Detroit Detective John Valentino knows El Camino Drive all too well. His father was murdered there on Halloween, 1978. Antonio Valentino was killed after work by three men, alleging he was having an affair with one of their wives. Claiming self-defense, the murderers are exonerated, believing that a toy pistol in the victim’s pocket was an actual weapon. After the murder trial, a family vendetta is loudly placed against his father’s killers. Forty years later, Detective Valentino is now an alcoholic, losing his wife and family to his drinking. After his mother dies, he cleans out the attic of her home, to find a wooden trunk with an evidence bag from the night of the murder. Included, is a blood-stained, water pistol he once owned as a little boy…the very toy pistol his father used to fool his killers. One evening, the wife of one of the murderers is found brutally stabbed in her ex-husband’s mobile home. Next to her body, is the stanza of a poem and a toy water pistol. Unknowingly, Valentino is now the prime suspect, as the particpants of his father's murder keep turning up dead, each with a new poem stanza and a water pistol next to their bodies.
Edward Izzi returns with another of his sensational thrillers that toss a number of well-developed characters together into a story that will have the reader flipping pages well into the night. Detroit P.D. Detective John Valentino finds himself in quite the predicament. A recently divorced, raging alcoholic with an anger management problem, Valentino’s been suspended for beating up his partner. There are other underlying issues, including having been raised without a father. On Hallowe’en Night, 1978, Antonio Valentino was murdered by three men along El Camino Drive. Young Johnny was only six at the time and saw his family fall apart. At the trial, the men got off and skirted justice by claiming a twisted sense of self-defence. Bitter and shocked, one member of the family promised revenge. Now, Detective Valentino is unearthing some of the records and making sense of what happened all those years ago. Tackling some of his demons, Valentino stops drinking and finds himself in what he feels is a healthy relationship. He begins to better understand his philandering father and vows to find the men who caused his family such pain. However, it seems someone is a few steps ahead of him. A few of those tied to the previous murder end up dead, with a unique calling card left at the scene, as well as a small piece of poetry related to the El Camino murder. John Valentino is surely at the top of the suspect list, but is able to alibi himself. With an elderly uncle whose final goal in life is to kill the men who got away with murder, whispers of a mafia boss with a bone to pick with those who killed in such a sloppy way, and even a son who is just now learning the psychological complexities of life without a father figure, the list of suspects seems endless. Yet, someone is exacting revenge and trying to balance the scales for the bloodshed on El Camino Drive back in ‘78. An addictive novel that has so many subplots that the reader will have to stay attentive throughout this story. Izzi proves yet again that he is a master in the field and should let the creative juices flow. Recommended to those who love a great crime thriller, as well as the reader who finds complex storylines to their liking.
I discovered Edward Izzi’s work by fluke when I was offered a copy of another book he wrote a number of months ago. Since then, I have been devouring all of his books within days of receiving them. Izzi writes in such a way that the reader is drawn into the story, with momentum gained as the plot thickens. John Valentino is a perfectly chosen protagonist for this book, with a backstory that is quite complex and sensational development throughout this book. The reader will see his struggles, which are tied into addiction and the trauma of his father’s murder, as well as how he sought to pull himself up by the proverbial bootstraps. Valentino may have a temper, but his passion to resolve the miscarriage of justice related to his father’s murder remains high on his priority list. Pulled into some complex subplots along the way by those who seek to use his access to information only adds to the story and richness of his character. The handful of other characters that Izzi creates add even more flavour to a story that is a perfect mix of thriller and coming of age. Izzi uses a technique that readers who have read all his other pieces will likely see. He creates a character in one of his novels and has them reappear in a subsequent book, offering updates and connecting the pieces without creating a formal series. A central character in one book might return and receive passing mention in another, or a wallflower might take up a major role in a subsequent novel. This is a brilliant technique and yet still allow the reader to pick up any of his novels without feeling the need to read the collection (though who would not want to read all these books?!). Izzi develops an ironclad story around a murder in 1978 and builds from there, offering not only flashbacks/forwards between that time and the present, but also fills in needed aspects from the past to develop more suspects in the present murders. This technique, while requiring the reader to pay close attention, offers rich rewards for those who accept the challenge. While the book is longer (close to 500 pages), it reads so easily that the reader will find they can devour a third of the book in one sitting and feel no sense of time drag. His dialogue is crisp, his plots evolving, and his characters relatable. Finally, using Detroit as his central setting, Izzi writes what he knows best and offers those who know the area with some special treats. This is one of those stories that is sure to receive a great deal of attention if put in the right hands. I can only hope others will discover the magic of this gritty novelist and turn to some of Izzi’s other work, which is just as captivating. Brilliant writing with a collection of standalone novels that have a thread of connectivity. I can only hope Edward Izzi keeps writing, as I am more than happy to keep reading. He stands above all others in a supersaturated genre and keeps getting better!
