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Jack Paris #1
Deviant Way
1st Signet edition 1996 paperback vg++ to fine book In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
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First published July 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 7, 2012
Gripping. Fast paced but ending not clear. Meaning I don't know for sure who 'Pharaoh' really was. Was it Tommy or not? And a Woman who kills other woman for what sick motive? It was never really explained so I am just like 'Uh?!'. Also there was soo many characters in the book it was kinda had for me to keep up with who was who and what significance they had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2020
I gave this book three stars from memory and I will keep it that way. It is a good read, with plenty of tension and a very complicated plot. So complicated it took me again some time to figure out who was who. Well, it is not that I expect an author to explain everything into minute detail, but here I could have done with a little more information and a little more insight in what was going on.
January 20, 2020
I loved this book and especially loved Jack Paris. It held my attention throughout. It's my first four ⭐ read this year!
August 30, 2014
Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but still likes to pretend she's single. She enjoys sitting on her own in bars, and watching what happens. But there's another couple watching too. They call themselves Saila and Pharaoh, but only after sundown. And it is after sundown that some terrible things are happening in the singles clubs in Cleveland.
Another 4 1/2 star rating.......what can I say?
Only there is a lot more going on in this book than is first apparent.....
Scary stuff.
Another 4 1/2 star rating.......what can I say?
Only there is a lot more going on in this book than is first apparent.....
Scary stuff.
April 18, 2024
Spicy 90s thriller.
August 27, 2012
I enjoyed this book more than the Byrne/Balzano books because I felt this was more of a straightforward murder investigation, while the Byrne/Balzano books end up relying on Byrne's instincts and more often than not involve a religious connection which can often be tiresome. I liked the plot of this book and I liked the character of Jack.
April 29, 2015
A gripping start to a new series from a new-to-me-author. It says everything that I can't wait to read more, maybe even the rest, of his work.
May 20, 2015
very solid first book. a page-turner.
May 4, 2017
I am big fan of Richard Montanari's Byrne & Balzano series and thought I'd give his first ever character, Jack Paris, a go in the author's first novel, Don't Look Now (aka Deviant Ways). The book is the first of a two part series.
There is the same Montanari action and fast pace with plenty of brutal murders carried out by dark and seedy characters. I enjoyed the book which involves voyeurism that, it can be said, goes too far as well as paedophilia.
As with his later work Montanari is not afraid to cover the real taboos of life in his novels, which I can be sure puts some people off, making the uncomfortable, but I think that this bold approach makes the author stand out from the crowd in much the way Karin Slaughter does.
Back to this book... Paris is a divorced detective (aren't they all) who's still in love with his ex and devoted to his young daughter (I'll say it again, aren't they all) and he struggles to get the balance right between his family and work which always seems to pull him away at the worst possible moments and, again as always, ends up with his family deeply involved in the case.
There are plenty of twists and turns and the reader is kept guessing right to the end. I must admit I guessed half of the solution but not the other half. There are a lot of characters and in some instances this can be a bit confusing and is probably the main reason this is a four star rather than a five star from me. Certainly a book I would recommend to any cop/thriller lover who doesn't mind their murder mysteries graphic in detail. Look forward to reading the second, and unfortunately final instalment, in the series soon.
There is the same Montanari action and fast pace with plenty of brutal murders carried out by dark and seedy characters. I enjoyed the book which involves voyeurism that, it can be said, goes too far as well as paedophilia.
As with his later work Montanari is not afraid to cover the real taboos of life in his novels, which I can be sure puts some people off, making the uncomfortable, but I think that this bold approach makes the author stand out from the crowd in much the way Karin Slaughter does.
Back to this book... Paris is a divorced detective (aren't they all) who's still in love with his ex and devoted to his young daughter (I'll say it again, aren't they all) and he struggles to get the balance right between his family and work which always seems to pull him away at the worst possible moments and, again as always, ends up with his family deeply involved in the case.
There are plenty of twists and turns and the reader is kept guessing right to the end. I must admit I guessed half of the solution but not the other half. There are a lot of characters and in some instances this can be a bit confusing and is probably the main reason this is a four star rather than a five star from me. Certainly a book I would recommend to any cop/thriller lover who doesn't mind their murder mysteries graphic in detail. Look forward to reading the second, and unfortunately final instalment, in the series soon.
November 3, 2017
An okay read but nowhere near as good as others by this author. In a nutshell, three women have been brutally murdered & Homicide Detective Jack Paris is on hand to track the killer...or is it killers?...down.
As ever there are plenty of red herrings, but maybe it's just that I'm so used to this author's style now but many seemed too obvious & could be seen for the misdirections they were. I found that parts of the book didn't flow well & other parts were muddling. As it was first published under a different title in 1995 I wondered if it had been edited again - a thought I had due to the comment of Justin Bieber posters being on a girls bedroom wall...I know he started young but wouldn't he have been about 1 in '95?!
I was losing interest by the end if I'm honest & the revealing of Saila & Pharaoh seemed rushed & unconvincing, never mind that there was no satisfactory explanation for their actions. I didn't care for the characters, the sexually promiscuous Andrea Heller & her voyeur husband held little appeal for me & I didn't really care about their fate. Even "hero" Jack Paris didn't have the charm as Byrne & Balzano.
A reasonable read but not the gory, gripping edge-of-the-seat-thriller that I expected from one of my favourite authors.
As ever there are plenty of red herrings, but maybe it's just that I'm so used to this author's style now but many seemed too obvious & could be seen for the misdirections they were. I found that parts of the book didn't flow well & other parts were muddling. As it was first published under a different title in 1995 I wondered if it had been edited again - a thought I had due to the comment of Justin Bieber posters being on a girls bedroom wall...I know he started young but wouldn't he have been about 1 in '95?!
I was losing interest by the end if I'm honest & the revealing of Saila & Pharaoh seemed rushed & unconvincing, never mind that there was no satisfactory explanation for their actions. I didn't care for the characters, the sexually promiscuous Andrea Heller & her voyeur husband held little appeal for me & I didn't really care about their fate. Even "hero" Jack Paris didn't have the charm as Byrne & Balzano.
A reasonable read but not the gory, gripping edge-of-the-seat-thriller that I expected from one of my favourite authors.
Read
July 30, 2022Cleveland Detective who is trying to track down a serial killer who is preying on young woman. The topics vary from psychic precognition, to scientific experimentation, to possible murder, to incest, and finally to various forms of public humiliation.
Fast-paced and a tad sleazy however, I found the ending is disappointing as it left a couple of unanswered questions.
Serial killing team target young women with tattoos. I love Montanari's work as they're always such a great read. However, whilst this was an absorbing page turner as I was reading it, by the end of the book I could barely remember what happened. Fluffy crime novel. Interesting read but not as good as the Balzano and Byrne novels.
Fast-paced and a tad sleazy however, I found the ending is disappointing as it left a couple of unanswered questions.
Serial killing team target young women with tattoos. I love Montanari's work as they're always such a great read. However, whilst this was an absorbing page turner as I was reading it, by the end of the book I could barely remember what happened. Fluffy crime novel. Interesting read but not as good as the Balzano and Byrne novels.
February 5, 2020
Good cop / serial killer mystery. Was introduced to detective Jack Paris in Kiss of Evil, which is mixed into my horror reads at random. It was a good book, so I was excited to learn that it was part of a two book series! I recommend this to fans of police dramas or serial killer films. It has interesting characters, a steady and easy pace, brutal killers, and a mystery that I was close to solving, yet no cigar. A slow and deliberate start, the last 70 pages I couldn't put it down. I think I will go back and read Kiss of Evil, I don't remember a single detail about it.
August 11, 2025
My first Richard Montanari book. Started off pretty tense with a couple names Salia and Pharoah who were on a killing spree. Murdering women in singles clubs. However another couple happened to cross their paths, Andrea and her husband who were looking to spice up their marriage with wigs and some saucy goings on!! Their paths cross. Jack Paris the homicide detective steps in.
First two hundred pages I really enjoyed, didn’t know who was doing the killings. Last 100 felt a bit rushed. No spoilers but I still have some questions about Saila and Pharaoh.
First two hundred pages I really enjoyed, didn’t know who was doing the killings. Last 100 felt a bit rushed. No spoilers but I still have some questions about Saila and Pharaoh.
February 22, 2022
Absolutely loved the Byrne and Balzano series, but this didn't quite hit the same heights. Maybe I expected a little too much, and just didn't get it. I thought that the plot was OK, but some of the story was a bit contrived. I'll probably read the next in the series, but that's based more on my previous reading experiences with this author.
December 20, 2017
I won't add more to the storyline - well described by other reviewers. This is the first Richard Montanari book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A gripping page-turner and I didn't see the end coming. I don't read that many thrillers, but would certainly read more books by Mr Montanari.
September 15, 2020
The story line was great. I loved the twists and turns in this novel. Sometimes you had to keep reading to find out who the chapter was referring to. I want to give this a 3.5 really. Certain aspects of the plot was not resolved to my satisfaction
February 13, 2021
Seriously readable author. Creating characters one can get involved in and those others...the serial killers that chill you to the bone. Twisty story especially when you know who the driving force serial killer is.
March 30, 2021
It is obvious that Montanari has had to write to meet the expectations of a publisher with this early novel. Still, he manages to show his flair for deeper resonance even in a sexy genre thriller – and he pulls it off better than most James Patterson novels.
September 21, 2025
Exciting and twisty
As usual, Montanari keeps you guessing with great characters that get under the skin.
What I don't like is the switching back and forth between characters so rapidly that you have to re-read paragraphs once you figure out to whom he's switched the story.
As usual, Montanari keeps you guessing with great characters that get under the skin.
What I don't like is the switching back and forth between characters so rapidly that you have to re-read paragraphs once you figure out to whom he's switched the story.
April 5, 2018
I'd guessed about half-way through who one of the villians was. Then I missed where they said who the second one was. I blame the flu.
June 4, 2019
Worst book I've read by this author. Vulgar language and the chapters are so broken down you simply don't know where you are.
February 23, 2022
A great book that kept me in suspense and I especially liked the main character Jack Paris. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
March 4, 2012
Blurb From Goodreads
Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but likes to pretend she's single. She enjoys sitting on her own in bars but there's another couple watching. They call themselves Saila and Pharaoh, but only after sundown. And it is after sundown that some terrible things are happening in the singles clubs in Cleveland. In six months, three women in their twenties have been brutally murdered. And each step that Homicide Detective Jack Paris takes to find their killer draws him closer to the heart of his own forbidden impulses. As the stakes become increasingly personal, Jack knows only one thing for certain. To enter the minds of Saila and Pharaoh is to enter a world from which no one ever fully returns...
My Review
A serial killer is on the loose, and an unusual combination at that. The target, beautiful young business women who all have something in common and all end up brutally murdered with a thin strip of skin removed along with other mutilation. Jack Paris is on the case and half way through gets an unlikely lead that sees the case closed, or is there more to it?
I usually really enjoy Richard Montanari but I was really disappointed with this one. The characters I couldn't seem to connect with or have any feelings for at all other than puzzlement or annoyance. There was a lot of contradictions (I felt), for example Jack seems clueless all along then at the end a small clue tips him off that leads to the finale (sorry to be vague but I hate spoiler reviews). The killer seems to be motivated and does the killings and rituals for a reason but your left wondering and really with a lot more questions than answers at the end and that really annoys me. Even if I had liked the book this would have pulled it's rating down anyway but I wasn't moved or enthralled with this at all.
There is a lot of sex and swearing in the book but if your a Montanari fan this won't be new for you, if your looking to start with this author try one of the other books first as this doesn't show any of his talent or have a patch on any of his other books I have read and enjoyed, 2/5 this time.
Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but likes to pretend she's single. She enjoys sitting on her own in bars but there's another couple watching. They call themselves Saila and Pharaoh, but only after sundown. And it is after sundown that some terrible things are happening in the singles clubs in Cleveland. In six months, three women in their twenties have been brutally murdered. And each step that Homicide Detective Jack Paris takes to find their killer draws him closer to the heart of his own forbidden impulses. As the stakes become increasingly personal, Jack knows only one thing for certain. To enter the minds of Saila and Pharaoh is to enter a world from which no one ever fully returns...
My Review
A serial killer is on the loose, and an unusual combination at that. The target, beautiful young business women who all have something in common and all end up brutally murdered with a thin strip of skin removed along with other mutilation. Jack Paris is on the case and half way through gets an unlikely lead that sees the case closed, or is there more to it?
I usually really enjoy Richard Montanari but I was really disappointed with this one. The characters I couldn't seem to connect with or have any feelings for at all other than puzzlement or annoyance. There was a lot of contradictions (I felt), for example Jack seems clueless all along then at the end a small clue tips him off that leads to the finale (sorry to be vague but I hate spoiler reviews). The killer seems to be motivated and does the killings and rituals for a reason but your left wondering and really with a lot more questions than answers at the end and that really annoys me. Even if I had liked the book this would have pulled it's rating down anyway but I wasn't moved or enthralled with this at all.
There is a lot of sex and swearing in the book but if your a Montanari fan this won't be new for you, if your looking to start with this author try one of the other books first as this doesn't show any of his talent or have a patch on any of his other books I have read and enjoyed, 2/5 this time.
August 7, 2015
In Cleveland, Ohio Detective Jack Paris working out of homicide is called on to head the task force for investigating the very macabre murders by the Rose of Jericho killer. Author Richard Montanari once again spins an incredibly dark thriller with "Deviant Way". Paris is partnered up with Tommy Raposo. Raposo new to Cleveland PD from Akron doesn't have a lot of homicide experience. When Eleanor Burchfield is brutally murdered, she becomes the killer's fourth victim. The TV news and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer newspaper begin putting on an immense amount of pressure towards the cops on case, and looking for answers. Paris and the other detectives in the squad are making zero headway. The only clue they have has something to do with Pharaoh. Paris who is divorced with a young daughter Melissa is under intense pressure from ex-wife Beth to spend time with his child. Jack does manage to make progress in a romantic relationship with ADA Diana Bennent. He Also has a relationship with another cop, Cyndy Taggert. Rita the bartender, has eyes on Jack as well. Working relentlessly with little rest or food, Jack keeps pressing on. His newest clue is "Saila'. Jack however is totally stumped. Is it possible the murders are being committed by a male and female pair ? But almost all serial killers are male. In a heart stopping wild ride of a plot this book is pure suspense from beginning to end. The tension hovers in the air like a thick blanket. Author Richard Montanari is a master thriller story teller. His amazing and incredible characters make the book a scary enjoyment to read. Putting this book down is extremely difficult to say the least. I have to admit it was a real blast to read. Then again, all of author Richard Montanari's books are top notch thrillers. 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars for "Deviant Way", by Richard Montanari. If you haven't read any of Montanari's books you're missing something special. He's a master thriller writer/ story teller. Do not miss this one !
September 16, 2012
I picked this one up at the library after getting hooked on Montanari's Byrne/Balzano series, and I have to say, it was a serious page-turner! Montanari gets it, even in his first offerring here. He understands the fan base for this type of thriller, and has a talent for deliverring.
Always enjoy a book with separate story-lines developing. There are 2 couples at the heart of this. The first is a male/female team who are viciously murderring young women whom the man lures from various nightclubs. The second is a young married couple who the voyeuristic husband has enticed his wife into fulfilling his fantasy by letting other men hit on her in bars while he gets to observe. Detective Jack Paris is assigned to head up the task force to try to stop the serial killings.
This is a serious twists-and-turns read. Many times the "red-herring" thing seems overdone and silly, but this is the rare occassion when it is handled perfectly. You can just feel Montanari baiting you with obvious clues, and getting a kick out of making you try to figure it out every step of the way. The epilogue totally caught me off-guard, and had me saying "nice one".
I highly recommend Mr. Montanari to any and all fans of the murder/mystery genre. If you are a fan of John Sandford or James Patterson, do not neglect this author. He will not dissapoint!
Always enjoy a book with separate story-lines developing. There are 2 couples at the heart of this. The first is a male/female team who are viciously murderring young women whom the man lures from various nightclubs. The second is a young married couple who the voyeuristic husband has enticed his wife into fulfilling his fantasy by letting other men hit on her in bars while he gets to observe. Detective Jack Paris is assigned to head up the task force to try to stop the serial killings.
This is a serious twists-and-turns read. Many times the "red-herring" thing seems overdone and silly, but this is the rare occassion when it is handled perfectly. You can just feel Montanari baiting you with obvious clues, and getting a kick out of making you try to figure it out every step of the way. The epilogue totally caught me off-guard, and had me saying "nice one".
I highly recommend Mr. Montanari to any and all fans of the murder/mystery genre. If you are a fan of John Sandford or James Patterson, do not neglect this author. He will not dissapoint!
May 11, 2016
An okay read but nowhere near as good as others by this author. In a nutshell, three women have been brutally murdered & Homicide Detective Jack Paris is on hand to track the killer...or is it killers?...down.
As ever there are plenty of red herrings, but maybe it's just that I'm so used to this author's style now but many seemed too obvious & could be seen for the misdirections they were. I found that parts of the book didn't flow well & other parts were muddling. As it was first published under a different title in 1995 I wondered if it had been edited again - a thought I had due to the comment of Justin Bieber posters being on a girls bedroom wall...I know he started young but wouldn't he have been about 1 in '95?!
I was losing interest by the end if I'm honest & the revealing of Saila & Pharaoh seemed rushed & unconvincing, never mind that there was no satisfactory explanation for their actions.
I didn't care for the characters, the sexually promiscuous Andrea Heller & her voyeur husband held little appeal for me & I didn't really care about their fate. Even "hero" Jack Paris didn't have the charm as Byrne & Balzano.
A reasonable read but not the gory, gripping edge-of-the-seat-thriller that I expected from one of my favourite authors.
As ever there are plenty of red herrings, but maybe it's just that I'm so used to this author's style now but many seemed too obvious & could be seen for the misdirections they were. I found that parts of the book didn't flow well & other parts were muddling. As it was first published under a different title in 1995 I wondered if it had been edited again - a thought I had due to the comment of Justin Bieber posters being on a girls bedroom wall...I know he started young but wouldn't he have been about 1 in '95?!
I was losing interest by the end if I'm honest & the revealing of Saila & Pharaoh seemed rushed & unconvincing, never mind that there was no satisfactory explanation for their actions.
I didn't care for the characters, the sexually promiscuous Andrea Heller & her voyeur husband held little appeal for me & I didn't really care about their fate. Even "hero" Jack Paris didn't have the charm as Byrne & Balzano.
A reasonable read but not the gory, gripping edge-of-the-seat-thriller that I expected from one of my favourite authors.
March 27, 2016
I am absolutely sure I read this years before and it faintly stayed in my memory, not the most important bits but enough to remember it. It's not an usual work of this author, missing his main protagonists but it's much better than most I've read from him many years ago.
I now know that I have to re-read this as near the end, he threw in such a twist that everything you know you understood just wasn't so and you just can't be sure if there were hints and what happened and what did not, I am not really sure this twist was necessary at all but for some it will probably be a great thing while for others like me, it was kinda meh.
without that last part of book which was different than the rest, I liked the novel, the world of swingers and fetishists, nightlife, happenings after dark etc etc
including the detective's family life was totally boring and unnecessary too, waste of pages. could have been much better off without it.
I now know that I have to re-read this as near the end, he threw in such a twist that everything you know you understood just wasn't so and you just can't be sure if there were hints and what happened and what did not, I am not really sure this twist was necessary at all but for some it will probably be a great thing while for others like me, it was kinda meh.
without that last part of book which was different than the rest, I liked the novel, the world of swingers and fetishists, nightlife, happenings after dark etc etc
including the detective's family life was totally boring and unnecessary too, waste of pages. could have been much better off without it.
September 16, 2015
This is the author's first book; a series in Cleveland that precedes the current Philadelphia series that I like so much. If this had been the first book of his that I read, I probably would not have read any others.
Like the others, this is a serial killer mystery; but, unlike the others, these killing have a markedly sexual nature. In fact every aspect of the book, from the crimes to the police officers to the general attitudes of all involved, has a sexual nature. And the nature of the sex is usually diverse, perverse and violent. I found it exhausting and annoying.
Like the others, this is a serial killer mystery; but, unlike the others, these killing have a markedly sexual nature. In fact every aspect of the book, from the crimes to the police officers to the general attitudes of all involved, has a sexual nature. And the nature of the sex is usually diverse, perverse and violent. I found it exhausting and annoying.
March 26, 2013
I loved this book. Montanari is usually a bit cagey when it comes to identify the killer, but I think that's the beauty of the stories. A bit like knowing the identity of the killer in Columbo, only in reverse. You feel you're not wiser than the detective in charge. Admittedly there seems to be a running line as the bad guy always seem to be someone close to the detective which is worth bearing in mind when reading the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2008
In Cleveland, Jack Paris is investigating the murder of a young woman who had her tattoo removed. One couple is exploring the excitement of the wife dressing sexy and letting herself get hit on in a club while her voyeur husband watches. At the same time, another couple are luering women from nightclubs and brutally murdering them. This novel is sexy and provactive as well as suspenseful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews