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CON MAN'S DAUGHTER, THE
by Ed Dee
Mysterious Press, November 2003
288 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0892967943


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Eddie Dunne has had several different professions in his life. He spent time as a boxer, as a cop and finally as the driver for a Russian criminal. But now he is finally retired. He lives with his daughter, Kate, and granddaughter, Grace. His new life is peaceful, which is something he has never experienced before. Peaceful that is until Kate is kidnapped. Kate's kidnapping will lead Eddie down paths best forgotten and betray others in order to find her.

Eddie does call the police and they send out Barbara Panko or Babsie, as he has always known her. Not willing to rely merely on the police, he visits his boss Anatoly Lukin. Lukin has a decent life yet his enemy Yuri Borodenko has been torturing and killing his former associates for a supposedly hidden fortune. Lukin believes that Borodenko is responsible for Kate's kidnapping but lacks the power to end the stand off. Being an outsider, Eddie has the power to do what Lukin cannot. As time drags on without a ransom demand, Kate's time begins to runs out. Eddie must rely on all of his hidden talents to find Kate before she is murdered.

This is a strong thriller/ mystery. The characters are interesting and tightly drawn. Eddie's character seems realistic and his actions fit with the image of a minor player in the Russian mob. The irony of an Irish man involved in the Russian mob is not lost on the reader. The writing is taut and keeps the reader moving along with the story. The book is short on verbose description; yet, does not feel unpolished or overly stark.

THE CON MAN'S DAUGHTER portrays two different views of Russian criminal activity. Eddie Dunne, who has viewed it from the inside, sees it as several small time operations. In Eddie's mind, the Russians are uncomfortable with the organization and hierarchy that a single mob would create. The Russian criminal unit will more likely have one head with several bodyguards, a couple of enforcers and a driver but will not involve large groups of people. To the FBI, the Russian mob is similar to the Italian mob found in THE GODFATHER and other such works. This is the only explanation that the FBI can find for the power that the Russians wield in a community and the money they send out of the country. This dichotomy between what an insider and an outsider sees is interesting and helps to keep the book moving.

THE CON MAN'S DAUGHTER is Ed Dee's first stand alone novel. This book demonstrates the reason behind Dee's status within the genre.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, October 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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