The Criminalist [Hardcover]

Eugene Izzi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Terry Moran is a cop whose rapid rise in the department came to a crashing halt when he was accused of butchering his brother's wife. The accusation alone was enough to destroy a promising career, and now, twenty years later, he is a pariah among his peers; a lost and broken soul merely going through the motions of living and operating from the depths of his despair. Then the body of a young woman is discovered in an alleyway in a downtown commercial district--savagely slain with a gaping hole where her heart heart should be--and the all-consuming flames of supicion are feuled once more.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The saddest thing about Eugene Izzi's last book, completed just before his bizarre death by hanging in 1996, is that it could very well have been the start of a very successful series--just what this talented crime writer needed to get his career back on track after some false moves and setbacks.

Dominick DiGrazia, the criminalist of the title, is a fascinating, gifted Chicago homicide detective who has carefully avoided the promotions that would remove him from the actual work of investigating crimes. He has trouble keeping his explosive anger in check as less-qualified superiors try to misuse or take advantage of his expertise; his thorny personality and high standards also mark him as a loner. But when a pregnant young prostitute is murdered and savagely butchered on the 20th anniversary of another similarly horrible killing, DiGrazia asks Janice Constantine--a tough street cop in her 50s--to become his partner. It's a smart choice for him and a pleasure for readers: Constantine is a wonderfully real, totally unglamorous character with raspy edges that help keep DiGrazia honest.

Suspects in the new murder include Dr. Tom Moran, the psychiatrist whose pregnant wife was the first victim two decades before; Dr. Moran's cop brother, Terry Moran, whose career is frozen by rumors of his own involvement in that case; and Mike Schmidt, DiGrazia's former partner, obsessed to the point of alcoholism and insanity by the earlier case. And, as in Izzi's earlier books, Chicago in its many mean and meaty guises plays a major role in this final effort. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Everything that made the late Izzi (A Matter of Honor, 1997; Tribal Secrets, 1992) a spellbinding crime writer is present in this harrowing swan song of a novel. Unfortunately, all the minor narrative irritants that prevented the author from reaching bestseller status are also in evidence. As is usual in an Izzi caper, there are good and bad cops, extensive reflectiveness, little humor evident in the prose or in the characters, and a rollercoaster of a tale that comes close to sweeping all such critical quibbles aside. In the 20 years since Nancy Moran was brutally murdered, her doctor husband Tom has remarried; his brother Terry, who was a suspect, is a psychotic beat cop no one wants to work with; another brother, Frank, is a homeless drunk and also a witness to a new murder and mutilation that very closely resembles Nancy's. Both deaths were horrible, and both threaten to destroy the Moran family. Dominick DiGrazia is the good cop assigned the case, with his new partner, Janice Constantine; Mike Schmidt is the retired burnout and former partner of DiGrazia who was certain that Tom was Nancy's killer. In the psychiatric clinic that Tom Moran directs, a killer named Eddie wanders into a nightly group therapy meeting; his contributions to the discussion increase the suspense quotient. Izzi barrels through the narrative with his usual panache?the scattergun dialogue revealing an unflinching vision of lives twisted by abuse. There are a few too many loose ends and an excess of psychobabble, but with this tale, Izzi departs the crime fiction scene as raw, as flawed and as galvanizing a writer as he entered it 17 books ago.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380975408
• ISBN-13: 978-0380975402
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,975,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOO BAD WE WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER STORY FROM THIS AUTHOR, October 15, 1999

By 

Rosalie Owen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Criminalist (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating story about psychiatry, crime, relationships, serial killers and the police department. Any mystery fan should love this book. Well worth your time. It's just a shame Mr. Izzi is not around to write more winners like this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Izzi writes another spellbinder, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Criminalist (Mass Market Paperback)

I met Mr. Izzi when he was first published, and have followed his career with great joy, until the day he was taken from us. murder or accident? His books have always been so real, and The Criminalist is the best he had ever done. the people, the places and the events are all so real, I could not put it down.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A genius at work!, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Criminalist (Hardcover)

Previous reviews have well summarized the characters and plot of The Criminalist. All I can add is I never read an Izzi book without hoping it would never end. I hated to see this novel come to a close. It is brilliant in every respect: storyline, characters (chillingly real, honest, and abrupt), and realism. This novel held me from beginning to end. I cared about the people, I grimaced at the stupidity or venality of some of the police characters, I felt for DeGrazia whenever he was frustrated-I just was deeply involved in every aspect of this work. I am sure everyone who reads and enjoys this book will agree with me in my firm belief that Eugene Izzi did not commit suicide. He was murdered! A writer of such brilliance, with so much going for him, could not be that far gone. The circumstances of his death lead me to believe there were elements in Chicago who felt he was getting too close. To what? We'll never know. I read every book I could find by Izzi. I, for one, mourn his loss. He was a true great.