Good Sons

Mario Balzic Detective Mystery #12

by K.C. Constantine

It's been months since Mario Balzic retired, and the position of Rocksburg's police chief has been open ever since. To the dismay of Detective Sergeant Rugs Carlucci, Mayor Angelo Bellotti is holding his cards close to his chest. A career underachiever with some surprising inner strengths, Rugs isn't even sure of his own ambitions. Carlucci's aging, incessantly demanding mother is already complaining about her son's hefty overtime duty, unwilling to understand that without it he couldn't afford the care she needs. And Rugs knows the job itself would be more pain than prestige, with a department out of money and dirt-low on staff. Now Rugs faces a grisly, unexpected test of his suddenly elevated status. A woman has been found horribly raped and mortally battered.

Genres: Mystery

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Carl Constantine Kosak is an American mystery author known for his work as K.C. Constantine. Little is known about Kosak, as he prefers anonymity and has given only a few interviews. He was born in 1934 and served in the Marines in the early 1950s. He lives in Greensburg PA with wife Linda.



http://www.badattitudes.com/KCCintvw....

Reviews

[Bill Cissna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed, as often is the case with a Balzic novel, the contrasting of "sons" in one set of lives in Rocksburg with other "sons" that have their own set of conflicts and challenges.

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this one, Constantine pulls off a rare slick trick: replacing the central character of a series. While Mario Balzic may be missed, Detective Ruggs is a more-than-satisfactory substitute. Some of the interrogations are searing!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen this writer on the library shelves for years and for no good reason always skipped on by.

My loss. This guy writes the best ethnic dialogue since "The Friends of Eddie Coyle."

I seem to have come in at the end of one series and the beginning of another with "Good Sons." The main character, a detective sergeant, is unsure of himself and has to ask his former boss (and hero of the dozen or so earlier books) for advice as he navigates his way through a nasty and complicated murder, town politics, and a crazy mother.

The small town outside Pittsburgh seems very real. The characters define themselves through their speec mannerisms.

This is good stuff.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Sons seamlessly transitions from the 11 prior Rocksburg novels featuring Chief Mario Balzic to a focus on his likely replacement Detective Sergeant Ruggiero "Rugs" Carlucci. Constantine returns to a more straightforward approach, especially compared to the prior 4-5 novels, allowing us to spend a lot of time with Rugs. But, it is still filled with small town politics and the details that carry you from the page to reality and back to the printed word. This continues to be an extraordinary series.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#12 in the Rocksburg, PA series variously featuring Mario Balzic, police chief and after his retirement, Ruggiero "Rugs" Carlucci. Atmospheric series transcends the suspense genre.

"Rugs" Carlucci is unofficially running the Rocksburg PD after Mario Balzic's retirement. Carlucci investigates the rape beating of a woman at the office of a concrete company. He proceeds with the help of rookie State Trooper Claude Milliron and Balzic. The Mayor is dangling the Chief job in front of Carlucci.

[Laurie Stoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading.