The Guilty
A
Henry Parker Mystery
Jason Pinter
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2463-X (077832463X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2463-8 (9780778324638)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $7.99
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Justice is as fast as a bullet…
As I lie in bed with Amanda, ignoring another late-night call from my
ex, a shot rings out in the New York night and a beautiful starlet dies
outside the city's most popular nightclub. This is the kind of story I
was born to chase—but I never dreamed this story began over a
hundred years ago. …
Suddenly another life is taken, the bullet fired from one of the
deadliest guns ever made. Both victims are highly controversial, their
murders more like public executions. My search leads me into the
twisted world of The Boy—a world defined by a demented code
of honor and shocking, long-buried secrets of the world's most infamous
outlaw.
When this assassin realizes I'm getting too close to the truth,
uncovering the past could jeopardize everything I care about. Because
in his world there's a fine line between good and evil, and the
difference between innocence and guilt depends on who's holding the
gun. …
Review:
Investigative journalist Henry Parker probes the murders of four
prominent people, all within days of each other, in The Guilty, the
second thriller in this series by Jason Pinter.
"Some reporters are always a step behind. Some reporters always keep
pace. Some reporters are always a step ahead. What kind of a reporter
are you?" So asks a plaque placed outside the news division of The
Gazette, a hard-hitting newspaper in New York City. Henry Parker has
vowed to be a step ahead, no matter what. The murders have the city on
edge and Henry tries to not only find the reasons behind their deaths
but possibly even the person responsible. The only clue: the victims
were killed with an antique Winchester rifle. His investigation takes
him from the ghettos of the city to the open plains of New Mexico. And
he makes a truly amazing connection between a modern killer and an
outlaw from the wild west.
The book's title, The
Guilty, is intentionally ambiguous. Who are the guilty?
Certainly Henry himself, who is presented as a flawed individual,
especially in his personal life, and in particular in his relationships
with women. In the killer's mind, however, the victims are "guilty of
the degeneration of society by their ethical and moral failures." But
why kill them with a famous (or possibly infamous) weapon from the late
1800s? This connection between crimes of the past and the present
murders makes for a compelling thriller and the best passages in the
story follow Henry's research, watching him link together the
pieces of this puzzle. There is a bit of hero worship, or maybe
romanticizing, for the outlaws of the past (Billy the Kid, Jesse James,
and others) that seems at odds with Henry's investigation of the
killings, but that's a minor criticism.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Guilty and to Precedent Media for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Mark
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback), July 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2489-3 (0778324893)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2489-8 (9780778324898)
The
Guilty
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2463-X (077832463X), March 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2463-8 (9780778324638)
The
Stolen
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback), August 2008
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2572-5 (0778325725)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2572-7 (9780778325727)
Omnimystery keywords for The Guilty ...
Location(s) referenced: New York City, New Mexico.