Book Review: Tribeca Blues

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Tribeca Blues     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jim Fusilli
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator
Series: Terry Orr # 3

Terry Orr is a very appealing addition to the roster of protagonists in suspense fiction. Orr is a long term resident of New York City, and has remained in his lower Manhattan home after the tragedy of two years ago. He also remains in a sort of suspended animation after a personal tragedy. Five years before the action in "Tribeca Blues" opens his wife and young son were killed in an accident on a subway platform. Orr cannot stop obsessing on a mentally ill man who was on the platform at the time of the accident. He remains convinced that this man is responsible for the deaths that day.

In the meantime, he is raising his delightful daughter, Bella, a budding author and student at a local high school. His shaky equilibrium is shaken when one of his best friends dies suddenly of the consequences of unchecked heart disease. The funeral is scheduled for New Orleans, but after Orr arrives, he is called back to Manhattan - the mother of the mentally ill man of Orr's obesssion has died, and Orr is convinced he can finally confront him in person at his mother's services.

Several unpleasant surprises await Orr on his return. The family of the friend who died are involved in several underhanded financial deals, resulting in physical threats to Orr as well as financial ruin for the beneficiaries of the dead man's estate. And as he tangles with the police in his attempts to confront the one he holds responsible for his personal loss, Orr learns other truths - and must come to terms with a reality worse than his obsession.

As in earlier books, the city of New York is itself a character in Fusilli's hands. We visit the Bronx Zoo, the Lincoln Center performing halls, the teenage hangouts near the South Street Seaport, and deserted streets in early morning hours.

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM