Title

by Brett Wallach

Expecting to hold onto her was like trying to keep water in the palm of your hand.

In the guise of a tough, noir detective novel, TORMENT, the sixth in Brett Wallach's Phil Allman, P.I. series, is actually a poetic, romantic elegy on obsessive love. The street-smart humor, and colorful cast of characters that have been staples of the series remain, but the sad cloud of unrequited love hangs over everything.

Philadelphia Detective Allman's ex-wife, the young and beautiful Marci Downes, has been murdered, and Phil is arrested for the crime, and is under suspicion for killing several others who got close to her. Phil's depression over losing Marci, and its resulting memory lapses, have Phil doubting his own innocence. The mystery will keep you guessing until the very end.

ebook

Published August 24, 2018

About the author

My name is Brett Wallach, and I'm a father of two daughters from the Philadelphia area. The protagonist in my Phil Allman, P.I. series of mysteries is a misanthropic, sentimental, bitter, funny, romantic, lustful, tough, sometimes amoral, slightly (?) insane divorced father of two daughters from Philadelphia. Any resemblance to myself is highly coincidental. I've tried to create a character who often says and does the wrong things, after reading so many books in this genre where the main character, despite quirks, is usually unrealistically virtuous. Think Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, only funnier. My favorite authors are John Steinbeck, Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane, and many others. I have no delusions that my novels are on that level, but as my reviews (please see them on Goodreads) show, most people seem to find them entertaining. After my former publisher recently went out of business, I decided to self-publish, and my six books (so far) in the series (Jesse Garon, And I Love Her, Young Blood, Freeze Out, Susceptible, and Torment) are all available on Amazon, and candid, objective reviews are always welcome. My seventh book, The Last MAN On Earth, is a sci-fi/social and sexual satire, and I hope you like that as well. My email address is wallachbrett@aol.com, and feedback is welcome.