Customer Reviews

The Rosary Girls (Kevin Byrne & Jessica Balzano)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the Rosary Girls, Richard Montanari has created a masterpiece of suspense. Full of beautifully descriptive imagery, he brings the reader into modern Philadelphia for a harrowing and deeply disturbing tale of a ruthless serial killer who kidnaps, murders, and mutilates Catholic school girls and the detectives who try to catch him.

Montanari weaves his tale through the eyes of several different characters: the two main detectives on the case (Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano), a reporter covering the story, and the killer himself. Readers will find it interesting to see how the case takes a toll on the lives of the detectives both emotionally and physically.

I honestly could not put this book down. The short, but action-packed chapters add to the suspense, and the many dead-ends into which Montanari leads the reader will leave you as desperate to unmask the psychotic killer as the detectives. Catholic symbolism is everywhere, but Montanari explains everything so that readers of any faith can understand the events of the novel which take place during Holy Week (the week before Easter).

All in all, The Rosary Girls is a fast-paced, captivating thriller that will keep the reader on the edge of his seat until the EXTREMELY SURPRISING ending that no one could see coming. Don't miss this one!

Richard Montanari has been around for a little while, writing interesting, even riveting novels that peel back the dark and sordid side of the human psyche. Nothing he has previously done, however, will prepare readers for THE ROSARY GIRLS, his latest novel.

THE ROSARY GIRLS introduces Philadelphia Police Homicide detective Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano. Byrne, the veteran, has a high rate of solved cases --- that's what he's supposed to do, but as we quickly learn at the beginning of the novel, his methods are, uh, a bit old-school. In other words, he's effective. There is, however, a price. Byrne isn't broken, but he's badly bent. He's a seething mass of contradictions, all of which rub up against each other, hard and mean, with every move he makes. Naturally he's partnered up with Balzano, the rookie who has an approach to things that is a bit gentler, though she is certainly capable of meeting force with force --- she is, among other things, an amateur boxer in her spare time. The end result is that Balzano could not have a better teacher, and Byrne could not have a better partner.

Balzano and Byrne have their hands full when a fiend begins a ritualistic murder spree, killing Catholic high school girls and leaving them provocatively posed and unspeakably mutilated around the city of Philadelphia. The cops are trying to figure out what the common element is that links these particular girls. Montanari does a great job of plotting here. While the reader gets into the killer's head, it doesn't really help, and ultimately we don't know much more than the police do until the apocalyptic conclusion.

A warning here: Montanari will take you on a tour of the human psyche out where the buses have never run and where the sun has never shone. By the time you're halfway through this novel you might be checking to see if that cloistered nunnery in town is accepting any new novitiates and making an application for that daughter of yours.

The world that Montanari paints in THE ROSARY GIRLS is frightening, but it is also a world where a cop like Byrne is badly needed. Byrne and Balzano are tough and tender, with their methods complementing each other rather than clashing. Byrne's methodology gets him in trouble on a number of different levels. As a result he must engage in more of the same off-the-books tactics to resolve the situation. This creates a vicious cycle that doesn't leave much room for redemption. But is redemption necessary, or even appropriate? Byrne engages in some self-destructive behavior, but he gets the bad guys off the board, individuals who would be processed through the system for yet another go-round if they faced any justice at all. Montanari is overtly nonjudgmental on this, preferring to use Balzano as a tough but tender good cop to Byrne's bad but brutally effective cop. The result is a thoroughly engrossing work that is driven by plot, character development, and an edge-of-your-seat denouement.

THE ROSARY GIRLS fully reveals the dark talent that Montanari has hinted at in his previous work. This man is really, really good; he even infuses new life into the "dark house in the middle of the storm with the power out, with the murderer and the girl inside" conclusion, making it so exciting that you'll feel as if you're encountering it for the first time. I was on the edge of my seat, and didn't get off of it until I went around and checked to make sure that all the doors and windows were locked. Not a book for the faint-of-heart, THE ROSARY GIRLS writes its own new definition for the term "thriller."

