Richard Aleas' latest book, SONGS OF INNOCENCE (Hard Case Crime, 2007), is a great hardboiled crime novel with a basic good-guy protagonist, John Blake. Retreating from the tough world of private investigation to the realm of academia, after suffering some traumatic events in connection with a case (which I presume was the subject of the preceding novel, LITTLE GIRL LOST), Blake nonetheless gets drawn back into danger when a vulnerable young girl he's befriended is found dead in her bathtub of an apparent suicide.
Convinced that she didn't kill herself, Blake starts investigating her death, and in doing so, attracts the attention of a dangerous criminal element and, eventually, the police. Richard Aleas (the nom de plume of Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime) ratchets up the pace and suspense in this dark, disturbing tale that ends on a noir twist that will leave readers gasping with surprise.
No comments:
Post a Comment