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Franco Patrese #1
Soul Murder
An exciting thriller, introducing Francesco Patrese, FBI expert on religious crime, for fans of Richard Montanari and ‘Messiah’.
When Pittsburgh homicide detective, Franco Patrese, and his partner Mark Beradino are called to a domestic dispute at the lawless Homewood estate events quickly spiral out of control. With two dead, Patrese believes he's got his killer - but things aren’t always as simple as they seem.
On the other side of town, the charred body of Michael Redwine, a renowned brain surgeon, is found in one of the city's most luxurious apartment blocks. Then Father Kohler, a Catholic bishop, is set alight in the confessional at his Cathedral. But they are just the first in a series of increasingly shocking murders.
Patrese's investigation uncovers high-class prostitution, medical scams and religious obsession, but what Patrese doesn't realise is how close to the case he really is - and how it will take a terrible betrayal to uncover the truth.
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 30, 2011
So I know it's a little weird and maybe even a little inappropriate to give a trashy genre fiction 5 stars, but hopefully I'll be able to get across why I think this book is 5 stars, and no it's not because in reality it's not trashy genre fiction, it is, it's a straight up police procedural, but I think it's one done exceedingly well at least from my stance as someone who avoids police procedurals because they seem stupid.
One of the strangest things about this book is actually the nature of the writing. I mean I have seen a lot of styles, there is the arrogant style which you get from like shriver where she thinks she's smarter then you and kind of mocks you with it, there are guys like mieville who write like all their readers are way smarter than they actually are, there are guys like stephen king who writes so far below his readers they couldn't stop to that level if they wanted to. And really all these styles say more about the author than the reader. Shriver is more concerned with the readers opinion of herself than the reader's experience, mieville is not will to change his style to suit his reader, and king just is pandering to tv culture (yes I know I'm making unfair assumptions but all to get to a point). Blake does something that I've at least never noticed before, he writes as if he believes the reader is smarter than he is, and I don't mean to say he's stupid I mean he's clearly a really smart guy but even when he was talking about things I knew nothing about the book feels like it's deferring to he reader. Maybe Blake realized that writing a book that takes place in america required a respect of the america public who would be reading it, which lets be honest probably know more about american culture than he does. I don't know why he does it though, but the book feels to me like it carries a level of tension or space for the reader to fill between what's literally there and what's actually there.
He also does a great job with layering thematically the complications of daily life, including the hypocricies of the officials. I don't want to go into detail because this unfolding with all he characters is so central to the pacing of the book.
The religious aspects of the book are also very interesting.
This is a hard book to talk about because I don't really want to spoil anything for people who might want to read it (by the way in america it's published as Thou Shalt Kill for anyone that wants it).
god I"m not really sure what else to say, the beginning is a little rough and seems like it might just be form, but it gets better very very quickly.
I'm starting to wonder if all mysteries are like his and I've just misjudged the genre entirely.
One of the strangest things about this book is actually the nature of the writing. I mean I have seen a lot of styles, there is the arrogant style which you get from like shriver where she thinks she's smarter then you and kind of mocks you with it, there are guys like mieville who write like all their readers are way smarter than they actually are, there are guys like stephen king who writes so far below his readers they couldn't stop to that level if they wanted to. And really all these styles say more about the author than the reader. Shriver is more concerned with the readers opinion of herself than the reader's experience, mieville is not will to change his style to suit his reader, and king just is pandering to tv culture (yes I know I'm making unfair assumptions but all to get to a point). Blake does something that I've at least never noticed before, he writes as if he believes the reader is smarter than he is, and I don't mean to say he's stupid I mean he's clearly a really smart guy but even when he was talking about things I knew nothing about the book feels like it's deferring to he reader. Maybe Blake realized that writing a book that takes place in america required a respect of the america public who would be reading it, which lets be honest probably know more about american culture than he does. I don't know why he does it though, but the book feels to me like it carries a level of tension or space for the reader to fill between what's literally there and what's actually there.
He also does a great job with layering thematically the complications of daily life, including the hypocricies of the officials. I don't want to go into detail because this unfolding with all he characters is so central to the pacing of the book.
The religious aspects of the book are also very interesting.
This is a hard book to talk about because I don't really want to spoil anything for people who might want to read it (by the way in america it's published as Thou Shalt Kill for anyone that wants it).
god I"m not really sure what else to say, the beginning is a little rough and seems like it might just be form, but it gets better very very quickly.
I'm starting to wonder if all mysteries are like his and I've just misjudged the genre entirely.
