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Death Row [Hardcover]

Jon Katz (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

July 13, 1998
In his latest outing in the world of "crime where you least expect it," Jon Katz's acclaimed Suburban Detective uncovers a murderous clique of doctors who prey on those whose lives they are entrusted to preserve.

Kit DeLeeuw has just about come to terms with his not-quite-acceptable status in the town of Rochambeau, New Jersey, when he is faced with contempt at home: his newly adolescent daughter suddenly decides he's just another uncool moron, like all the other adults in her life.  And right when his domestic situation has reached unprecedented levels of turmoil, he is shattered by the news that his friend and mentor, Benchley Carrolton, has suffered a stroke.

By the time Kit tries to see him, Benchley has been transferred to Elston Manor, the crown jewel in a chain of nursing homes run by a powerful local senator.  Elston Manor prides itself on providing comfort, good food, excellent care, and airtight security--security so tight it makes Kit suspicious.  Why won't the armed guards let him in? What makes Big Nurse so hostile? And what's the true story behind two recent "accidental" drug overdoses? Kit finally manages to bust Benchley out, but only to see him die at home, with suspiciously high blood levels of the same offending drug.

Drawn reluctantly into the world of nursing homes and assisted care facilities--"death rows" where, all too often, people send their loved ones to die--Kit suddenly finds himself facing threats from political heavies and the local police chief as he races to solve a case that has him crawling commando-style through gardens, "borrowing" his neighbor's car, and dodging bullets before he can uncover the terrible crimes being committed in the name of compassion.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kit DeLeeuw, the "Suburban Detective" whose last appearance was in The Fathers' Club (1996), still presents himself not only the primary caregiver for his suburban New Jersey family but also the last sensitive male. Thankfully, however, he also holds on to his role as sleuth in this series of nimbly plotted mysteries. Kit's closest friend, octogenarian Benchley, has had a stroke that leads to a stay at Elston Manor, a maximum security managed care facility, owned by a prominent politician, which boasts pristine lawns and a fine reputation. But Kit, who experiences initial difficulty in getting information about Benchley and then finds his friend acting scared, wonders what the staff and administration are being so secretive about. His investigation turns up a charge of incompetence leading to death (settled out of court) and the recent dismissal of the director for accepting kickbacks from a drug company. Kit discovers that the drug involved in the fatality is still in use and that the fired doctor is still on the premises; then he himself is threatened and shot at. After Benchly dies from an overdose, Kit lines up a team of unlikely associates to carry out a neat sting operation. While the pacing is slick, getting past Kit's vapid and sometimes pompously delivered worldview isn't easy. Readers may sympathize with Kit's daughter who directs a teenage surliness towards her dad.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this fifth entry in his Suburban Detective series, Katz's PI Kit DeLeeuw takes a stroll down death row--a macabre nickname for nursing homes and assisted-care facilities. DeLeeuw's best friend, Benchley Carrolton, has suffered a stroke and is taken to Elston Manor, one of the better-run facilities in New Jersey. Its owner, a state legislator, wants to retire on his string of nursing homes, but his plans may be in jeopardy when DeLeeuw begins to suspect that Carrolton has met with foul play while at Elston Manor. Katz's writing is particularly solid. Not only does he do a terrific job of portraying modern suburban life, but his mystery is so well plotted, and so shrouded in ambiguity, that the reader can barely guess what crimes have been committed, much less how they will be solved. Also nice is Katz's way with characters--nothing cardboard here. And DeLeeuw's first-person musings on life as boomer sandwiched between sullen adolescents and ailing parents will ring true for many mystery fans. Ilene Cooper

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (July 13, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385479220
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385479226
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,989,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bedlam Farm in upstate New York is where I live, write and tend my animals - four dogs, two donkeys, two barn cats. The rambling old farmhouse was built in 1862; it's surrounded by pastures, streams and wooded hillsides, plus four barns and a milkhouse in various stages of disrepair.

I write books- memoirs, novels, short story collections, and beginning in 2011, children's books. I am also a photographer.

In my former life, before I grew preoccupied with sheepherding and moving manure around. I wanted to change my life and write more about the experience of living with and understanding animals.
I write novels and nonfiction books (I've written 20 books), along with columns and articles for Rolling Stone, Wired, the New York Times, and the website HotWired.
Coming to the farm turned out to be a Joseph Campbell style "Hero's Journey." I went off into some dark places, got divorced, struggled to face myself, and found someone to share my life.

My wife Maria Wulf is an artist, who specializes in fiber art. She works in the Studio Barn across the road from the farmhouse. Earlier this year, I thought briefly of selling Bedlam Farm. After getting married, we decided to stay here. My daughter Emma, a sportswriter living in Brooklyn, has written her own book about New York baseball. I publish a blog I love dearly - www.bedlafarm.com. My photos appear there daily. My dogs are Izzy, Lenore, Frieda and Rose, the working dog who helps me run the farm.

My writing life began with a novel - "Sign Off" - an unwittingly prescient story about the jarring changes in work and security.

This year - 2010 - I am returning to fiction. I've written a novel, "Rose In A Storm," about a border collie stranded on a farm in upstate New York during a terrible storm. I wrote this book in conjunction with some animal behaviorists who helped me enter the mind of a dog, and hopefully, be faithful to that. My first children's book "Meet The Dogs Of Bedlam Farm," will be published by Henry Holt next year. I have just finished a short story collection to be published next year by Villard/Random House.
In recent years, photography has become central to me as well as writing. I have been fortunate enough to have several gallery showings of my work, and also sell my photos as notecards through the Redux Gallery in Dorset, Vt.

I am also working on a book about animal grieving. Hopefully, it will be useful.

 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time favorites!, August 4, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Death Row (Hardcover)
What a great book! This book had me laughing out loud. If you never have had the pleasure of reading a Jon Katz book you are in for a treat!! He is one of my favorites!!! Pick this one up- you won't be disappointed!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, for sure, August 23, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Death Row (Hardcover)
Wow, what a timely book! The protoganist is struggling to take care of his kids, plus he's worried about aging parents, plus he has to save a dear friend.Sad and moving. Like the NYTimes says in this week's book review, Katz really "turns up the emotional screw" with this one.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars IT AIN'T EASY GROWING OLD, September 16, 2005
This review is from: Death Row (Mass Market Paperback)
In what appears to be the last in the "Suburban Detective" series, DEATH ROW once again brings the sometimes pompous, sometimes foolhardy Kit DeLeeuw into suburban mayhem. This time one of the series' recurring characters is bumped off, prompting a devastated Kit to look into a nursing home for the elite. Katz' narrative is a little more preachy than usual and the pacing is not as tight as in his previous entries. Kit has become somewhat of a staunch do gooder, always right, and sometimes doing things that rational thinking would not deem probable. It's nice to see his supporting characters, such as Luis, Will, Evelyn and James get more use, but overall, this is a disappointing entry in the otherwise engaging series. Wouldn't mind seeing more from Kit in the future, though.
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