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Monkey in the Middle Severn House Large Print Stephen Solomita 9780727877772 Books

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Monkey in the Middle Severn House Large Print Stephen Solomita 9780727877772 Books

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I have always really thought Solomita was a vastly under rated author whose books featuring Stanley Moodrow were truly excellent as were the books he wrote under the pseudonym, David Cray. This book , however, though it displays glimpses of the old magic, just didn't do it for me. Too many unimportant digressions and a plot at once trite and not especially exciting. But Solomita does strive for something different and I will give some of his newer novels a chance.


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Monkey in the Middle Severn House Large Print Stephen Solomita 9780727877772 Books Reviews

Leonard Carter, former mercenary, now back in New York after serving stints in the Gulf War and Afghanistan by way of the African continent, is now doing what he does best, working as a hitman for another Middle East mercenary. He thinks, "The military and Carter were a perfect fit. And what Carter must now do, with a military career off the table, is market his talents and training on the free market." Now getting older, Carter is no less expert at his job, his attacks displaying exquisite precision and audacity, but is somewhat concerned at his recent loss of focus, or what he calls 'slippage.' His current assignment targets business and associates of Paulie "Margarine" Marginella, organized crime boss who is himself planning his life after retirement.

Solly Epstein, lieutenant in the NY Organized Crime Control Bureau, is assigned to the investigation of the murders, and the assumption in the NYPD is that there is a gang war about to erupt in the city. But the explanation is not quite that simple. The action takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, when the city is at its most sparkling. Solly needs to close this case quickly His wife, Sofia, is due to give birth to their first child any day, now two weeks past her due date, and he has promised to make that his priority, that "the minute you go into labor, I'm outta here."

The plot continues in engrossing fashion until suddenly there is a totally unexpected left turn midway through, and it just keeps getting better. I particularly enjoyed Mr. Solomita's descriptive abilities and prose. Speaking of Carter, he writes "In the course of his short life, he's witnessed unspeakable savagery without flinching. Worse, he's committed acts so awful that he thinks himself past even the hope of redemption. But for all the blood, Carter has never willingly surrendered his dignity." And he has a somewhat anomalous sentiment against collateral damage.

I hadn't read a new novel from this author in several years, and was very happy to have discovered this one - hopefully, there are more to come, as this was a welcome return indeed.

Recommended.
MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE by Stephen Solomita begins with Leonard Carter, a hitman, making a hit in Macy’s Department during the crush of the Christmas season. It doesn’t seem to be the ideal place for a hit, but it works brilliantly. Solly Epstein of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, and his partner Billy Boyle begin their investigation. The heads of the OCCB are worried that a gang war is about to erupt. This latest murder was the fourth hit of a gangster affiliated with Paulie Marginella, known as Paulie Margarine. The rumor is that an Arab mob headed by Rachid Toufiq is looking at expanding into Paulie’s territory

The novel follows three separate threads; Carter, Epstein and Paulie Margarine. Carter plots more murders. Epstein seeks info from his snitches on the street. Paulie is contacted by a mysterious man named Thorpe who claims to be behind the killings.

MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE is very noir. Informants and double crossers fill the gritty streets. All the well-drawn main characters have a dark side. And, in contrast, the hitman Carter dutifully visits his terminally ill sister in the hospital. Epstein frets over his very pregnant wife. The book is compact but with a convoluted plot. Typically noir, nobody is what they seem to be, but at one point I was totally confused by the appearance of one character and I had to go back and reread some parts to explain where he came from. Never got a satisfactory answer.

The ending is typical noir. Nobody wins.

I’m not a big fan of bleak noir, but this one held my interest to the conclusion.
I'm so glad to have discovered new books by Stephen Solomita, and this was a terrific welcome back! It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys here, but all of the characters are fully-developed and complex. I'm looking forward to reading the second in the series.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I have always really thought Solomita was a vastly under rated author whose books featuring Stanley Moodrow were truly excellent as were the books he wrote under the pseudonym, David Cray. This book , however, though it displays glimpses of the old magic, just didn't do it for me. Too many unimportant digressions and a plot at once trite and not especially exciting. But Solomita does strive for something different and I will give some of his newer novels a chance.