Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Blood Mud
Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
K. C. Constantine
Class/Genre: Mystery Private Investigator
Series: Mario Balzic # 15
Mysterious, Apr 1999, $23.00, 375 pp.
As its former police chief, no one knows the failing industrial city of Rocksburg, Pennsylvania better than retired Mario Balzic. The former head cop turns to private sleuthing to relieve himself of the boredom of retirement, to escape the nagging of his spouse, and to supplement his income. Attorney Mo Valcanas hires his old buddy Mario to investigate an insurance claim that someone stole forty guns and 30,000 rounds of related ammunition.
As Mario investigates his town, he finds a myriad of suspects, some of who would not mind retiring the former police chief permanently. However, bullets and threats on his life aside, Mario suddenly suffers heart trouble as the cholesterol muddies his blood. Even as his health and his abilities diminish, Mario still needs to see justice is served before his mortality fails to allow him to finish this case.
The Balzic series is one of the best mystery collections on the market because the star suffers from all the problems of real life even as he conducts his investigations. The current tale, BLOOD MUD, shows how much talent K.C. Constantine possesses as Balzic finds mortality palely looking at him in the mirror. The investigation turns complex because of the number of suspects carving out their piece of a shrinking pie. The secondary cast such as Balzic's spouse and doctor augment the tale with humor and pathos. However, as in all the Balzic books, the lead protagonist makes it very clear that cardiac arrest or not he is the straw that stirs the plot of this entertaining novel.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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