Rating: 9

This is, by far, one of the best I’ve read in the Hard Case line. Why?

First, one of the things I noticed almost right away was that this book used very little dialogue … which isn’t to say that Bell didn’t do a good job of showing us this story. His narrative was brisk and told from Tracy Bateman’s (the main character) POV.

This doesn’t mean the story was expository. In fact, the words inside Bateman’s head read like dialogue. Bell did a fanatstic job!

Next, Bell did seem to be well versed with his settings, especially Rome and New York. These locales, because they’re significant metropolitan areas, can be well imagined or have details purloined from books and such (no Internet in 1986 when this book was published). I’ve never been to either New York or Rome, but Bell’s apparent intimacy with both cities helped me feel I was there. It was more than just ambience.

Next, the opening of the book, Bateman’s touching euthanasia of his old dog, gave the character a humanity that made the rest of his actions in the book consistent. We knew he was genuine throughout because of the way he cared for his dog at the beginning.

I say you must run and get this book. It’s a great read.