KIRKUS REVIEW
A determined, empowered detective looking into two intense cases fuels this suspense thriller debut.
Magnetically drawn to police work from a young age because she “loved to discover secrets,” Santa Fe, New Mexico, officer Michelle Velasquez will find her mettle tested when she is assigned a cold case on top of a sexual assault investigation. The current case involves the rape of Maria Acevedo, a new hire at Jones Financial who was violently molested by an executive who threatened retaliation if she reported the event. Bent on avenging Acevedo’s attack, Velasquez digs deep into the case, but complicating matters is the reappearance of Richard Stanberry III, an arrogant, judgmental, and irritatingly persistent old friend from her past intent on worming his way back into her life if only to convince her that police work is too “degrading” for her. Worse still is an additional assignment of a 3-decade-old cold case involving the murder of Susie Murphy, who was Stanberry’s girlfriend and a friend of Velasquez’s at the time she was killed. This task proves to be just as complex as the rape investigation, as Velasquez diligently sifts through 30 years of history to expose a rising tide of prime suspects like Stanberry. Lending the book a well-rounded sense of development, Reichwein’s mystery is effectively narrated by a chorus of characters, ranging from Susie’s mother to the murder victim’s psychotic stalker/mailman and her college friend Cassie. They all provide a compelling backstory for the cold case, which ends up becoming the novel’s primary focus. Though readers will get intimately familiar with all of the players in this well-honed whodunit, it will be tough, resilient, seasoned detective Velasquez who remains the most solid character and who has enough brio to anchor the story through its rousing conclusion. There are some rough patches of awkward exposition and clunky dialogue, and the female equality message, while provocative and certainly timely, tends to be overly repetitive and heavy-handed. But overall, the brisk plot and compelling characterization more than make up for these narrative quibbles.
A fiery, absorbing, impressive crime fiction procedural sure to shake up fans of the genre and introduce readers to a new author with great potential.
Pub Date: March 9th, 2018
Page count: 283pp
Publisher: Best Seller Publishing, LLC
Program: Kirkus Indie
Review Posted Online: May 12th, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15th, 2018
A Different Kind of Fire & Fury: Revenge, by Julie Reichwein
by Mishka Rao on March 21, 2018 in Crime Thriller Books, New Book Releases, Psychological Thriller Books, Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Reviews https://bestthrillers.com/a-different-kind-of-fire-fury-revenge-by-julie-reichwein/.
The Bottom Line: A timely, high-octane revenge thriller for the #metoo era.
Julie Reichwein’s new thriller is a raw revenge fantasy where fiction meets the real-world fight to stop sexual assault. The story begins as Detective Michelle Velasquez is assigned to two cases, the first of which is the rape of financial company intern Maria Acevedo. The second is a 30-year-old murder case involving her former friend, Susie Murphy.
The connective tissue between the two cases comes in the form of a man, arrogant extreme skier Richard Stanberry III. Reichwein crafts the narrative from alternating points of view, including Velasquez, Acevedo, Stanberry and others. The structure works well enough, although those expecting much mystery or subtlety should look elsewhere. Like the Uma Thurman revenge thriller Kill Bill, Reichwein’s narrative is full-bore from the get-go, and is intended to invoke sympathy and revulsion from readers in equal measure. In this regard, it succeeds. Only a sociopath could come away from Reichwein’s novel without being somehow moved by the heartfelt grief, shame, compassion and violence demonstrated throughout.
References to the #metoo movement – including specific references to Twitter – appear throughout. Those looking for a tangible connection to Fire & Fury, the non-fiction expose on the Trump white house, won’t find one. Given the explosive content, however, one can guess that it may be a reference to the president’s warning to North Korea on Aug. 8, 2017 that he would unleash “fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Whether intentional or not, the title is an apt description for the raw emotion on display in this most unusual and effective novel.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIRE & FURY; REVENGE Rhttp://www.bookviral.com/a-different-kind-of-fire-fur/4594255031eads Spotlight On Author Julie
Detective Michelle Velasquez kicks ass with the Santa Fe Police Department, and she’ll need all her moxie May, 2013 as she’s assigned two cases which may be related. She’s assigned a vicious rape case of Maria Acevedo, an intern with the Jones Financial Group, as she gets a call from an old friend, Richard Stanberry III. He’s intent on re-connecting, but she’s suspicious of his motives for good reason.
As she digs into Maria Acevedo’s rape case, she’s assigned a thirty year old murder case of her former friend, Susie Murphy, who happened to be Richard Stanberry III’s girlfriend at the time of her murder. If Detective Velasquez wants to solve both cases, she’s going to have to put her life on the line to uncover some dark secrets that some prefer to stay buried.
Our review......
