how feels to sever body parts.

Readers get a look at the underbelly of the city, a place tourists know nothing about as they scurry from one place to another. The residents know what can happen to the young even if they are properly brought up because even a good person can go astray and make a mistake. Readers may have problems with the methods Luis uses to get information but he is not a police officer and a criminal will hardly lodge a complaint against him. Steven Torres has written an urban noir that defies the term, a powerhouse tale of immense strength that shows the author has insight and yes, compassion for what he is writing about.

Harriet Klausner