Barbara S. (barbsis) - , reviewed on 4/30/2010 + 1076 more book reviews

This is a book in two parts with two authors. The first part by Evan Hunter is awful and I wouldn't read another Evan Hunter novel. Ben Thorpe, a traveling architect, is a psychotic/neurotic (not sure which one) who is a raving sex fiend. In every city he travels to, he has a girl or two (or three) ready and willing to help him out and if not there are always prostitutes available. Most of the book is a stream of consciousness kinda like diarrhea of the brain. I found Ben and this part of the book to be incredibly boring and I had to fight just to keep listening to it.

Just started part two by Ed McBain (an author I really like) and so far I'm enjoying the mystery of the murdered prostitute. I really like the special victims detective (Emma Boyle). She has been on the job so long that she just "knows" things. Her instincts are dead on and intuitive. Her semi-partner from vice is Jimmy Morgan. There is something off with him as he's a little to comfortable with the whores and something seems to be going on behind the scenes. They, of course, immediately jump on to Ben's visit to the "massage" parlor where the dead prostitute worked. It's an interesting process tracking down a mysterious man using a false name. If I could have read the second part without the first I would gladly have. As stated, if you can get past part one, the rest is very well written and enjoyable.

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