Hades
A Justin Westwood Mystery
Russell Andrews
Mysterious
Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-89296-021-3 (0892960213)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-021-7 (9780892960217)
Publication Date: March 2007
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from
the
publisher): Police Chief Justin Westwood is content to escape his
big-city past in sleepy East End Harbor in the Hamptons, but the brutal murder of a
Wall Street shark is about to change all that-not least because
Westwood was in bed with the victim's wife at the time.
As Justin Westwood tries to clear himself of involvement in murder, a
multinational financial conspiracy brings destruction in its wake.
Westwood is willing to do whatever it takes to solve this crime, even
if it means teaming up with an FBI agent who once broke his heart.
A trail of dead bodies draws him back home to Providence, Rhode Island,
where he must deal with his own personal demons as well as reconnect
with troubling memories of the past. Here he will discover a complex
corporate scam with unimaginably murky depths, and at the heart of it
an evil, scheming intelligence and a deadly temptress whose greatest
joy lies in human suffering and death.
Review: The third entry in the Justin Westwood series by Russell Andrews, Hades,
has the Long Island police chief scrambling to clear his name when the
investigation of the brutal murder of a wealthy local businessman
implicates him in a potential cover-up.
Hades opens with
Westwood in bed with the widow-to-be. Though it gives her an airtight
alibi, the district attorney seizes upon the situation to promote his
grander political ambitions. Convinced the official authorities aren't
doing enough, and using his own connections, Westwood runs a parallel
investigation to uncover the truth behind the millionaire's death.
Across the Long Island Sound in Providence, Westwood has another death
to contend with, this one personal. His brother-in-law has been
murdered, and though somewhat estranged from his family, he enlists
their help in tracking down his killer. Though there is no apparent
connection between the two killings, a third murder, this time of an
FBI agent, uncovers evidence of a conspiracy far wider than anyone
thought.
The prologues are intriguing and the first chapter certainly puts an
interesting twist on the plot to come. But then the author makes a
serious error in judgment in writing what immediately follows,
effectively rendering moot what is ultimately intended to be a pivotal
plot point. Andrews subsequently proceeds to develop an overly complex
story involving international commodity trading and Enron-esque
financial management; a kinder, gentler Rhode Island mob; and a pair of
ruthless Asian killers; all of which seems intended to compensate for a
lack of suspense.
On the plus side, Hades is
well written and competently researched. Characterization and dialog
are spot on. Given how far-reaching the plot threads are, Andrews
deserves considerable credit in bringing them all together in the end
in a credible manner. And, in contrast to many writers who use
prologues that are promptly forgotten by both the reader and the
author, Andrews effectively incorporates them into the overall plot.
As an action-adventure thriller, Hades works, and works well. As a novel of suspense, it falls short.
Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for providing an ARC of Hades for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books
Mysteries in this series ...
Aphrodite
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), 2004
ISBN-10: 0-89296-784-6 (0892967846)
Midas
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), 2005
ISBN-10: 0-89296-791-9 (0892967919)
Hades
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89296-021-3 (0892960213)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-021-7 (9780892960217)
Omnimystery
keywords for Hades ...
Locations referenced: The Hamptons, Providence, Rhode Island.
