5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A chilling thriller, March 14, 2007
Justin Westwood is the police chief of East End Harbor, a small town in the Hamptons of Long Island that has little crime and fewer criminals.
That changes one evening with the brutal murder of Evan Harmon, a incredibly wealthy resident whose millions fail to insulate him from an unseen enemy that abuses Harmon's body so viciously his wife can only identify him by his wedding ring.
Larry Silverbush, the self-serving DA, focuses on Abby Harmon, the semi-estranged wife of the deceased, as his prime suspect. When her alibi turns out to be Westwood who she an affair, Silverbush drags Westwood into his net where Westwood will be forced to face the beasts of his past that have haunted his subconscious since the death of his wife.
To make matters worse, Westwood's brother-in-law vanishes and is soon found murdered. This event draws him back to his roots in Providence, Rhode Island and into a world he has been trying to leave behind ever since his days on the police force there.
Westwood tries to connect with his parents and his wife's grieving sister, with the promise to use his skills to discover whom the murderer is and see justice served. However, before he can get on the case, another past demon surfaces in the form of FBI agent Wanda Chinkle, who warns him off pursuing the case in Rhode Island. True to his rogue personality, Westwood carries on and shortly is called by his old friend and ex-boss, Providence's Chief of Police, to a vacant lot in Providence where Chinkle lies brutally murdered. At the scene Westwood is given his first real clue, written in blood by Chinkle before she died: "Hades."
As yet undeterred, Westwood uncovers an intricate international financial scheme that is lining the pockets of a New York financial manager's pockets, has ties to organized crime in Rhode Island, and has unleashed a sadistic pair of Chinese assassins.
Saying that Hades has more fine layers than French pastry would be putting it lightly. The writing is superb; the characters are flawlessly constructed; and the final solution to the puzzle facing Westwood is one you won't guess until you read it.
Armchair Interviews says: This one is a true thriller reader's thriller.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hades is Hot, March 13, 2007
Russell Andrews' thrillers have developed into reliable reads for those looking for smart and, at times, sassy entertainment. This is no small achievement in a market where it's become fashionable to see how far-out one can make a conspiracy. Though not quite as good as "Midas" (and with a "surprise twist" that can be seen several hundred pages before it's revealed), this third Justin Westwood thriller is a worthy addition to the canon and does the most important thing a series book can; make one look forward to the next one.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My first Russell Andrews book, June 27, 2007
Pros:
Easy to read, well written. Andrews appears to be a intelligent writer, you can tell he's an intelligent author by the way he describes peoples, actions or events in the book. What I'm saying is that most authors populate their books with pretty simple characters, you have your basic good and bad guys, your comedians, your tough guy with a good heart etc. Andrews' book has more complex characters, and you have to be aware of such characters before you can write about them.
Cons: Plot talks too much about older books in the series. Since I never read the other books, this was very annoying to me. Each book should stand on it's own! And if the book refers to other events, it should describe them so the reader doesn't have to read the other books!
And a few parts didn't make a lot of sense, for example
(Spoiler here -------------------------------------- How Justin defeats Togo by forcing his face into the burner just isn't realistic. Anyone who is as good in martial arts as Togo would know 100 ways to get out of a hold like that. Platinum deal didn't make a lot of sense to me. - Spoiler ends)
One plot device I really hate is the assistant Superman, in this case Bruno. Assistant Superman is the supporting character/friend who is basically a level gazillion fighter and the easy way to write out of any problem. You got a tough enemy? No problem, send your unkillable assistant Superman in and he takes care of the enemy and the writing.
All in all, I'll give Russell Andrews another chance. Good writing, easy to read, but could have a better plot.
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