Donna H. (myanniecat) reviewed Badlands (Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, Bk 4) on + 218 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
By far the best in the series so far. Such well fleshed characters, a very orginal plot line, and written in such a way that at times I found myself even feeling sympathy for the bad guy. And trust me, this is one creepy bad guy! This is one of those books that kept begging me to pick it up again, and I love it when a book calls to me that way. The pages just flew by. This will probably be one of my top picks for the year. Very well done!
Linda S. (Linda) reviewed Badlands (Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, Bk 4) on + 770 more book reviews
Great who-dun-it! I really liked the characters ... so true-to-life. Lots of action...
I liked the plot and character development for three quarters of the book, but then it seemed the author was trying to wrap it up and it became jumbled. So so book, I wouldn't recommend it.
Sandra S. (kattkatt99) reviewed Badlands (Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, Bk 4) on + 119 more book reviews
Badlands (2008)
From the dust jacket ...
Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are working a new beat: the Special Investigations Unit, AKA the cold case squad. Ironic, given it's the height of a blazing hot August. But even these hardened homicide veterans are chilled to the bone as the dormant murder case of Caitlin O'Riordan stirs to shocking new life â" leading Byrne and Balzano into the dark heart of their city, their souls, and a psyche of pure evil.
They'd seen it before: a teenaged runaway succumbing to the city's mean streets, her body found in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district called the Badlands. What's surprising is the corpse's condition: seated in a chair in a glass display case in a rancid, waterless apartment . . . and inexplicably dead by drowning.
When a man calls and confesses to the murder, the police rush in to arrest him. But instead of a killer, they find a ghastly scene â" a jar containing human remains â" along with a cryptic clue leading to an unlikely witness.
Laura Somerville lives far from the squalor of the Badlands, and seemingly light-years from any connection to a murdered runaway. But moments after discussing the case with this elegant, elderly woman, Byrne and Balzano make another grisly discovery, and find an enigmatic word spelled out in Scrabble® tiles.
Across town, another victim's shallow grave reveals deeper mysteries. Her secret diaries portray a woman haunted by a shocking past, and obsessed with finding a wanton killer.
Now, as the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being fit in place by the cruel hands of a madman using the city as his game board; whose playthings are the innocent; and whose opponents â" and pawns â" are Byrne and Balzano. With time running out, they must decipher the truth about a mysterious house of horrors and its shadowy master: the man who makes the rules . . . and takes the lives.
Internationally acclaimed author Richard Montanari works his black magic to spine-tingling perfection in Badlandsâ"conjuring all the relentless suspense, dark twists of intrigue, and full-throttle action that make his brilliant, engrossing novels required reading for thriller fans.
From the dust jacket ...
Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are working a new beat: the Special Investigations Unit, AKA the cold case squad. Ironic, given it's the height of a blazing hot August. But even these hardened homicide veterans are chilled to the bone as the dormant murder case of Caitlin O'Riordan stirs to shocking new life â" leading Byrne and Balzano into the dark heart of their city, their souls, and a psyche of pure evil.
They'd seen it before: a teenaged runaway succumbing to the city's mean streets, her body found in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district called the Badlands. What's surprising is the corpse's condition: seated in a chair in a glass display case in a rancid, waterless apartment . . . and inexplicably dead by drowning.
When a man calls and confesses to the murder, the police rush in to arrest him. But instead of a killer, they find a ghastly scene â" a jar containing human remains â" along with a cryptic clue leading to an unlikely witness.
Laura Somerville lives far from the squalor of the Badlands, and seemingly light-years from any connection to a murdered runaway. But moments after discussing the case with this elegant, elderly woman, Byrne and Balzano make another grisly discovery, and find an enigmatic word spelled out in Scrabble® tiles.
Across town, another victim's shallow grave reveals deeper mysteries. Her secret diaries portray a woman haunted by a shocking past, and obsessed with finding a wanton killer.
Now, as the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being fit in place by the cruel hands of a madman using the city as his game board; whose playthings are the innocent; and whose opponents â" and pawns â" are Byrne and Balzano. With time running out, they must decipher the truth about a mysterious house of horrors and its shadowy master: the man who makes the rules . . . and takes the lives.
Internationally acclaimed author Richard Montanari works his black magic to spine-tingling perfection in Badlandsâ"conjuring all the relentless suspense, dark twists of intrigue, and full-throttle action that make his brilliant, engrossing novels required reading for thriller fans.
Angie (aladdin) -
There are a lot of thriller books out there but none with quite the intensity of Montanari's homicide detective duo, Byrne and Balzanno from Philly. Then they encounter a psychotic serial killer (again) who is a magician and focused on illusion and misdirection to continue murdering teen aged runaways whom he lures into his web as a spider would a fly. Badlands provides an engrossing and absorbing glimpse into the details of detectives' daily dedication to duty!! and personal details about the driven characters personalities to make one wish the next novel were right here right now! Also, being from PA, a number of years ago, I like reading about Philly, even the dirty details of disturbed minds. A very taught and entertaining read.
