And Every Man Has To Die by Frank Zafiro, a Mysterious Review.

Review: The cops of River City, Washington face against an increasing powerful Russian crime organization, one which is ruthless in achieving its objectives, in And Every Man Has To Die, the fourth mystery in this series by Frank Zafiro.

Valeriy Alexandrovich Romanov has his eyes set on running a crime organization in River City. The biggest obstacle in his way is not the local police — they don't believe he is a threat — but his brother-in-law Sergey Markov, for whom he currently works. He needs a plan that will achieve what may be impossible: removing Sergey without endangering his sister Marina all the while solidifying his power. The River City police are slow to realize the potential for organized crime within the growing Russian community. A police analyst, however, not only recognizes the problem but succinctly sums it up for her superiors: "[T]his is a group of men that were able to function under the oppressive Soviet government. Not only function, but thrive. Now, here in America, they are unfettered by that iron grip. The freedom of our country gives them virtually unbridled opportunity. Our laws don't matter to them. Our jails don't frighten them. And our police don't worry them one little bit."

And Every Man Has To Die alternates between the storylines of the River City police and Valeriy Romanov. Of the two, the latter is by far the more interesting, following Valeriy as he develops, then executes on, his plans for control of the organization. On the River City side, and typical of police procedurals where the team is more important than the individual, there are an extraordinary number of characters who have significant parts to play; it's hard at times to keep track of who's who. That they interact with each other in different contexts, and not all are actively (or directly) involved in dealing with Valeriy's scheming, adds somewhat to the confusion. This is not a crime novel with a well-defined beginning, middle, and conclusion; rather, it's an on-going process for the police of River City to try to keep its citizens safe with the reader merely being an observer in this book to but one effort. There may be battles to be won — on both sides — but the war is not over by any means.

Acknowledgment: Gray Dog Press provided an ARC of And Every Man Has To Die for this review.

Dead Even
Gray Dog Press (Trade Paperback), October 2010
ISBN-13: 9781936178339; ISBN-10: 1936178338

And Every Man Has To Die

A River City Crime Novel by Frank Zafiro