โ Scribed by David Rosenfelt
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Starred Review. At the height of the Reign of Terror in 1793, an unknown killer is emulating the work of the guillotine by leaving beheaded corpses all over Paris in Alleyn's superior fourth Aristide Ravel mystery (after 2009's The Cavalier of the Apocalypse). Given the tight control of the republican government, the police don't realize that the deaths are part of a series, but eventually former justice minister Georges Danton asks Ravel to solve the case. With delicate peace negotiations with the English under way, Danton fears that word of the atrocities will jeopardize them. The pressure to catch the killer only increases as the roster of victims expands to include a member of the government. Alleyn brilliantly captures the paranoid spirit of the times, and inserts enough twists to keep most readers guessing. This entry approaches the quality of the historical fiction of such authors as Steven Saylor and Laura Joh Rowland. (Dec.) (c)
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Bergen News reporter Chris Turley is tipped by phone about a potentially big story of political chicanery. But moments before he is to meet his anonymous informant, there is an explosion across the street, and Chris becomes an instant hero by rescuing five people from a shattered building. The explosion is assumed to be terrorism, and Chris appears on the Today Show 18 hours later. His story about the rescue is reprinted across the country. Soon other, random New Jerseyans die in blasts, and Chris realizes that his informant is also the brilliant and demented bomber. But who is he, and why is he doing these things? Rosenfelts Andy Carpenter novels are known for their breezy storytelling and humor. His first stand-alone, Dont Tell a Soul (2008), offered fine suspense as well as some humor. This one eschews humor to focus on the actions of ordinary people faced with extraordinary trials. It also employs a whiplash plot turn that may strain credulity, but its still an engaging suspense tale. --Thomas Gaughan
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