Blood on the Arch - Softcover

Randisi, Robert J.

3.66

67 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0843949465 ISBN 13: 9780843949469

Publisher: Leisure Books, 2001

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When the brutally murdered body of a political aide is found near the famous St. Louis Arch, homicide cop Joe Keough is confronted by a psychotic killer who torments him with clues and messages, and as the body count grows higher, Joe races against time to put an end to the madness. Reprint.

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Review:

Robert Randisi is the founder and executive director of the Private Eye Writers of America, the creator of the Shamus Award, and the cofounder of Mystery Scene magazine. With such an impressive r�sum�, one wonders why his latest mystery novel is so leaden.

Blood on the Arch is another in Randisi's series of St. Louis mysteries (see also In the Shadow of the Arch) starring Joe Keough, a New York City detective transplanted to the Midwest. Joe's the St. Louis department's "number-one homicide man," on the scene whenever a tricky murder threatens to baffle lesser minds. This time, Mark Drucker, who has shadowy but definite political connections and ambitions, has been bludgeoned to death in one of the trams that shuttle tourists to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Drucker had been up to his ears in the misappropriation of city funds, and a lot of solid citizens had been gunning for his political, if not actual, demise. As he delves into Drucker's past, present, and future, Keough must negotiate cranky public officials, suspiciously unhelpful lawyers, and a personal dilemma or two.

Unfortunately, Randisi's characters are shallowly drawn, the plot dully incoherent, the denouement astonishingly nonsensical. The reader looking for well-written Midwestern mysteries with a tinge of political graft would be far better advised to turn to Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series (Tunnel Vision, Blood Shot). One hopes that Blood on the Arch is a momentary aberration, and that Randisi's next foray into authorship will better fulfill his dedication to the private-eye genre. --Kelly Flynn

About the Author:

Robert J. Randisi, recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award, is a prolific author in the mystery, suspense and western genres. He lives in the Midwest.

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