Reviewed By: Ruth Jordan - RAM
![[Book Cover graphic]](http://www.booksnbytes.com/book_covers/ramos_road2hell.jpg)
Moony's Road to Hell
Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Manuel Ramos
Class/Genre: Mystery Hard Boiled Ethnic Private Investigator
2002, University Of New Mexico Press 199 pages
There are some things in Mystery that are truly shameful. One of the biggest travesties is the fact that Manuel Ramos is not a name known to every reader of my favorite genre. With an economy for words and a wealth of plot he has few peers in literature. Spoken of with reverence by those who have discovered his books Ramos has never managed to hit the mainstream.
Leaving behind his longtime protagonist Luis Montez in this new novel Ramos has brought along his powerful descriptive abilities and wonderful storytelling. P.I. Danny Mora a.k.a. Moony is asked to look into the death of ISN agent Kiko Vigil by the man’s partner. Was he a man who’d gone over to the other side or compromised himself because of a woman or does the story of his death run much more deeply than that? If it’s Ramos writing you know the answer is number three. Never an author who uses typical plot devices Ramos has outdone himself once again with this book. From the backdrop of Denver and it’s close knit Chicano community to the sparsely inked and extremely visual violence of this tale Ramos has created a tale at the same time both desolate and full of hope. Characters jump from the page. The setbacks along the way become personal. Right up to the last page you route for Moony to get to the truth of the tale. And the end? Brutally honest.
In two hundred pages Mr. Ramos manages to accomplish what Cornwell and Clancy cannot in nine hundred. This proves to me that perhaps the most unjust place in America is the New York Times best-seller list. Treat yourself and find this book. Devour it and become a follower. Some people are just too good to miss just because their work is hard to find. Ramos is at the top of that list.
Ruth Jordan - RAM
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Ruth Jordan - RAM
If you enjoy this website, a link would be appreciated. |