Part of Mario Balzic Detective Mystery, book 10
First published 1993
Mario Balzic works brutal hours as police chief in Rocksburg, Pennsylvania, where closed mines have left behind angry descendants of European immigrants. His mother's recent death weighs heavily on his wife Ruth and adds to his burden. A strange woman named Valery approaches Balzic with a warning. Her violent husband plans to attack a truck driver with a criminal past, and she wants Balzic to prevent it. She provides almost no useful information. Balzic suspects the situation is more dangerous than Valery admits. His gut feeling proves devastatingly accurate when events spiral beyond anyone's control. At the local bar, Balzic meets Myushkin, a wild Russian-American writer who has published nine novels but lives without obvious income. The eccentric author handles his .22 revolver with disturbing skill. Myushkin becomes Balzic's unlikely mentor as the case unfolds, guiding him through a uniquely American nightmare that tests both men's souls.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: mentor-mentee, unlikely-allies
Setting: Rocksburg, Pennsylvania
Period: 20th-century
250 pages · Hardcover · Mysterious Press