Arch Angels : A Joe Keough Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Best Detective Book in Last 10 Yrs
Review: Don't walk but run out and get this detective book. Rich character development and a new interesting twist to the serial murderer genre, I highly recommend Randisi's new book. Each member of my family, who I am certain have the "detective story gene sequence" in their DNA, loved Bob's book! A read you will not regret!

Rating:
Summary: Joe Keough returns to St. Louis.
Review: Detective Joe Keough returns to his old stomping grounds when it becomes apparent that a serial killer is kidnapping and murdering young boys in St. Louis. It's a bittersweet experience for Keough for several reasons besides the killings. One is that he is now considered an outsider by local police, having spent the last year working for the Federal Serial Killer Task Force in Washington DC. Another complication occurs when he is brought face-to-face with his ex-partner Marc Jeter, with whom he has some very serious unfinished business. Finally, it appears as if the killer, or a copycat with a similar M.O., is snatching young girls off the street a few hundred miles away in Chicago, always within days of the St. Louis killings. Still, Keogh endures, relying on razor sharp instincts to bring the killer to justice, even as he deals with his recently diagnosed diabetes and the shambles he has made of his personal life.

The fifth Joe Keogh mystery finds Randisi in fine form, still capable of mesmerizing readers. Careful to offer plenty of action sequences, and to keep the suspense ratcheted up to barely tolerable levels, he also realistically portrays each of his characters' viewpoints and moral dilemmas. Thus, their actions are understandable, and their motivations clear; Randisi leaves it up to his readers to decide about the morality of their behavior. Although the finale feels a bit rushed and possibly a bit anti-climactic after everything that has come before, Arch Angels should prove a satisfying read for most.

Rating:
Summary: Joe Keough returns to St. Louis.
Review: Detective Joe Keough returns to his old stomping grounds when it becomes apparent that a serial killer is kidnapping and murdering young boys in St. Louis. It's a bittersweet experience for Keough for several reasons besides the killings. One is that he is now considered an outsider by local police, having spent the last year working for the Federal Serial Killer Task Force in Washington DC. Another complication occurs when he is brought face-to-face with his ex-partner Marc Jeter, with whom he has some very serious unfinished business. Finally, it appears as if the killer, or a copycat with a similar M.O., is snatching young girls off the street a few hundred miles away in Chicago, always within days of the St. Louis killings. Still, Keogh endures, relying on razor sharp instincts to bring the killer to justice, even as he deals with his recently diagnosed diabetes and the shambles he has made of his personal life.

The fifth Joe Keogh mystery finds Randisi in fine form, still capable of mesmerizing readers. Careful to offer plenty of action sequences, and to keep the suspense ratcheted up to barely tolerable levels, he also realistically portrays each of his characters' viewpoints and moral dilemmas. Thus, their actions are understandable, and their motivations clear; Randisi leaves it up to his readers to decide about the morality of their behavior. Although the finale feels a bit rushed and possibly a bit anti-climactic after everything that has come before, Arch Angels should prove a satisfying read for most.

Rating:
Summary: fun serial killer investigation
Review: So far the victims are all between the ages of eight and ten. The three strangled in St. Louis were female: in Chicago three boys were murdered in the same manner. Every couple of days a killing occurs. The police in both cities remain baffled over whether there is one culprit, two in tandem, or an originator and a copy cat as the I-55 serial killings of these little angels leave law enforcement officials feeling helpless and distraught.

Federal Service Killer Task Force Detective Joe Keough flies to St. Louis while his partner Harriet Connors travels to Chicago to help with the inquiries. The local cops are irate that these superstar outsider hired guns are perching in their territory, but that does not stop Joe and Harriet from taking over much of the investigations. Soon the DC based duo finds twin suspects, but are they the "divine" driven killers or is there something even more diabolical behind the serial murders of the angelic children?

Though Joe and Harriet are an interesting duo whose teamwork makes this serial killer investigation work as the latest of what seems like the zillionth serial killer novel offers quite a stretch of a solution to the murders. The story line moves at a leisurely pace more suited to a cozy belying that a killing machine or two is preying on the preadolescent populace. The territoriality of the local police seems genuine though one would hope that they would welcome outside expertise. ARCH ANGELS is a solid tale, but the climax and the feel that they have all the time in the world to stop the culprit(s) takes away from the latest Keogh tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: fun serial killer investigation
Review: So far the victims are all between the ages of eight and ten. The three strangled in St. Louis were female: in Chicago three boys were murdered in the same manner. Every couple of days a killing occurs. The police in both cities remain baffled over whether there is one culprit, two in tandem, or an originator and a copy cat as the I-55 serial killings of these little angels leave law enforcement officials feeling helpless and distraught.

Federal Service Killer Task Force Detective Joe Keough flies to St. Louis while his partner Harriet Connors travels to Chicago to help with the inquiries. The local cops are irate that these superstar outsider hired guns are perching in their territory, but that does not stop Joe and Harriet from taking over much of the investigations. Soon the DC based duo finds twin suspects, but are they the "divine" driven killers or is there something even more diabolical behind the serial murders of the angelic children?

Though Joe and Harriet are an interesting duo whose teamwork makes this serial killer investigation work as the latest of what seems like the zillionth serial killer novel offers quite a stretch of a solution to the murders. The story line moves at a leisurely pace more suited to a cozy belying that a killing machine or two is preying on the preadolescent populace. The territoriality of the local police seems genuine though one would hope that they would welcome outside expertise. ARCH ANGELS is a solid tale, but the climax and the feel that they have all the time in the world to stop the culprit(s) takes away from the latest Keogh tale.

Harriet Klausner