Safe Harbor

by Eugene Izzi

Mark Torrence is a decent man--a dedicated youth counselor; a loving husband and father; a person whose ingrained honesty and integrity is evident in his every action and all his personal dealings. But in a previous New York City life, before he "ratted" and vanished into the Witness Protection Program, Mark Torrence was Tommy Torrelli, an associate of wiseguys who made their bones through violence, extortion, thievery, and worse. Now a world-class hit man with a swollen bank account has agreed to take Torrence/Torrelli down gratis, in order to satisfy inner demons who will only be appeased by vengeance and with blood. As an ever-tightening circle of terror closes in around him, Torrence realizes that his new identity has suddenly become a liability. And the only way he can save his unsuspecting family--the only way he can survive--is by becoming something he truly despises: the man he once was.

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published December 5, 2000

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.