Customer Reviews

Dark Chant in a Crimson Key

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4 star:		(2)
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Of all the Mongo novels, this one is my second favorite. (#1 is The Beasts of Valhalla.) All the action, suspense and mystery with an exciting fight scene in a castle (which is what really put it over the edge for me.) You will never believe that the hero of the novels is a dwarf with a black belt. And yet after reading just one book, you'll believe it and want more.

Stop reading these reviews and buy all the Mongo books now!

"My dreams were filled with violent, vivid images...and the blurred face of a mysterious man who could at once countenance the slaughter of innocent people, and who was a torturer himself who burned out men's eyes, but who would risk his own torture and death to right a wrong. John Sinclair himself was emerging as a contradiction, a paradox, a very dark and dissonant Chant in a crimson key of blood, pain, and death."
- Mongo, contemplating Chant Sinclair

Crossover with the VEIL series and the "David Cross" CHANT series, but definitely a Mongo novel; as usual, his viewpoint is retained throughout. Some points of similarity with TWO SONGS THIS ARCHANGEL SINGS - not surprising, since Veil and Chant began as "Chant Kendry" until Chesbro's then-publisher decided that the result was "too literary" and sent Chesbro back to the drawing board with half the character name to try again. Like Veil, Chant had an impressive combat record in Vietnam that ended in disgrace - Chant deserted, reasons unknown, managing to escape representatives of *every* side of the war, all of whom wanted him dead. He then became a notorious international criminal, with a reputation for violence but also for conning con artists and stealing from thieves.

Status of other series characters: Lippitt and Mary Tree do not appear; Garth, Harper, and Veil are in on the action. All significant present-time action takes place in Switzerland, because Mongo took on an embarrassingly simple job at a regular client's request.

Chant Sinclair ripped off the Cornucopia Foundation to the tune of $10,000,000 by a very clever arrangement involving a false identity as a worthy cause and an electronic funds transfer. Now Interpol and the Swiss police, to name two organizations, are after him, the Swiss border having been sealed off, and Emmet P. Neuberger, head of Cornucopia, has begged Mongo to go to Switzerland just to give him an honest independent report.

Nobody in Zurich, however, believes this is anything but a poor excuse for a cover story, starting with CIA operative Duane Insolers (who becomes downright indiscreet in an effort to convince Mongo to level with him). The Swiss police don't believe it either, once bodies start piling up, some of them carrying a message arranging for a meeting with Mongo that never happened. Neuberger seems to have arranged for Mongo's presence in Zurich as bait for a now-sprung trap, and not for Chant.

Mongo *really* should have thought about the fact that one of the victims managed to have a distinguished Interpol career just cleaning up the crooks that Chant has ripped off, but he's initially bamboozled by Chant's evil reputation.

There's a lot of exposition as Mongo uncovers Chant's past, layer by layer, but it isn't handled as gracefully as Veil's was in TWO SONGS THIS ARCHANGEL SINGS; far more talking than deduction is going on. (However, the backstory involves a secret society, assassins, and a lot of other cool stuff.)

Solid pulp mystery in the Mongo series. This one introduces us to John Chant Sinclair a special forces soldier of fortune and protagonist of 3 novels of his own - whom Mongo is hired to investigate. Familiarity with several Mongo novels is a must before reading this one.

I like all the MONGO books, but this was certainly a good "dark" one. For my money, Chesbro is a modern ERB, writting thinly "veiled" sci-fi, and I thoroughly enjoy his reality streching plot lines and characters.

This is the first of the Mongo books I read. And it was a wonderful introduction to the world in George Chesbro's head.
It has all the elements of a great mystery,thriller and pulp style book.

This was my introduction to Mongo, a dwarf, ex circus performer, nad now a detective and sometime profeeser of criminology. His brother Garth, his friend Veil, and the unknown Chant. A wonderful plot involving the theft of huge sums of money, overseas travel and lots of action. I don't want to give too much away, but let me just say that because of this book I went on a two year quest to find all of Chesbro's books. And now, lucky you, they are all in print again.

This book means so much to me, I made my wife read it before we could get married.

Jon Jordan

Over the years Robert `Mongo' Frederickson and his brother Garth have built a successful detective agency and a global reputation. Naturally, they are expensive, and Mongo is perplexed when Emmet Neuberger, head of the Cornucopia Foundation decides he wants to send Mongo to Switzerland to follow up on an embezzlement case.

An international terrorist and super-criminal known as Chant Sinclair has found a way to trick the Foundation out of ten million dollars. Both the Swiss police and Interpol are already on the case. Because Chant has baffled authorities since defecting from the CIA in Viet Nam, several intelligence agencies are stirring also the pot. To Mongo, there seems to be no benefit in sending him into the mix, just to report on how the other enforcement agencies are doing. He smells a rat, but is lured by the idea of spending some cuddle time with girlfriend Harper in the Swiss Alps.

No sooner does Mongo arrive but what seems to be a simple embezzlement turns into a catastrophe of murder and violence. People associated with Chant keep dying horribly. An attempt on Mongo's life turns into the slaughter of countless innocents. The gunman's body is found to have a peculiar tattoo. Mongo, under suspicion himself, decides to hunt down Chant and untangle the layers of mystery that surround him. All of this is just the starting stanza of an incredibly tangle of events.

From its beginning, "Dark Chant in a Crimson Key" is pure intrigue, with a high violence quotient. Nothing is quite what it seems. Layers of agencies, foundations and secret organizations leave the reader's head spinning as Mongo tries to discover who is the real villain and who is the unsung hero. This is a tightly told tale that moves quickly. Chesbro's terse style keeps the reader's attention, and Mongo's tongue-in-cheek narration makes it all work.

Mongo along with Spenser are my 2 favorite detectives in fiction, i like the humor and action,this is George Chesbros best book, the charaters are all here, Veil, Garth, Chant and Mongo. I havent heard of any new books from mr chesbro in awhile.i hope he continues to write. but this story has all the action of watching a action movie, its fast paced and you dont want it to end.