Mendiola

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I was not crazy about this author's last book, "Project Kaisei," but I am really crazy about this one. The author puts in so much in this relatively short novel that I felt like I spent my last twenty years in the town of Mendiola. The story is dark and sad but the main character, Ronnie Kowalski, is delightful and yet so real. I think readers who are not pleased with unrealistic plots and characters in fictions nowadays will be happy to find that a book like this still exists. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Classic!
Review: I was not crazy about this author's last book, "Project Kaisei," but I am really crazy about this one. The author puts in so much in this relatively short novel that I felt like I spent my last twenty years in the town of Mendiola. The story is dark and sad but the main character, Ronnie Kowalski, is delightful and yet so real. I think readers who are not pleased with unrealistic plots and characters in fictions nowadays will be happy to find that a book like this still exists. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Classic!
Review: Mendiola is not an ordinary murder mystery. This book talks to you. You'll get to know the man, Ronnie Kowalski, from the way he talks to you. That's what makes this novel so special and unusual.

The story is about an old ex-cop, Kowalski, re-visiting an old case. The incident happened more than ten years before. An actor killed himself on stage by putting a gun to his head. After some brainstorming with his buddy, Kowalski realizes that what appeared to be an accidental death was not an accident after all. The story is about searching the motive for the crime. But at the same time, Kowalski is also searching for what he has lost in his life.

The characters in this novel are vividly drawn and all seem so human. The situations are realistic and locations are interesting. This fast-paced story is an excellent read. I finished it in two hours, but I'm sure I'll remember the images for sometime to come.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This was one of the most fascinating mysteries I have ever read. In fact, I'm tempted to call it a classic. The story is about a retired homicide cop in Texas investigating an unsolved case. What makes this novel so unusual is the way the story is structured. In the first half of the novel, the story is a confession of an old man who has lost his purpose in life. The second half is devoted to how he is going to regain that sense of purpose. The mystery itself is compelling enough, but it is this man's struggle with himself that makes this story so rich and interesting. What more can I say? Read it and judge it for yourself.