Richard Montanari's third book (the second in the John Paris series) is a masterpiece of rhythm, style, substance and emotion. This time out, while a ritual killer is on the loose in Cleveland, detective Paris begins to uncover new clues to a dead cop's murder.
Kiss of Evil is one of those books that, just when you're certain you have it figured out, you have to rethink everything. It is a book of dark corridors, feverish sex and genuine fear. I read it in two sittings.
No one writing dark crime fiction today does this type of book better. The acclaim may go to names like Lehane, Connelly, Crais, Deaver and Klavan (and deservedly so).
Kiss of Evil proves, once and for all, that Richard Montanari belongs at their table. He may not put out a book every year, but every time I read a new one, I realize it was worth the wait.
I decided that Richard Montanari was a buy-in-hardcover author after discovering The Violet Hour a few years ago, and I'm glad I did. You will be hard pressed to read a better thriller than Kiss of Evil this year.
