Book Review: Hell's Kitchen

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Hell's Kitchen     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
William Jeffries
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: John Pelham # 3
Pocket, Feb 2001, $6.99

For the last eight years, John Pellam has worked as a Production Scout for film companies. However, in the last three months John has rented an apartment in the east Village and is filming his first documentary centering on Ettie Washington. John visits Ettie in Hell's Kitchen, but when he arrives he finds her trapped by a fire. She manages to escape through a window and gets to he hospital, but soon the police and fire marshal arrest her believing she is a serial arsonist trying to defraud the insurance company.

The police know the arsonist leaves a trademark signature and enjoys his work. They want Ettie to confess, but she insists she is innocent and never took out an insurance policy. John, who has become quite fond of Ettie, begins investigating the crime, a decision which places him in danger.

Jeffrey Deaver, writing as William Jeffries, shows a different side of his abundant talent as he concentrates more on the characters than the action thrillers. He captures the essence of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen inside a fast-paced suspense novel. The relationship between John and Ettie is interesting, but the ending blind sides the reader who should have known that a Deaver by any other name is still a Deaver, which means a great reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner