Exchange Alley

by Michael Walsh

An unidentified mutilated body is found in a car with diplomatic plates in the Ramapo Mountains of upstate New York, and NYPD Detective Francis X. Byrne's investigation uncovers a deadly global conspiracy. A first novel.

391 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Walsh was for 16 years the classical music critic for Time Magazine and has also worked for the San Francisco Examiner and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. He is the author of eleven books, including five works of non-fiction as well as the novels Exchange Alley, As Time Goes By (the authorized sequel to the movie Casablanca), and And All the Saints, a winner of the 2004 American Book Awards for fiction. His novel, Hostile Intent, was published in September by Pinnacle Books and hit the New York Times bestseller lists and shot to No. 1 on Kindle. The sequel, Early Warning, was published in Sept., 2010. With Gail Parent, he is the co-writer of the hit Disney Channel 2002 Original Movie, Cadet Kelly, at the time the highest-rated show in the history of the network.

Reviews

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I finished the book, I found it difficult to follow the many twisted plot lines and excursions between time periods. At times, the author tended to wander aimlessly with verbose stories and descriptions that offered little value other than taking up space. I have read one other book by this author and it was much better than this one.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long, rambling espionage mystery. It was very easy to lose track of the plot.

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't like it, this guy likes blood and weird sex

[KateMoxie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Premise sounded intriguing and I love intrigue and mystery, but .... it's hard to find the words to describe how repulsed I was by this book.

The graphic sexual violence was ugly and unnecessary to the development of the story. The physical violence was excessive; really, someone needed to viciously murder a pet cat to make what point? I slogged through this, hoping it would improve, that it would start to come together. Half-way through I realized that it was simply taking me further down a deep dark hole and just was not worth the time.

I had borrowed two other books by this author, but they will be returned, unopened.

[Michael]

I was disappointed here. For some reason I thought it was about the stock exchange? Turns out to be a very scattered and long mystery. Lots of rants about the Jews and the Irish. And some kind of supposed connection. I like "And all the Saints" much better.