Badlands - (Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne) by Richard Montanari (Paperback)

About the Book

International bestselling author Montanari's latest adrenaline-fueled thriller transports readers to the gritty streets of Philadelphia's Badlands, where a diabolical fiend plays a cryptic, murderous game.

Book Synopsis

A teenage runaway's body is found in the basement of a rancid tenement building in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district dubbed the Badlands. The inexplicable cause of death: drowning. Months later, this dormant homicide case stirs back to life. A confession to the bizarre murder sends Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano rushing to make an arrest. But what they find will chill these hardened veterans to the bone. As the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being set into place by a madman using the city as his game board. His playthings are the innocent, and his opponents-and pawns-are Byrne and Balzano, who must, before time runs out, decipher the truth about a shadowy house of horrors and its elusive master.

Review Quotes

"A satisfying puzzle and unexpected twists."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Stunning . . . outstanding, truly memorable . . . Montanari seems poised to take his place on the top ranks of the mystery field."--Booklist, starred review

About the Author

Richard Montanari is a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. His 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 Merciless, The Skin Gods, The Rosary Girls, Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and The Violet Hour.