Review: BENEATH A WEEPING SKY (Gray Dog Press March 2010)Author: Frank Zafiro
Many readers might be put off by the notion of reading a story about a serial rapist. However, BENEATH A WEEPING SKY isn't just any old story about a serial rapist. There's nothing gratuitous about the violence in this book. However, be advised that it is a gritty police story about trying to catch a rapist and the occasional violent and uncomfortable scene is to be expected.
Having dispensed with those "pleasantries," it's worth noting that Frank Zafiro's story is well worth reading, for many reasons.
The Set-up
Although the story is told from many points of view, the honor of main protagonist (arguably) goes to patrol officer Katie MacLeod, a strong and well-drawn female character. The point is arguable simply because the reader gets to know and care about so many people in this book, including Detective John Tower, veteran officer Thomas Chisholm, patrol partners Anthony Battaglia and Connor "Sully" O'Sullivan (who are like the cop equivalent of Abbott and Costello), and even the serial rapist. Believe it or not, Zafiro manages to explain the rapist's background and motivations enough for you to care about him – even if he is doing evil.
Each of the major characters (and there are many) are fully fleshed out human beings with lots of problems from their past to deal with. Zafiro manages to skillfully explore each character's issues, while telling a chilling story of an increasingly violent criminal.
Katie (who has plenty of issues from her past) is enlisted as bait to flush out the perpetrator – a rapist who is threatening the women of the fictional River City, Washington. This leads to various complications and plenty of agonizing on Katie's part. She feels the pressure to stay strong, to be "one of the guys." Yet, at the same time, her past feeds her anxiety about being used as bait to catch the rapist.
Read the entire review at: http://thriller-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/review_of_beneath_a_weeping_sky
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