The Echo Man audiobook

A complex + elaborate thriller from Montanari; I'd expect nothing less! A fantastically gritty read with an abundance of shocks to keep you guessing throughout

"The Echo Man" is the fifth in author Richard Montanari's Balzano/Byrne series of crime mystery/Thrillers set in Philadelphia. Byrne the grizzled old vet, and Balzano a detective with limited time in homicide partner together perfectly . The fifth book in this series was an enjoyable read. I've really had a ball reading all five of author Montanari's Philly series to date. The author knows every nook and cranny of this city. His protagonist team of Jessica Balzano and Kevin Bynre are surperbly crafted and molded very well from the previous four books. The other characters are also developed very well from within the Philly police department. However in this novel, his bad guys become far too fuzzy. I think the fact of the book running 518 pages really hurt it overall. From the 350th page on, I just wanted to get to the conclusion and wrap up the crime spree. The book's plot dealt with a series of 7 bodies being dropped in the oddest of places and reasons. I felt too many of the side characters kept getting in the way. Mr. Montanari could have wrapped up this thriller much easier and quicker. Does that take away from the overall plot as a puzzle ? Probably. But the second half of the book needed a jolt that never really happened until it was too late. Don't get me wrong, I really had a blast reading this one. I only gave it 4 stars out of a possible 5 because of it's length. This should be a five star book. Many will see it that way. Just the fact that the author could keep this Philly kid interested into what sections, and neighborhoods this book ran through was great. I can't wait to jump into the sixth Balzano/ Byrne thriller from Richard Montanari. This is a fantastic series if you haven't come across it. Start out with his first in series and keep going. You won't be disappointed. All in all a fine effort for "The Echo Man" a very enjoyable read.

>>Diese Rezension und viele mehr findet ihr auch hier: http://wort-welten.blogspot.de/ Ein Mann, der in einem verlassenen Haus tot aufgefunden wird, ist für die Detectives Jessica Balzano und Kevin Byrne nun wirklich nichts Neues mehr. Ein Mann, der gefesselt, dem anschließend das Ohr und die Stirn zerschnitten und der erst danach mit einem Draht ermordet wurde, allerdings schon. Nimmt man dann allerdings noch die Tatsache hinzu, dass er von Kopf bis Fuß rasiert ist und einen Papierstreifen über Augen und Stirn gelegt bekommen hat, der mit Siegelwachs verschlossen wurde, wird es allerdings doch ein wenig kurios. Dass der Mann genau an der Stelle liegt, an der vor Jahren die Leiche einer jungen Frau gefunden wurde, die das aktuelle Opfer getötet haben soll, gibt weitere Rätsel auf. Und dann tauchen immer mehr Leichen auf. Mörder, die dem Gesetz entgangen sind - und ihre Komplizen. Alle werden so hergerichtet wie Kenneth Beckman, das erste Opfer. Zudem führt die Suche nach dem Mörder ganz besonders Kevin Byrne an seine Grenzen. Denn wie es scheint, begann die ganze Geschichte, die mysteriösen Morde, alles, bereits vor zwanzig Jahren, als er in seinem ersten Mordfall als leitender Detective die weltbekannte Cellistin Christa-Maria Schönburg wegen des Mordes an ihrem Psychiater festnahm ...Im 6. oder auch 5. Fall ermitteln Balzano und Byrne nun schon. Und ich muss sagen, ein Fall war spannender als der andere. So also auch Echo des Blutes. Eine wahrhaft meisterhaft erzählte Geschichte eines reichlich kranken Mörders. Schier unerträgliche Spannung. Immer dann, wenn ich sicher war, nun endlich zu wissen, wer der Mörder ist, brachte Montanari mich wieder auf eine völlig neue Fährte. Ein wahrhaft genialer Thriller.

After writing an essay about Music compositions and Composers , it seems appropiate to write a review on Richard Montanari's latest novel "The Echo Man". If you are a fan of Richard's novels , then you know it follows two main detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano and their force of policemen and women. The novel has two main storylines running through it , the first one less important than the main murder case is the AA Killer , a guy who preys on young women at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and the second one a murder that first started in 1990 when a violinist was found in the home of her tutor who had been murdered . Sentenced to a insane aslyum , the girl stayed till just recently when she was released , now somebody is killing in the same exact fashion - however this time the murders are related to a fire that caused a girl by the name of Alexandra Chang to die. One by one everyone associated with her murder and the day she died is being killed in a way that reminded me eerily of the Dexter Killings - see the books by Jeff Lindsey. As the deaths become more and more , it seems that someone has taken also to recreating Philadelphia's unsolved crimes ? Is this an inside job , someone who has access to the files and been on the force for a long time ? Be Prepared for a shocking twist as we see one of our regular and long-running characters finding themselve in handcuffs and behind bars ?All this and more in another relentless and suspensful fast-paced thriller from Richard Montanari

Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are back an on the hunt two killers. The first one is targeting young women as they leave their Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. But then they find a mutilated body. Upon further inspections they learn that there was an old murder case in the same location. Then more bodies start turning up, heads wrapped in paper, and a small tattoo on a finger. But the catch is that the bodies are left in old murder scene locations that these people had a connection to. It seems someone has been going through the old case files and staging the murders. It looks like someone on the police force has become a vigilante.I really liked this story. There were a lot of twists and turns and I didn’t expect the killer until the reveal. Jessica and Kevin work well together. I enjoyed following along as they put the pieces of the puzzle slowly together.My only complaint is that the book is just over 500 pages long. Long books don’t bother me if they keep me engrossed in the story. Unfortunately there were parts that started to drag or felt like things were just thrown into the story to take up pages.Beyond that, this is my first Balzano and Byrne story. I really enjoyed it and would like to read the other books in the series to see what I have missed.I received The Echo Man from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

Balzano & Byrne no 5. The best one of the series so far, in my opinion. A good decent story, with lots of twists and turns, which had me guessing right until the end.

Montanari keeps getting better with this series, he keeps the reader fooled until the end

Extremely exciting read and the second book in a row from the author. What a fast paced and twisted plot. I don't want to spoil anything but you wouldn't have guessed the villain, I'm sure about it. Grisly murders and extremely well described criminal investigations. It's better than watching a movie. Montanari makes you feel you're very close with the characters. Excellent descriptions and research. I can only highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed. It's a long book but at the end you wish it even longer. Top recommendation!

Wow, absolutely wow, this book has left me speechless and in awe of the author. It just amazes me how the author continues to keep coming up with these amazing plot ideas. This is an edge of ure seat gripping crime thriller, I could not put this book down, was completely taken in by the story from beginning to end.As always I love the characters in this ongoing series of books. :-)

A Very enjoyable read, full of twists and turns. i did get a bit lost at times but soon got back on track.

A good police thriller

Everything I love about serial killing novelsI have never read any Richard Montanari books before and I was a little concerned that The Echo Man might continue a story thread from the previous books that I have not read. However, this was not the case. The only element of the book that I think is a continuation of the Philadelphia series is the characters of Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne. Other than that, I don't think it is necessary to read all the previous books in order to enjoy The Echo Man; it works perfectly well as a stand-alone read.I love crime thrillers about serial killers and Montanari's book had it all: victim after victim; a clever but brutal killer; vividly gory descriptions and a tense, addictive and riveting plot. There were moments of light-hearted humour that made me smile, particularly because it showed the bond between Jessica and Kevin. At times, I thought the plot was digressing to characters and events that had nothing to do with the serial killer case but I was pleasantly surprised when these subplots linked in with Jessica and Kevin's case. The character depth was great because I felt that I was seeing Jessica and Kevin as real people, not just police detectives. Their personal lives were woven into the main plot which really brought these two characters alive for me. The last 20 chapters or so had me completely hooked; I was desperate to find out who the killer was and how the novel would end.Overall, The Echo Man is a thrilling crime novel about a serial killing case. It will have you sitting in a chair with your body tense and your heart racing as you are so eager to find out how the case will end. I would thoroughly recommend this book to those who enjoy serial killer crime novels.

Not His Best But Another Good Book By Montanari!I've said it before and I'm saying it again having now read eight of Richard Montanari's books: I am convinced that he is incapable of writing a bad book and he deserves to have a much wider reading audience. Montanari's writing style and interesting, well-developed characters will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next in the fifth book in the series featuring Detectives Byrne and Balzano. That being said, however, The Echo Man does not quite measure up to the first two excellent books in the series, The Rosary Girls and The Skin Gods, but it is about as good as Badlands and Merciless. Putting these comparative comments aside, The Echo Man -- which has Byrne and Balzano working on a case involving a person who is recreating infamous unsolved murders -- has an above average amount of suspense and excitement, very strong characterizations, very believable prose and several complex plot twists. The only factor that keeps me from giving The Echo Man a 5-star rating is that I found the plot, at times, crossing the line from being complex to being convoluted. Despite this criticism, I’m pretty confident you’ll find this book to be a real page-turner.