Hawke, Richard – SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

[LJ Roberts]

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL (Private Investigator-NYC-Cont) – G+
Hawke, Richard – 1^st book
Random House, 2005-US Hardcover – ISBN:

First Sentence: If she had known she would be dead in another five minutes, maybe she wouldn’t have swatted her son so hard.

PI Fritz Malone went out to buy bagels and has stopped to watch in balloons in the New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade. He didn’t expect to see a gunman take aim at the Mayor’s actress girlfriend and start killing people in the crowd. Fritz gives chase an becomes embroiled in a search for “The Nightmare” who is trying to extort millions from the City of New York and who willing to keep killing to get it.

Richard Hawke is the pseudonym for Tom Cockey under which name he writes “The Hearse…” series. Set in New York City, Hawke knows his city well and takes us along with him. I enjoyed Fritz and his girlfriend Margo but there are a lot of characters and it’s not always easy to keep them straight. There is plenty of action, particularly at the beginning then tapering off, twists and suspense. The plot is improbable, the coincidences huge, and the end is abrupt although unexpected. But the book kept moving right along and taking me with it. It’s another good book to pack for a trip.