A sordid rape and a thirty-year-old cold case set the scene for what proves to be a classy and edgy debut for Reichwein and one that’s sure to get her noticed by avid readers of the genre. Crime fiction is by necessity plot driven and writing a good police procedural, thriller or suspense novel isn’t easy. New authors often find themselves juggling so many plot threads that they become irrevocably tangled but Reichwein weaves hers with genuine flair and A Different Kind Of Fire And Fury; Revenge is one of those novels where you’ll want to savour the fine detail. A sure sign of a bestseller the forward momentum is relentless as Detective Michelle Velasquez finds herself drawn into a web of lies and misdirection and whilst Reichwein may be new to the genre she’s clearly adept at revealing her characters’ emotions. Doing so through well-conceived backstories and a word or two of nicely nuanced dialogue readers who like James Patterson will find this certainly hits the mark.
With her sights clearly set on the genre's bestsellers, Reichwein has come out fighting with a series that has huge potential and
A Different Kind Of Fire And Fury; Revenge is highly recommended.
Recommend for the coveted BookViral Crimson Quill. To make your recommendation simply click on the award badge below......
Dark Secrets Prefer To Stay Buried!
A Different Kind of Fire & Fury: Revenge
by Julie Reichwein
Best Seller Publishing LLC
reviewed by Joe Kilgore
"There is good and bad in her like everyone I guess, so nothing she does surprises me anymore. I don’t even bother to ask."
Mystery crime novels are frequently conventional. This one is unconventional. Often, novels in this genre are written via the first-person voice of the protagonist or the villain. This novel has virtually every character speaking via the first person. The downside of this approach is occasional repetition. The upside is a cacophony of points of view that supercharge the narrative by offering multiple perspectives on events and behavior—events that are disturbing, and behavior that is bad.
Michelle is a detective with the Santa Fe Police who is trying to do two things at once: she’s attempting to bring a current rapist to justice while endeavoring to solve a thirty-year-old murder case. The victim of the homicide was an old college mate of hers. The author has the action jump back and forth from the present to the past, where seeds were sown among Michelle’s college crowd that may finally bear fruit some three decades later.
The plot is intricate. Too much detail would spoil the fun of unraveling it with the detective. Just be apprised that the story is awash with sex and perversion plus violence and viciousness. Crude language abounds. Horrific acts are depicted unflinchingly. This tale is definitely not for the squeamish. Author Reichwein paces her novel well. The read is fast and frequently furious. Her character development is strong. You’ll find yourself hating the dastardly, pitying the injured parties, and pulling for the few actually trying to right egregious wrongs. Dialogue, while coarse, is appropriate based on the types of individuals mouthing it. Reichwein’s novel is more a descendant of Jim Thompson than Raymond Chandler. It’s a walk on the decidedly wild side.
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Dear Julie,
Good morning,
We are glad to announce that the book review is ready, we have uploaded it to the different Amazon websites (US, UK,CA,AU) and Goodreads too:
Author Julie Reichwein has put together a gripping, relentless, super fast psychological thriller and I wouldn't expect less when it comes to... revenge!
This novel is divided in 69 chapters and each one of them is allocated to a specific character at a time. I really enjoy this kind of organization as it strengthens characterization, we come to know each one of the characters really well – ie. their motives, thoughts, traumas, fears, backgrounds, etc.
And certainly she did a thorough research about the different characters, for instance, sexual assailants and their psychology. For the characters have very strong personalities and their souls are masterfully exposed in their sick, gritty, dirty and dark glory, sometimes their behaviors borders on the ridicule but I think it adds to their authenticity.
Reichwein is very good also when it comes to describing scenes, she makes it look effortless as she uses the exact right amount of description – not wordy but also not lacking in detail, this will make the reader easily visualize the scene in his/her mind.
This novel features strong language and it is sexually charged.
We hope you like it.
Best wishes,
Sylvia
(circleofbooks.com)
Author Julie Reichwein has put together a gripping, relentless, super fast psychological thriller and I wouldn't expect less when it comes to... revenge!
This novel is divided in 69 chapters and each one of them is allocated to a specific character at a time. I really enjoy this kind of organization as it strengthens characterization, we come to know each one of the characters really well – ie. their motives, thoughts, traumas, fears, backgrounds, etc.
And certainly she did a thorough research about the different characters, for instance, sexual assailants and their psychology. For the characters have very strong personalities and their souls are masterfully exposed in their sick, gritty, dirty and dark glory, sometimes their behaviors borders on the ridicule but I think it adds to their authenticity.
Reichwein is very good also when it comes to describing scenes, she makes it look effortless as she uses the exact right amount of description – not wordy but also not lacking in detail, this will make the reader easily visualize the scene in his/her mind.
This novel features strong language and it is sexually charged.
We hope you like it.
Best wishes,
Sylvia
(circleofbooks.com)