August 21, 2011
Thou Shalt Kill by Daniel Blake
This is a complex and compelling murder mystery set in Pittsburgh, PA.
Growing up in western Pennsylvania, I found the setting for this story quite interesting. It is always fun to be able to picture exactly where the author is taking you. That is not to take away from Blake’s descriptions. He did a good job describing both the environment and the people. For Pittsburghers, the Steelers are not so much a sports team as a life style cult. I haven’t been in Pittsburgh for 15 years and yet I have a Steeler sticker on my car, I have a terrible towel, black and gold scarves, more Steeler ball caps than I can count, Steeler head covers for my golf clubs a Steeler swim suit and more and I don’t even live there any more. Black captured the essence of the community quite accurately.
The characters were believable as were their motivations. The emotional vacuums in the protagonist’s lives were clearly responsible for their aberrant behavior.
The story line was clear but complex so it kept your interest and never got boring. Current events were incorporated to provide a very up to date feel for the setting. Daniel Blake did an excellent job with this book.
I highly recommend the book.
This is a complex and compelling murder mystery set in Pittsburgh, PA.
Growing up in western Pennsylvania, I found the setting for this story quite interesting. It is always fun to be able to picture exactly where the author is taking you. That is not to take away from Blake’s descriptions. He did a good job describing both the environment and the people. For Pittsburghers, the Steelers are not so much a sports team as a life style cult. I haven’t been in Pittsburgh for 15 years and yet I have a Steeler sticker on my car, I have a terrible towel, black and gold scarves, more Steeler ball caps than I can count, Steeler head covers for my golf clubs a Steeler swim suit and more and I don’t even live there any more. Black captured the essence of the community quite accurately.
The characters were believable as were their motivations. The emotional vacuums in the protagonist’s lives were clearly responsible for their aberrant behavior.
The story line was clear but complex so it kept your interest and never got boring. Current events were incorporated to provide a very up to date feel for the setting. Daniel Blake did an excellent job with this book.
I highly recommend the book.
January 3, 2018
a good 4.5 star read!
Was not expecting to give the book such a high rating as it looks like a pool side read. You are drawn into the case as they hunt down a serial killer; there are multiple viable suspects each with their own motivations. A real page turner
Was not expecting to give the book such a high rating as it looks like a pool side read. You are drawn into the case as they hunt down a serial killer; there are multiple viable suspects each with their own motivations. A real page turner
May 31, 2012
This is a fantastic police procedural with some good plot twists.
January 30, 2020
Verhaal op zich is goed, maar bij sommige onderwerpen wordt teveel rond de pot gedraaid.
Het einde was ook teleurstellend...
Het einde was ook teleurstellend...
August 10, 2018
Good beach read. Solid cop procedural with a plot gap or two, IMO.
I’m a bit of a stickler for detail so wish author would have done research on firearm used by cop. To the best of my knowledge as a layman, .357 Magnum cartridges are not common at all in law enforcement. When cop shoots terrorist in head at stadium, almost certain collateral damage will occur as that bullet would go through someone’s head like a melon and strike whatever is behind. Either clear the area or reduce power of cartridge in the plot. I’ve been to Heinz field many a time and it is packed.
Further, a single action pistol is nearly unheard of in law enforcement. Single action means the hammer must be manually pulled back for each round fired, making swift consecutive shots virtually impossible unless fanning the pistol ala John Wayne or Wyatt Earp.
Small details to be sure, but in my mind they always undermine author credibility. Just do a bit of research, don’t base details on assumptions/myth.
I’m a bit of a stickler for detail so wish author would have done research on firearm used by cop. To the best of my knowledge as a layman, .357 Magnum cartridges are not common at all in law enforcement. When cop shoots terrorist in head at stadium, almost certain collateral damage will occur as that bullet would go through someone’s head like a melon and strike whatever is behind. Either clear the area or reduce power of cartridge in the plot. I’ve been to Heinz field many a time and it is packed.
Further, a single action pistol is nearly unheard of in law enforcement. Single action means the hammer must be manually pulled back for each round fired, making swift consecutive shots virtually impossible unless fanning the pistol ala John Wayne or Wyatt Earp.
Small details to be sure, but in my mind they always undermine author credibility. Just do a bit of research, don’t base details on assumptions/myth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2018
Normally, when faced with deeply religious characters I find myself a little ill and wanting to put the book aside for all time. There's a wrong way to write such characters and there's a right way. Sadly, I think I've seen too many written the wrong way. Blake, in my miserable little opinion, wrote some strong characters in this novel and wrote them well. I was happily shocked to meet these wonderfully conflicted characters.
