The Rosary Girls – Richard Montanari
This is the first book of Richard Montanari’s that I’ve read and I must say I enjoyed it very much and plan to read more. The strapline “Only a killer hears their prayers” sets the tone perfectly, as this is to be a serial killing spree with a religious motive, at least, that is what the symbolism suggests as we find our first victim is a schoolgirl arranged into a position of prayer, with her hands nailed together…
That ought to tell you this book, like many crime thrillers, is definitely not for the squeamish and those who do not like stark and bloodthirsty imagery. But the novel is not simply a shock horror fest of murder and mayhem. A very interesting villain aside, much of the story focuses on the beginnings of the relationship between the two protagonists Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano. Byrne, a tough guy with a soft center in cop novel tradition, has the additional quirk of vague psychic abilities brought on by a near death experience, and like many rough diamonds it is his imperfections that make the reader warm to him. Jessica Balzano on the other hand seems somewhat out of place as a murder detective until we get to know her better. A single parent, recently separated from her husband, Jessica ends up far more involved in this case than any cop ever should be.
This novel has some nice touches, including some first person narrative from the killer; I was certainly surprised when the identity was revealed at the end, and the ID of the killer hadn’t even crossed my mind (although just about everybody else in the book had!). In all I would recommend this book and Richard Montanari’s crime novels will be on my shopping list for my summer reading this year. With titles such as Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and Skin Gods (published Oct in the UK), how could I resist! 
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