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PI Fritz Malone has a spotted heritage. He's the illegitimate son of the former Police Commissioner of New York City. Unfortunately no one knows where the former Commissioner is -- he disappeared years ago without a trace -- but Fritz, as a PI is well thought of by his dad's old cronies, those in power in the city. That's why, when shooting breaks out at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, Fritz propels himself right into the middle of the fray, taking down the shooter of seven people. But when the cops take Fritz away after covering his head with a bag, he knows that he has stepped into something big. Soon he is filled in on the inside knowledge that a killer is blackmailing the City of New York, demanding millions to not strike again. The mayor has his own private reasons for giving in to the blackmail and the current Police Commissioner asks Fritz to act as the city's go-between to the madman in order to keep the media away from the truth. Fritz accepts, only because he loves the city and he can tell that something else, something corrupt, is going on behind the whole City Hall front. Before long, more people are killed, and Fritz comes close himself. Then the deputy mayor is kidnapped and his fingers are sent to the Mayor with further instructions for payment. Fritz is determined to get to the bottom of all of it, to find the madman blackmailer, and uncover the reason for the secrecy from the Mayor's office and the identity of the main conspirators. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is Richard Hawke's first novel, and it's a doozy! It has all the classic components of a big city PI story, with a hardboiled, right-thinking PI, people who support him, including a strong, street smart woman and her father, Fritz's former PI mentor and partner. There's a cadre of corrupt politicians, all working their own agenda, and various low-lifes who don't mind getting their hands dirty as long as money is passed along. We also get a smattering of New York characters, including a group of inner-city nuns who try to keep their high morality while dealing with a killer. Hawke's characters are human, all with realistic histories. His location descriptions are bold and true to life and the mystery in this book has plenty of solid and satisfying twists and turns. There's not one false step in this story and the surprise ending really is a stunner. Bad guys are bad, but sometimes not bad enough, and the good guys don't always hold true to their sense of duty. Hawke shows a mature writer's hand here in his first book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is excellent.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, November 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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