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

An even better mystery than the excellent plot provided in The Rosary Girls is why Richard Montanari isn't a household name among thriller lovers. The Rosary Girls is one of the best thrillers I've read this year. The story pits two homicide detectives against a fiercely intelligent and relentlessly brutal serial killer -- a killer fueled by a twisted, sacrilegious fury. Montanari writes in a style and provides non-stop twists and turns that will have you glued to the edge of your seat. It's the type of book that you can't wait to finish to see how it ends -- but then you're sorry that it's over. I've already ordered all of Montanari's other books. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a copy of The Rosary Girls.

I enjoyed this one. Very gripping story, well told. Unlike Publisher's Weekly, I rather enjoyed the "Gothic" wording at times and felt they added to the overall feeling of the story. The author is truely a good story teller and has a wonderful command of the language. This is one of those you will want to start of a Friday night and hope Saturday is a rainy day with no where to go. Character developement was great. Recommend this one highly.

THE ROSARY GIRLS is one of the finest novels I have ever read. It is fast paced and filled with page after page of seat-edged suspense. The book is difficult to put down and will keep you awake long into the night. The characters are extremely well drawn. Even the secondary characters have substance and depth. The dialogue is smooth and realistic, never stilted or boring.

The first thing you will want to do when you finish this novel is read another of Richard Montanari's novels. Unfortunately, his previous novels are not readily available. The best thing this author's agent/publisher could do would be to reissue his backlist. It would be an act of kindness to all of us who favor the suspense or mystery genre.

This author should be encouraged to write, write and then write some more.

Fans of James Patterson, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Mary Higgins Clark, Nelson DeMille and John Lescroart will add Richard Montanari to their list of favorite authors.

I had never heard of Richard Montanari before a recommendation from an Amazon friend. Having gotten tired of the formulaic novels of many of my favorite authors (who are now late into their careers), I decided to give this one a try. Montanari pulls you in with the twisted, dark and contorted life of one of the main detectives, Kevin Bryne, adds a babe named Jessica Balzano as his new partner and you, the reader, are off to the races. The plot is well thought out and sustains the action throughout the book. There are twists and turns everywhere as the story unfolds and the reader is rocked from one side to the other. It is near impossible to see the end coming until well near the last pages.

Byrne is just as complex a character as Harry Bosch or the early Alex Cross, and the writing of Montanari can stand up to both early Connelly and the early James Patterson. The bad guy is every bit the challenge and menace that Gary Soneji and The Poet were. Where this author has been hiding and why no one has sounded the alert for his works is beyond me. This is one of the best crime fiction genre books that I've ever read and I've read hundreds.

4.5 Stars

I found myself HAVING to put this book down and do something else because I didn't want to finish it so quickly. I am thrilled to know that this is the first in a series of books featuring veteran cop Kevin Byrne and rookie (though after this book,she is SO not)Jessica Balzano.

Can't wait for the next one !!!

This was my first book by the author and will definitely be checking others out. I'm not going to write out a plot summary about this book. Amazon has one above and there are many by other reviewers. I loved the twists and turns this book took and how it would lead you down one path then get you on another. Enjoyed the two main characters interplay and no they aren't romantic. I get tired of that. Enjoyed the religious symbolism that wasn't demeaning. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great mystery thiller.

It took about 100 pages for me to get into this book--then I couldn't put it down. I thought I had it all figured out at least 3 times--Montanari filled the book with red herrings--and there are surprises right up to the last page.

The Rosary Girls is a wonderfully suspenseful novel about two detectives on the trial of a crazed yet meticulous serial killer who preys on young girls, killing them in the ghastly ways which represent a twisted interpretation of Catholic dogma. However, more than the killer this book is about the two detectives assigned to the case. Jessica Balzano is a rookie homicide cop and single divorced mother who must battle several of her own demons to solve the case. She is partnered with (externally) tough veteran Kevin Byrne who has his own ghosts to battle and has more depth and senstivity than at first meets the eye. With this novel Montanari has created a solid book with a gripping plot and frenetic pacing that captured my attention from the gruesome start. The Rosary Girls shines with fine writing, wonderful characterization, and crackling dialogue...it all builds to a very satisfying climax that will leave you gasping. The only problem I had with the book were some muddled scenes which peppered the text, mostly involving the several red herrings in the plot. This is one of those books that will someday make an EXCELLENT film, but you can be one of the ones to say, "I read that book when it was first published."