The Glass Factory

Filomena Buscarsela #3

by K.J.A. Wishnia

When tough-talking urban crime-fighter Filomena Buscarsela learns about a fetid glass factory located in a poor New York neighborhood, her cop instincts kick in....

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

aka Kenneth Wishnia.

Kenneth John Alexander Wishnia's debut novel, 23 Shades of Black, featuring Filomena Buscarsela, was short-listed for the Edgar and Anthony awards for best first novel in 1998. He has written three subsequent Filomena mysteries, Soft Money, The Glass Factory and Red House. Born in New Hampshire, he is a graduate of Brown University and has a Ph.D. in comparative literature from SUNY Stony Brook. He lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife, a native of Ecuador, and their two children, and is a professor in the English Department at SUNY Suffolk.

Reviews

[Marsali Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filomena Buscarella is an ex-cop latina who left Ecuador for the bright lights of the US. Now she’s a woman on a mission: to get the big boss who’s poisoning all the land in his area...

From the first sentence, this book was a delight. Filomena is smart and sassy, and totally believable, from her tussles with her three-year-old daughter Antonia (an extra in this book is a fun story told by Antonia aged 12) through sorting out unpleasant thugs and hitting the worst news ever, to the joys of a surprising new romance. She’s the superwoman we women would all like to be, taking everything in her stride – she’s the fastest improviser around, and there’s no situation she can’t get out of somehow, but in a way that you feel ordinarywoman could too, if she just had Filomena’s pazzazz. The ‘voice’ was wonderful, the action fast, the ethical dimension of the story satisfying. This is a re-issue of Wishnia’s third novel (of five Filomena books), first written in the 80s, but there was no outdated feel, and none of those heart-sinking ‘Now this is what you missed in the last three books’ paragraphs. It read like a stand-alone, and once I’d started I couldn’t put it down.

If you like Santa Teresa’s Kinsey Millhone, or Val McDermid’s Kate Brannigan, you’ll love Filomena. The first in the series is 23 Shades of Black.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I had not heard of the Filomena Wishnia books

before but will definitely look out for them in the future. Filomena is an

ex cop with a grudge, a well deserved grudge against a chap that has to all

intense and purposes murdered her – you will have to read the book to

understand what I mean. Filomenia is a brilliantly conceived character, you

would certainly love to have her around. That dialogue in the book just

jumps off the page and is as sharp as a knife. The story is about some bad

news Filomena receives and is concerned about her very charismatic 3 year

old. They head off to Long Island to the home of the child’s Aunt, all is

not well out there and Filomena is soon embroiled in a scandal that involves

the very person she is after.

It’s a great read, I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend it. The

writing is very real and the characters are so believable, it makes you

believe that you could meet people like that in regular life.

[Yves Fey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Island setting of Kenneth Wishnia’s environmental thriller seems to lie just north of Mordor. Usually, such an evil brew of despairing urban grunge and insatiable corporate greed would make me run for the cozy embrace of Hannibal Lector. But Filomena Buscarsela kept me riveted. She burns off the page and lights up the world, even with mortal darkness shadowing her own life. Fil is an amazing, an indomitable heroine. Her vibrant voice dominates the novel, a wise-cracking fury bent on revenge. But the wide array of characters are all distinct, their dialogue honed to a sharp, gleaming edge. The fast-paced, rhythmic plotting uses them all to advantage, throwing in some unexpected twists. I did have some quibbles with the climax, though my reaction to any other ending would been far more negative. Lovers of fierce, savvy heroines will embrace Filomena, and The Glass Factory’s tale of environmental evil may stir some much-needed zealous fervor in its readers.

[Yves Fey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Island setting of Kenneth Wishnia’s environmental thriller seems to lie just north of Mordor. Usually, such an evil brew of despairing urban grunge and insatiable corporate greed would make me run for the cozy embrace of Hannibal Lector. But Filomena Buscarsela kept me riveted. She burns off the page and lights up the world, even with mortal darkness shadowing her own life. Fil is an amazing, an indomitable heroine. Her vibrant voice dominates the novel, a wise-cracking fury bent on revenge. But the wide array of characters are all distinct, their dialogue honed to a sharp, gleaming edge. The fast-paced, rhythmic plotting uses them all to advantage, throwing in some unexpected twists. I did have some quibbles with the climax, though my reaction to any other ending would been far more negative. Lovers of fierce, savvy heroines will embrace Filomena, and The Glass Factory’s tale of environmental evil may stir some much-needed zealous fervor in its readers.

[Alannah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the first two books in the series, but that's OK because this novel about former NYPD cop Filomena Buscarsela stands quite well on its own. If you're a leisurely reader, though, you'd better step up your pace. This is a snappy, turbulent read that will whoosh right past you if you don't pay attention.

As Filomena goes down the path of Erin Brockovich and also fights a devastating health diagnosis, she finds her own ways of getting near the source of industrial pollution. Not your usual cop story, but a darned enthralling tale.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of the short story written from the point of view of Filomena's daughter Antonia at age 12 (Antonia is 4 in the book). I remember reading the short story in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine years ago.

Definitely recommended!

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

I have to take Wishnia slowly as the fast paced first person narrative starts to give me a headache after a while. Which is a compliment rather than a complaint as it means I really get inside Filomena's head. This is the third in the series and she's battling the same foe as in the first two books. The continuity of story through the series so far is good but I hope that this book concludes it for once and for all.

And it looks like we might have seen the last of that storyline. Nice to have it tied up. I wonder where this series is going next?

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read.