Safe Harbor

by Eugene Izzi

Anyone who knows him will tell you that Mark Torrence is a decent man--a dedicated father, a person whose ingrained honesty and integrity is evident in his every action and all his personal dealings. Ask James Bracken, however, and he'll describe a very different a rat who squealed, then vanished into the Witness Protection Program; a traitor who ticked off powerful people who don't forget and never forgive; an untrustworthy lowllife who needs to die. For once upon a time, Mark Torrence was not a pillar of his society--he was not even Mark Torrence. In a previous New York City life, he was Tommy Torelli, an associate of wiseguys who made their bones through violence, extortion, thieveryand much worse. Bracken-a world class hit man with a swollen bank account--is willing to take Torrence/Torelli down gratis, in order to satisfy inner demons that will be appeased only by vengeance and with blood. And he's ready to eliminate anyone who stands between him and his well-hidden target. As Torrence's paranoia grows to unmanageable proportions--as he senses an ever--closing circle of terror getting tighter and tighter around him--he realizes that his new identity has become a liabilityand that the only way to survive is to become something he the man he once was. Because now only Tommy Torelli can save Mark Torrence and his family--and perhaps even salvage a small part of the new life he built out of the ruins. But the price might well be his soul.

352 pages, Hardcover

Published August 3, 1999

About the author

Eugene Izzi was born on March 23, 1953 in Hegewisch, a neighborhood in southwest Chicago.

His first novel, The Take, was published in 1987. He went on to publish 18 books. His thrillers often featured organized crime and street characters he remembered from his childhood.

After the publication of Tribal Secrets, he had a dispute with his publisher, and could not publish any books under his name for three years. During this time he published three novels under the pseudonym Nick Gaitano.

On December 7, 1996 he was found hanging outside his Michigan Avenue office. His death was declared a suicide, but many found his death suspicious.

Reviews

[Glen U · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely good crime novel. Eugene Izzi was the most underrated writer of crime fiction during the 1990's, in my opinion. His writing has the unique quality of not only being a fine crime drama written in a more literary style, than most of the best-sellers, it also has a complex character development style that fully immerses the reader in the story. It makes for a longer read but it also gives his novels a much more fulfilling feel for the audience. Like Lee Childs, his protagonists are usually anti-heroes, but they are realistic, in that they are not perfect. Another great effort from Izzi and a very good read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mob snitch relocated from New York to Chicago before he left the witness protection program. Collateral damage from his testimony leads to his pursuit by a hitman extraordinaire years later. Good hard-boiled crime fiction from Izzi, which sat on my shelves way too long. So long, that I had forgotten Izzi's career ended when he was found dead, hanging from the window of his 14th floor office on Michigan Avenue, wearing a bullet proof vest, carrying brass knuckles, mace and a CD of an unfinished manuscript. Stranger than fiction.