A New York crime thriller that cleverly assembles a group of loosely connected people and explores the threads that increasingly tie them together. There’s a crime writer accused of murder, a former police commissioner who somehow can’t get the case out of his mind, a gallery owner exploring the outer extremes of her sexuality and a serial killer driven insane by the grief of losing his family because of September 11th. In fact, the destruction of the twin towers is at the heart of this story. It’s very much a New York novel, with a love for the city infusing even the more disturbing elements.
If there’s one criticism it’s that – after a long build up – matters seem wrapped up a little too quickly and conveniently at the end. As usual, Block’s prose is dynamic enough that you’d be happy for the whole thing to have continued for a few more hundred pages.
