The Echo Man: A Novel of Suspense
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Tormented by the exquisite beauty of a concerto and the bloodcurdling cries of a dying woman, the Echo Man composes his own symphony in response: a string of artfully staged slayings—all of them linked to cold murder cases and designed to taunt the police of Philadelphia.
Detective Kevin Byrne hears sounds, too. They wake him in the night, haunt him by day, and remind him of the first homicide suspect he ever arrested: a gifted, beautiful classical musician who inexplicably went mad and became murderous. Now Byrne believes that Philly’s serial killings might be linked to that case. But his partner, Jessica Balzano, has too many bodies on her hands to worry about Byrne’s strange intuition or personal demons—until all the perfectly placed clues, all the evidence, all the deception point Balzano in one direction, and she discovers that the killer is closer than she could ever have suspected.
From the acclaimed author of Merciless, The Echo Man is a masterpiece of suspense that builds to a crescendo of terror and stunning surprise.
The Echo Man includes excerpts from Richard Montanari’s chilling novels and an overview of his Byrne/Balzano series, including a dossier of all the major characters.
Richard Montanari
A novelist, screenwriter, and essayist, Richard Montanari's work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and scores of other national and regional publications. He is the OLMA-winning author of the internationally acclaimed thrillers Deviant Way and The Violet Hour that have now been published in more than twenty countries. Montanari currently makes his home in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is slavish only to the high arts of boxing, Italian food, and independent film.
Read more from Richard Montanari
The Killing Room: A Byrne & Balzano Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Echo Man: A Novel of Suspense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Buried Girl: A Novel of Suspense Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to The Echo Man
Related ebooks
Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Apaches of New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Drifter's Wheel: A Fever Devilin Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deadly Deed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chelsea Girl Murders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rendezvous Eighteenth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Repentance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorldly Goods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chasing the Dragon Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nipped in the Bud Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Dark Hole: and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNIGHT MUSIC and OPEN AND SHUT Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rockabye Contract Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Temptation of Sun Ra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Y' Oh 'Y' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom out of the City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFestival of Fear Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Silvertip Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Traitor Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Silvertip Bundle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiamond Hunters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Moon Over Port Royal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Free State: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Valhalla Exchange Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5False Name Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Four Million: The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gold of Kings: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vagabond: Venice Beach, Slab City and Points In Between Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLay On: After Dinner Conversation, #9 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Suspense For You
A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Marriage: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Outsider: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If We Were Villains: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Misery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Terminal List: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maidens: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Then She Was Gone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brother Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whisper Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wife Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The It Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Missing Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Billy Summers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Echo Man
13 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have not read a book by Richard Montanari since the Rosary Girls, way back when, and before I started reviewing, so I cannot remember what I thought about that one. Possibly not very much given that I have not returned to him for the 9 intervening years. But having just finished this one, I may have to go back and start again. It did not matter that I had not read the three books inbetween, this can be read almost as a stand-alone.
It is a very densely plotted book with several strands woven together and impacting on the detective duos personal lives as well, which, thankfully, do not intrude too much. Once I got into the writer's rhythms, at about page 60, I did not want to put it down. I think that this is a sure sign that I will follow up on Montanari in the relatively near future. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Echo Man is the 5th book in Richard Montanari's series featuring Detectives Balzano and Byrne. Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne face one of their most baffling cases to date. A body is found - completely shaved, with the head wrapped in paper and sealing wax and a temporary tattoo on one finger. As the detectives delve further, they realize that the spot where the body was found is the scene of an unsolved cold case from eight years ago. The placement of the body is identical. And then - it happens again. Who has knowledge of these past crimes and what is the link?The common link seems to be music. And Kevin Byrne. One of his first cases was that of a gifted musician. It seemed open and shut at the time...." When the woman opened her eyes, Byrne felt something flicker in his chest. In his time on the streets of Philadelphia he had met all types of people, from soulless drug dealers, to smash-and-grab artists, to hopped-up joyriding kids. But never before had he encountered anyone so detached from the crime they had just committed. In her light-brown eyes Byrne saw demons caper from shadow to shadow. 'My name is Detective Kevin Byrne', he said. It's going to be all right'. It was November 1, 1990. Nothing has been right since."But Kevin Byrne has demons of his own to battle. Nearly killed in a past case, he has been subject to blinding headaches, black outs and visions.I enjoy the character of Jessica Balzano very much. The secondary storyline featuring her home life and family provides a continuing thread I have enjoyed following. I'm never sure what I think of Kevin Byrne. He's highly intelligent, quite determined, but doesn't always include his partner on his actions. I'm not sure if Montanari is aiming to be different with the vision thing, but I feel it sometimes interferes in what would be a solid detective series without adding it to the mix.The plot of The Echo Man is quite ingenious and highly original. Reader beware - some of the descriptons are quite graphic. Lots of red herrings will keep you guessing until the end.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5*Rating* 3.5*Genre* Mystery/Thriller*Review*The Echo Man, by Richard Montanari, is the fifth novel in the Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne series and the first book released since Badlands came out in 2008. Echo Man marks the return of Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Detectives Balzano and Byrne in a case that has major implications for Byrne as well as a case that he worked on 20 years ago.Flashback to November 1, 1990; Byrne’s discovery of a woman who just committed what he thought was murder. A case that has haunted him ever since. Readers are given a glimpse into a newly promoted Detective Kevin Byrne. The so called guilty party was a world famous cellist named Christa Marie Schonburg. After admitting to the murder of her psychiatrist, she spent the next 20 years in and out of jail and psychiatric facilities. Now, in the present, it appears that someone in Philadelphia is cleaning up the messes caused by her guilty verdict and other crimes that went unsolved by the PPD. Once again Christa plays an important part in the story. Christa sends Kevin a letter and tells him that she can help him with finding out who the killer is. The only catch--Christa is dying and wants to spend time with Kevin whose own guilt in her guilty verdict has haunted him ever since.The murderer, nicknamed the Echo Man, has spent the past 20 years hiding in plain sight in an important role for the city of Philadelphia. He goes after those who have gotten away with murder, and plans one final Coda, or final selection of a piece of music, and then he will bow out forever. By the time he is done, Philadelphia will have yet another serial killer all in the name of vigilante justice.Lucinda (Lucy) Doucette is another character that plays an important role in the story. 9 years ago, she lost 3 days of her life that she’s been trying to get back by going to different specialists including regression therapists. Lucy’s forgotten memories happened on 09/11/2001 when Flight 93 hit the ground near Shanksville, PA. On that day, she was kidnapped along with another girl who wasn’t as lucky as Lucy to survive her ordeal. Lucy and Kevin also have a relationship; one built on lost time and guilt. The one constant and the reason I continue to enjoy reading this series is the partnership between Balzano and Byrne and how they react to each other. While Kevin is dealing with personal issues and the fact that someone is gunning for his head because of his involvement in the Christa Marie case, Jessica is about ready to go through a life changing moment by becoming a mother to an orphaned 2 year old child.What doesn’t change is that since Byrne was shot in the head, and was dead, he gets psychometry like intuitions. He can somehow sense and see things that others can’t. It’s what makes him a damn fine detective and one who is able to figure out who the killer is before Jessica can. I don’t believe that you need to read any of the previous installments in this series to enjoy this book. Montanari may change certain aspects of Philadelphia for the sake of the story, but he gets the police procedures down to a science. My only hope is that those who have enjoyed this series in the past, won't have to wait another 3 years before the next book comes out.Other books in series:1. The Rosary Girls (2005)2. The Skin Gods (2006)3. Merciless (2007)4. Badlands (2008)ARC Recvd 08/10/2011 via Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group.