And yeah, I never saw the villain coming until they were gone. Beautiful work!
And yeah, I never saw the villain coming until they were gone. Beautiful work!
September 20, 2021
What can I say, another epic book (my second yes reading them out of order) by Daniel Blake. Again an audio book for me. Again the narrator (same as before) bloody brilliant.
Daniel takes you into the lives and thoughts of people. How they think, feel, react.
I am a huge huge fan.
Even though I guessed the killer the story to get there was brilliant. Definitely could tell this was his 1st book compared to the last one I read as it started out just slightly unsure of itself. But it sank it's nails in and didn't let you go.
Daniel takes you into the lives and thoughts of people. How they think, feel, react.
I am a huge huge fan.
Even though I guessed the killer the story to get there was brilliant. Definitely could tell this was his 1st book compared to the last one I read as it started out just slightly unsure of itself. But it sank it's nails in and didn't let you go.
August 5, 2023
i dont know why or what or how to explain the reason i gave this book 5 stars. it just it, A 5 STARS!
November 6, 2023
Loved this book.
A real page turner with amazing plot twist. Loved the writing and the religious aspect was really interesting.
A real page turner with amazing plot twist. Loved the writing and the religious aspect was really interesting.
July 27, 2013
Bij een eerste boek van een onbekende auteur is hoop je natuurlijk te maken te hebben met een nieuwe ster. Door de aankondiging van Crimezone leek het me een boek dat de moeite waard kon zijn. En ik heb me weer laten foppen. Opnieuw heb ik moeten vaststellen dat ik echt geen aandacht moet schenken aan de achterflap. De opmerking "ben je op zoek naar een beetje Hannibal Lecter in Pittsburgh" schept verwachtingen. En die zijn in het geheel niet waargemaakt. Want het was zelfs geen beetje Hannibal Lecter. En dat is jammer. Jammer ook voor de auteur want hij ondervindt hier nadeel van.
Het verhaal begint als Franco Patrese die een begrafenisplechtigheid in de kerk bijwoont. Patrese krijg samen met zijn partner mark Beradino al snel te maken met een moordenaar die zijn slachtoffers levend verbrand. Samen gaan zij op zoek naar de dader waarbij ze hinder ondervinden van de geheimen die ze zelf, ook voor elkaar, hebben.
Als er iets over de personages in het boek kan worden gezegd dan is het dat ze allemaal geheimen hebben. En dan vooral voor iemand in hun directe omgeving. Veel meer dan dat komt je over de hoofdpersonen ook niet te weten. Ze blijven op afstand. Er zijn daarom geen personages waarvoor je heel veel sympathie of antipathie gaat voelen.
De enige die wat meer uit de verf komt is Patrese, met name in de passage waarin hij over zijn jeugd vertelt. Een van de betere stukken in het boek.
Blake schrijft wel prettig. Korte zinnen, korte hoofdstukken, korte dialogen. Dat leest snel.
Het boek begint veelbelovend. Een aantal gebeurtenissen wordt snel achter elkaar neergezet. Op dat moment is het niet duidelijk of hiertussen een relatie bestaat. Daarna valt de spanning weg. Dat komt vooral doordat de schrijver er zo verschrikkelijk veel dingen bij gaat halen. Het wordt rommelig, het tempo is weg. Dat blijft een beetje het manco van het boek. Te veel, te toevallig en daardoor ongeloofwaardig. Jammer, want het gegeven is goed, de tien geboden als drijfveer voor misdrijven. Helaas worden er teveel andere zaken bijgehaald. En passant ook nog de maatschappelijke problematiek van een van Pittsburghs achterstandswijken in het verhaal meegenomen en de "war on terror".
Het ligt er zo dik bovenop wie "het gedaan heeft" dat duidelijk is dat die persoon de moorden zeker niet heeft gepleegd. Helaas blijft er dan, mede door de ongeloofwaardigheid van het verhaal, maar 1 andere mogelijke dader over. En ja, die was het. Ergo, een weinig verassend slot.
Er zijn teveel betere thrillerschrijvers dus ik verwacht niet dat ik snel weer een boek van Blake zal oppakken. Al met al was het niet onplezierig om te lezen. Daarom toch nog drie sterren.
Het verhaal begint als Franco Patrese die een begrafenisplechtigheid in de kerk bijwoont. Patrese krijg samen met zijn partner mark Beradino al snel te maken met een moordenaar die zijn slachtoffers levend verbrand. Samen gaan zij op zoek naar de dader waarbij ze hinder ondervinden van de geheimen die ze zelf, ook voor elkaar, hebben.
