The Deal Master
Non-series
Gerard
F. Bianco
iUniverse (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-595-67572-7 (0595675727)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-67572-2 (9780595675722)
Publication Date: February 2006
List Price: $26.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): In New York City, women with red hair are being
brutally murdered. Detective William Gillette and his team are on the
case, but they remain clueless until a curious stranger proposes a
series of tempting deals—an exchange of sorts—that will
help solve the crimes.
Gillette accepts the offer and plunges into the game. One deal after
the next, he draws closer to the killer. But each deal comes with a
price. Soon the detective finds himself in a dark hole—one he
can’t get out of without striking the ultimate deal. Is the Deal
Master Gillette’s savior—or his worst nightmare?
Review: Gerard
F. Bianco's debut mystery, The Deal
Master, has a compelling premise with a plot that is generally
well constructed but is fundamentally flawed by dialog and prose that
could have used some professional editing.
Jonathan Hamlin is a deal maker. Rather, a deal master. He is the
custodian of people's hopes and dreams, what they lust for, what they
desire, and what they can't live without. When a serial killer strikes
New York City, Detective William Gillette, himself the son of a famous
NYPD detective, is convinced that Hamlin is involved in some way. But
when months go by without an arrest, Gillette is desperate to prevent
another murder and strikes a deal with Hamlin to deliver the killer to
him.
To Bianco's credit, all events that take place in the book, while
improbable, are plausible. And the ending is especially intriguing,
with the reader asking the question, "Is it possible that ..." (To add
anything more would give away too much.)
The problem with The Deal Master
is with the writing. This could have been a stylish, atmospheric
mystery, but instead was rather pedestrian. The dialog was artificial
and the prose often insipid. The use of chapter titles in mysteries is
tricky: they help define the plot in juvenile books and are charming in
cozies, but in serious novels they often seem out of place. In The Deal
Master, they are almost comical and detract from the tone the author
was trying to set.
A decidedly mixed review for The
Deal Master. On the one hand, such a promising outline for a
psychological thriller; on the other, a mystery that could have been
and should have been better written.
Special thanks to Author Marketing Experts for providing a copy of The Deal Master for this review.
Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Deal Master? How would you rate it?
Books by this author ...
The Deal Master
iUniverse (Hardcover), February 2006
ISBN-10: 0-595-67572-7 (0595675727)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-67572-2 (9780595675722)
Omnimystery keywords for The Deal Master ...
Location(s) referenced: New York City.
