Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: Small Crimes

By Sandy Amazeen Sep 19, 2008, 16:42 GMT

"Unputdownable. Classic noir, dark, funny, shocking and absolutely no compromise. Pure magic of the blackest kind."-Ken Bruen"A superbly crafted tale. Like the very best of modern noir, this is a story told in shades of grey. This deserves to be massive."-Allan Guthrie"Zeltserman delves deeply into his specialty, an unorthodox look at the criminal mind. It kept me turning pages and glancing over my shoulder."-Vicki HendricksCrooked cop Joe Denton gets out ...more

When ex-cop Joe Denton was released from county jail after serving a mere seven years for a string of crimes including maiming local D.A. Phil Oakley, he entertained hopes of reconnecting with his parents, his ex-wife and their two girls. What he got was heaping doses of animosity and an ultimatum to kill local mafia leader Manny Vassey or the D.A. Before his terminal cancer, Manny had his fingers in every illegal activity imaginable and with Phil reading the Bible at his bedside daily, it appears the old gangster is ready to tell the D.A. everything he knows.

Influential corrupt sheriffs have a vested interest in keeping Manny quiet and as Joe would be facing serious time and not in a county jail, his old cronies have decided it’s up to him deal with the problem. Seven years in prison gives a person time to reflect and Joe isn’t up to murder but he triggers a series of events that will have dramatic effects on the lives of everyone around him.

This is a dark twisted tale about how a few small acts can build into a force that has profound long term affects as Joe comes to terms with what has become of his life and ultimately, face redemption. The steady pace and well-developed characters convincingly move the story to a surprising if tragic ending.