Als er iets over de personages in het boek kan worden gezegd dan is het dat ze allemaal geheimen hebben. En dan vooral voor iemand in hun directe omgeving. Veel meer dan dat komt je over de hoofdpersonen ook niet te weten. Ze blijven op afstand. Er zijn daarom geen personages waarvoor je heel veel sympathie of antipathie gaat voelen.
De enige die wat meer uit de verf komt is Patrese, met name in de passage waarin hij over zijn jeugd vertelt. Een van de betere stukken in het boek.
Blake schrijft wel prettig. Korte zinnen, korte hoofdstukken, korte dialogen. Dat leest snel.
Het boek begint veelbelovend. Een aantal gebeurtenissen wordt snel achter elkaar neergezet. Op dat moment is het niet duidelijk of hiertussen een relatie bestaat. Daarna valt de spanning weg. Dat komt vooral doordat de schrijver er zo verschrikkelijk veel dingen bij gaat halen. Het wordt rommelig, het tempo is weg. Dat blijft een beetje het manco van het boek. Te veel, te toevallig en daardoor ongeloofwaardig. Jammer, want het gegeven is goed, de tien geboden als drijfveer voor misdrijven. Helaas worden er teveel andere zaken bijgehaald. En passant ook nog de maatschappelijke problematiek van een van Pittsburghs achterstandswijken in het verhaal meegenomen en de "war on terror".
Het ligt er zo dik bovenop wie "het gedaan heeft" dat duidelijk is dat die persoon de moorden zeker niet heeft gepleegd. Helaas blijft er dan, mede door de ongeloofwaardigheid van het verhaal, maar 1 andere mogelijke dader over. En ja, die was het. Ergo, een weinig verassend slot.
Er zijn teveel betere thrillerschrijvers dus ik verwacht niet dat ik snel weer een boek van Blake zal oppakken. Al met al was het niet onplezierig om te lezen. Daarom toch nog drie sterren.
February 13, 2012
This book was well written and a very good read. I am a big fan of crime thrillers and I really liked the religious undertone of this one. This book detailed a number of plots which inevitably became linked towards the end. Although becuase of the number of plots and sub-plots there were quite a large number of characters and because of this it became hard to remember who was whom at times and what role they played in the story. Also the main plot took quite a while to get going but once it did (about half way through) the story was completely gripping and un-put-down-able after that. The book was a little hard going in places and this also meant it took me a little longer to read than I would normally spend on a book. But it was quite nice to take my time over a book rather than just breezing through it.
There were a number of nice little twists in this book, some predicatble some not so.
In all a very enjoyable read.
There were a number of nice little twists in this book, some predicatble some not so.
In all a very enjoyable read.
August 28, 2014
This serial killer novel from "Blake" (pen name for Boris Starling, which is why I read it) is a tale of two halves. The first is a gripping, down and dirty serial killer thriller with real characters and a believable storyline. The second devolves into an over the top, implausible story where characters behave in unrealistic ways and the plot becomes convoluted with side issues. Always interesting, never boring and well-written from Starling (who write the masterful Messiah), it just got too silly for my tastes. Plus, I figured out the killer way too soon based notably on a couple of writing-style mistakes from Starling, one of which was a dead giveaway. I love all of Starlings previous novels but, while certainly entertaining, this was my least favorite.
May 22, 2011
One of the best books I've read in a long time. As with all detective stories, I was trying to figure out whodunit, and the author had me totally fooled. The biggest thing that kept me guessing was trying to figure out the motive for some of the murders. Turns out the perp is mentally ill. That's sort of a cop-out - mentally ill people will have motives that make no sense to anyone else. But wait! There's more! The perp was somebody who I thought it couldn't possibly be. I didn't really believe it was either of the red herrings, but I still didn't guess at the real identity of the perp. Good job, Daniel Blake.
April 5, 2012
Loved it. This book had quite a few twists. Too much going on and on about religions and such? Not from my point of view. It plays a big part in this book...mainly...the basis of the book. Without the religious aspect Mr. Blake would just have rewritten the same crime novel that's been written over and over again...enough to make you want to poke your own eyes out for reading it. The best part of the religious references and aspects of this book is .....TADA! The are factual! Educational religious facts in a fiction novel? Excellent work. Props to the author for all of the above, but especially for having the guts to write about subject matter that many wouldn't dare touch.
