The Echo Man by Richard Montanari

I decided to take a break from my usual reading and delve into the darker, criminal world of Richard Montanari’s latest book “The Echo Man”.

Homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are called to investigate, when the body of a poor mutilated man is discovered on one of the poorest streets of Philadelphia and it seems that the victim was brutally tortured before his death. As the detectives investigate the case, they find that the crime scene is linked to a crime that had taken place eight years previous, where a body was discovered, killed in the same manner and in the same place. That case was the never closed. Apart from the killer’s unusual calling card, a small tattoo left on the finger’s of each of the victim, everything else about the crime scene photographs remain the same.

As days pass and more bodies are discovered, it becomes apparent that the killer is recreating the unsolved murders of Philadelphia in the most horrific ways.

As I have read a lot of Richard’s Montanari’s novels, I have enjoyed the banter between the detectives, with Kevin Byrne as the quiet, intense, loner and Jessica Balzano with her fiery Italian manner. I am also fully aware of just how graphic and descriptive he can be in his novels, but there is something about “The Echo Man” that he seems to have taken to a whole new level. There were a few times, when I entered the mind of the killer, when I had to take a step back. The murders committed are horrifically brutal and especially twisted, that makes “The Echo Man” not for the faint – hearted.

If you enjoy a dark thriller packed with twists and turns then this book for you, but if you squirm at the sight or even the description of blood then I suggest you stay away.

“The Echo Man” is another fantastic read from one of America’s darkest crime writers.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0434018910″ target=”_blank” ] The Echo Man on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.