Final Acts: A Novel [Hardcover]

Alex Abella (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2000

With the return of Cuban-American lawyer Charlie Morell, "New York Times" notable author Alex Abella once again takes readers into the dark, insidious underworld of cult killings, corrupt politicians, and the tortured heart of Morell's native Cuba.

When the decapitated bodies of young women appear along the California coast, Morell, hero of "The Killing of the Saints" and "Dead of Night," returns to investigate what appear to be cult-related murders. After working for years as one of Los Angeles's supreme and most controversial criminal defenders, Morell suddenly finds himself sitting in the defendant's chair, and only Mexican-American lawyer Rita Carr -- a feisty addition to the ranks of female sleuths -- can help prove his innocence.

Battling her own demons, past and present, Rita must jeopardize all she holds dear before she can get Morell off the hook and bring the real killer to justice.

Spinning the narrative from both perspectives, Morell and Rita keep their deepest secrets hidden from each other until the final terrifying end. "Final Acts," Abella's latest tale of murder, mystery, and the occult, is sure to make any reader an instant fan.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Charlie Morrell returns in a third adventure for the high-flying Cuban- American lawyer and author who made his first appearance in Alex Abella's The Killing of the Saints. This time Charlie's on the run from a murder charge involving the ritual slayings of two women linked to a murderous Havana cult, which gives the author a chance to demonstrate his expertise (and treat the reader to a travelogue) about Cuba in the waning days of the Castro regime. Given the state of geopolitics, it's a useful lesson in what's going on in other corners of the globe, too, as a security agent who uses Charlie's quest for his own purpose--to trap an American gangster--explains: "Perhaps you remember what happens in the final stages of a, let's say, authoritarian regime. Factions develop, differing interests struggle to position themselves in a restricted reality so as to reassert control and expand their particular spheres of influence. Moves are made to eliminate competing factions, which answer in kind, which leads to even greater instability, the whole thing being ultimately solved by either the hegemonic triumph of one factor or the imposition of a new extraneous order which takes advantage of all the infighting among the competing centers."

Charlie manages to stay one step ahead of an old foe in the LAPD, who thinks he killed the women to revive his career as an author and show his own lawyer, the redoubtable Rita Carr, how to do her job. This fast-paced read suffers from two shortcomings. Charlie's characterization is about an inch deep, and much of the story is recounted in a novel within a novel that's stylistically awkward and not as satisfying as a more direct approach might be. But Rita is a heroine to watch--maybe next time Abella will give her her own book. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

The rites and rituals of Santeria as seen through a thriller lens lay a gory groundwork in Abella's (The Killing of the Saints; Dead of Night) latest, once again starring lawyer/ author/private investigator Charlie Morell. Picking up where Dead of Night left off, when Morell's own Santeria beliefs result in his arrest for two brutal cult murders in Los Angeles and Alameda, this novel begins as Morell turns to Latina lawyer Rita Carr to mount his defense. Carr is skeptical when her client claims to be the victim of a massive conspiracy involving the L.A. County prosecutor's office, but the theory gains credence when Carr and Morell learn that prosecuting DA Phil Fuentes was indeed part of a coverup surrounding the supposed suicide of state senator Tom Decker. Abella employs an awkward technique, alternating Carr's Philip Marlowesque first-person narrative with the story Morell is writing of his own case as events ensue. He does little to flesh out a very thin plot, jumping into the murder scene without providing sufficient background on either Morell or the Santeria cult. The role of the cult remains largely undeveloped through most of the narrative, but Morell is given numerous opportunities to spout a peculiar spiritual psychobabble that slows down the plot and adds little to the story. Carr's engaging character is never fleshed out, and the appearance of a demonic cat burglar in her apartment provides a slapdash resolution to the book, which should satisfy the author's fans but won't do much to broaden his reader base. Agent, Joseph Regal, Russell & Volkening. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (December 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684859890
• ISBN-13: 978-0684859897
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,179,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality or ?, December 9, 2000

By 

Howard Gershan (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Acts: A Novel (Hardcover)

Another fast moving thriller from Alex Abella where he again displays his unique ability to mingle reality with the supernatural. The reader is never quite sure until the very end. Mr. Abella also exhibits rare expertise in the social culture of his native Cuba and the innerworkings of the Los Angeles criminal justice system.

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing end to Morrell trilogy, September 7, 2005

By 

Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Final Acts: A Novel (Hardcover)

"Final Acts" tries to recapture the magic of the two books that preceeded it, especially "Killing of the Saints", but it fails in this regard. Charlie's voice in this looks like a novelization of what he had experienced while on the lam for a series of murders that he didn't commit. There's hints of a large shadow conspiracy, which tend to be a part of bad or meriocre novels. Most of the story is told by Charlie Morrell's lawyer, Rita Carr. She's an ok narrator, but nothing great. All in all, doesn't live up to the first two, but Charlie's riff on the Beatles song with "Once there was a way..." is brilliant, and the lone good part.