May 29, 2013
This was a very good police procedural in the vein of Alex Cross. It set up one of the main characters for a series, which I always love. I like to follow the same characters through their lives. There were a few twists that were good. Having read so many of this style, I could predict the possible outcomes, but I wasn't 100% sure until the ending. While there was a large religious undertone, it wasn't the main point of the story and dealt with it realistically, like real people would in the real world.
July 9, 2013
Ik heb Vermoorde Ziel gelezen voor het forum van Crimezone. Het eerste stuk is lastig om door heen te komen. Teveel verschillende verhaallijnen worden geïntroduceerd. Heb het boek ook even weg gelegd. Verder in het boek loopt het verhaal beter en wil je juist graag doorlezen, om te weten te komen wie de dader is. Het is een goed boek maar aan het eind lijkt het net of alle losse eindjes voor de ontknoping moeten zorgen. Soms teveel toeval en slecht recherchewerk. Maar over het algemeen toch een bijzonder boek.
October 4, 2010
This book took me a long time to get into. I had to keep coming back to it and persevere with it. Once I was more than half way through I did start to enjoy it but I prefer to have my attention captured much quicker than this one did. The characters were pretty good once they were established in your mind as to who was who but up tothat point the story did jump around a little too much to be able to keep track.
March 10, 2012
Good book!!!!!!! Though not a "religious" book, seven (at least) of the characters are wrestling with issues of faith and religion, including the killer. It also has a sub-theme of religion's interaction with society, and vice versa, and all in the context of a good murder mystery, with an ending I did not foresee, though I have been reading mysteries since I started with "The Hardy Boys" as a kid. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.
June 24, 2011
A well paced story. However I found the constant religious references became very tedious after a while. I thought I'd worked out who the killer was quite early on in the book but it seems I was wrong I wasn't expecting a twist in the tale that revealed the killer to be somebody you would never have suspected.
January 29, 2013
Wrote by an English writer who spent a short time in Pittsburgh and wrote a book about the area. Did a fantastic job. Full of suspense. A story about a detective and some strang murders which are hard to connect. The killer is a total surprise. I hope to read more of Daniel Blake's books or Boris Starling, his other name.
February 1, 2016
Pittsburgh, a surgeon, a priest and a judge are burned to dead. 2 detectives are looking for the murderer, but it's closer by then they think. To complicate things more, both have things to hide. There is also an ex-convicted hollywood actress who was sentenced for murder of her 3 babies. Enough stuff for a good story with an incredible end.
March 5, 2014
I really wanted to love this book because I had read so many good reviews. The story is interesting, when you finally figure it out but I felt it bounced way too much with so many characters that I found myself flipping back to pages past because I was confused on who, what and where.
As always, recommended. Just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy it.
As always, recommended. Just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy it.
August 9, 2014
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I picked it up because I live in PA and enjoy visiting Pittsburgh, which is where this story takes place. There are many references to different landmarks and places in Pittsburgh throughout this book. Overall, I very good read. I loved both the main characters!
August 5, 2014
Fast paced, well written thriller filled with red herrings. A serial killer who murders their victims in horrible ways, the police struggle to find a motive that connects them all, the clues are there. I always judge this genre by how easily I work out the ending, this was satifying because I really didn't see the ending coming. A well spent afternoon.
September 17, 2018
I loved the two Messiah books this author wrote under his actual name Boris Starling. The protagonist seems pretty nondescript but was charming. The plotting and ideas here are great......and the big reveal despite being pretty obvious was no less satisfying. It still felt his original Starling voice was trying to break through from the Americanisms and hard boiled cast of characters.....
July 13, 2019
This wasn't bad but I'm left feeling a bit perplexed after finishing it. It just seemed like there was so much going on in this book. It's like the author just kept thinking of new ideas and was like - 'oh that's good I'll throw that in too.' The big twist at the end was no surprise but overall it was still an interesting read.
May 29, 2011
When I looked at the cover art, I wasn't sure this was my kind of book. But, I enjoyed it partly because it takes place in Pittsburgh and the city plays a large part throughout the book. I saw the ending coming a mile away.
September 17, 2011
The Good: Solid, enjoyable mystery. Very well paced.
The Bad: Too many and repetitive biblical references. Sloppy characterization. Also the narration in God mode makes the reader feel cheated when important (albeit highly predictable) twists are revealed.
The Bad: Too many and repetitive biblical references. Sloppy characterization. Also the narration in God mode makes the reader feel cheated when important (albeit highly predictable) twists are revealed.
April 8, 2012
This one grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. The story was well laid out-the characters were not outlandish-the thrills were all good-the setting was unique(who would think to set a story in Pittsburgh?)-the reader did not feel cheated by the twists-the end felt right.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews