"Compelling!"
Ralph Pezzullo's debut novel, EVE MISSING, is as hard
boiled a noir mystery as hard boiled can get. The writing
is skilled, crisp, raw. The fast pace is constant and
rhythmic. As New York City police officers, Smokey Annicelli and his
partner get caught up in a mess. Smokey is fingered to
take the fall and is removed from the force. Befriended by
a mysterious, powerful and well-connected man he continues
his career as an unlicensed private investigator. Lina is a young fashion model who Smokey once helped when
she was a young, troubled girl. A friendship started and
grew. So when Lina's friend, Eve, disappears she asks
Smokey for help. His investigation leads to Danielle Girous, a wealthy and
independent businesswoman. Eve worked the streets as a
hooker until she met kind hearted Danielle who took in the
girl and then called in favors in order to kick off Eve's
modeling career. Though the ex-prostitute became quickly
successful, it seems it was hard for her to break old
habits. Forget lover's triangle, a lover's pentagon is more like
it. Smokey's investigation leads him on the trail of one
mangled love affair after another. The women he encounters
have
low self-esteem and have recently been burned. They are
sexy and vulnerable, not to mention aggressive. He forgets
the one important rule he learned from his police captain.
Never get involved. Easier said than done. When he falls
for Danielle, he loses objectivity. His search for answers leads him down multiple roads.
Everyone seems to know more than they are letting on.
There is never a lack of clues to keep the scent strong,
but he is running out of time. Eve might be dead and just
when he is about to discover answers, Lina wants him off
the case. He is not sure who to trust. Like Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series, Smokey
Annicelli is the type of P.I. readers will want to see more
of. He's gritty and rough, with some sense of morals— at
certain times, anyway. EVE MISSING is loaded with action,
wild characters, a load of steamy sexual scenes and a
carefully plotted mystery. Pezzullo is a welcomed breath
of fresh air in a genre filled with many bland stories.
Reviewed by Phillip Tomasso
Posted August 23, 2003
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