Deadly Passion: A Tony Razzolito PI Story (The Razzman Files Book 2)

Author – Joe Congel

Publisher – Amazon

Date – 2018

Length – 174 pages

Stars – 5/5

Snapshot review

Unputdownable

Blurb

PI Tony Razzolito pieces together long forgotten clues as he tries to solve the twenty-year-old murder of a young high school grad, that is somehow linked to a recent brutal killing.
                                                          
But as he works through the list of suspects, he finds himself battling the seasoned homicide detective who couldn’t solve the murder the first time around.
 
Can the two forge a partnership long enough to solve both murders, or will their egos prevent a killer from being caught?

Review

This book is excellent.  Fast paced and gripping throughout.  The story is about a private detective, Razolito, who is called in to assist on the resolution of a murder in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It just so happens that the victim has been murdered in a very similar fashion to a cold case from 20 years ago and the detective working that case, Cahill, has been assigned the new case.  There is a difficult dynamic between Razzolito and Cahill as expected and Congel writes this very well.

I sometimes struggles with books that are telling more than one story at a time as I can get lost in the timeline.  Congel does a great job of keeping you on track and bringing together these two investigations to a dramatic climax, which I didn’t see coming.  The characters are believable and the story is well thought out. 

It is books like this, written by authors who you have never heard of or seen in the bookstore, that really excite me.  This man has a genuine talent for storytelling and I am sure there are many more out there too who don’t get the recognition they deserve.

What I liked especially

Suspense and revelations – Congel has a talent for keeping the reader interested and not giving away too much that the story is predictable.  This book starts out with a murder scene and keeps the tension going.  I really liked the relationship between Razzolito and Cahill and how this story of ego is translatable to pretty much any workplace.  Karen is a great counterpart to Razzolito and her insight into his difficult cases is welcome.

What I didn’t like

It’s very difficult for me to find any criticisms.  This was a well-written, well-proofread novel with a sound plot and exceptional story-telling.  I wasn’t aware that this was the second novel in the series and I will certainly be reading the others. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am sure you will too.  If you are a lover of crime fiction, you have to read this book.