Kudos, Mr. Izzi, for another formidable effort. I cannot say enough and hope your work ends up into the hands of many, for they will be as astounded as I was to read such high quality work!
El Camino Drive is a unique murder mystery and crime novel that only Edward Izzi can write. It starts with the murder of a philandering family man, Tony Valentino, in Detroit on Halloween, 1978, whose death leaves his wife and family without a husband and father. The killers are exonerated for the murder, successfully pleading self defense. It seems that Tony had his son's water pistol in his coat pocket when he was killed on that Halloween night, trying to use it to fool his killers.
Forty years later, his son, John, is now a detective with Detroit P.D.'s Third Precinct. He has grown up to become an out of control alcoholic with severe anger issues. He has lost his wife and family to his drinking, and because of his anger issues, almost loses his job. After losing his mother, he and his sisters clean out her attic to find the evidence bags from his father's murder. Inside of that bag, is the green water gun that his father tried to use to ruse his killers.
John is now trying to fight the effects of his severe alcoholism, his uncontrollably bad temper, and the intense desire to inflict revenge on his father's killers who ruined his life.
This is a book that deals with the heartbreak of the tragic loss of one's father at a young age, and the long term demons that such losses inflict on one's life, especially when turning to alcoholism.
John Valentino is a struggling divorcee, a former father and husband, who is accused of possibly inflicting his revenge on his father's killers when they start turning up brutally murdered. And with each crime scene with green water pistol and a stanza of a creepy poem next to the body.
This story line is realistic, fast paced, and incredibly engaging. One will have a very difficult time putting this book down, as Izzi pulls the reader into this crime story further and deeper with each chapter. And like all of Izzi's books, there is the inclusion of some characters from his other crime novels that make this story even more endearing.
I highly recommend this new release by Edward Izzi, and as always, I look forward to reading more from this exciting new author. (less)
Izzi explores family ties, friendship, childhood trauma, alcoholism, and themes of redemption and justice in this taut, suspenseful tale of a family’s struggles with the forty years old murder of one of their own.
Antonio Valentino was shot at point blank range on El Camino Drive on the night of Halloween, 1978. Claiming self-defense, the murderers were able to walk scot-free, unaware of a family vendetta placed against them. Now forty years later, Detroit Detective John Valentino, Antonio’s son, is still struggling with his father’s violent killing. Recently suspended from the police force for misconduct, John’s life is in shambles with his alcohol addiction out of control and his marriage dissolved. While sorting out the attic in his family home after his mother’s death, John comes across the blood-stained toy pistol he owned as a child that his father tried to use as a ploy to divert his killers’ attention but failed. Soon, the wife of one of the killers is found stabbed to death with a toy water pistol and a stanza from a poem next to her body. As more murders follow in similar fashion, John becomes the prime suspect. But is he really the one on the killing spree or is there someone else hiding in shadows, setting their personal score?
Izzi spins his story skillfully by moving the narrative between different timelines, and his handling of the large cast of characters is achieved with a sure-handed skill and ease. John as a man who’s barely drifting through life because of his childhood trauma gets on readers’ nerves with his self-destroying tendencies, but his rough-around-the-edges and yet good-hearted persona make him an apt protagonist. And his obvious disregard for authorities makes him an endearing hero. Readers will find themselves rooting for him throughout. The secondary characters are equally convincing and sketched with thoughtfulness and care.
Izzi doesn’t defer from disclosing the fact that a family vendetta was passed against the killers, thus narrowing down the list of suspects quite early in the story, but he strengthens the suspense with cleverly constructed twists and turns and hard-to-spot, ingenious red herrings. The tension throughout the narrative that keeps readers on their toes skillfully matches the final reveal.
Readers trying to avoid extreme violence, bloodshed, and strong language should look elsewhere.
With its swiftly paced narrative, exciting plot, and realistic, convincing characters, the novel makes for an entertaining read. Crime readers seeking a finely constructed, quick read will be highly rewarded.
This is a totally hypnotic crime thriller. (less)
