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Salt City

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 9 ratings · 6 reviews

Syracuse, upstate New York. The “Salt City.” An apartment building on the edge of The Projects - and Anne Malloy dies, flying out of a sixth floor window, an apparent suicide, while Mark Cornell watches. Mark was there for a purpose, his part-time gig being to snap incriminating photos for a divorce lawyer who happily takes cases over the phone. Watching the apartment was...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published March 23rd 2012 by Red Frog Publishing

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Jun 16, 2012 Lissette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mark Cornell wasn't your every day private investigator. He was a full-fledged college student working the job on the side for a lawyer hoping to make ends meet. Mark dreams of becoming more than what he is now and knows he'll achieve his hopes if he keeps trying. Yet when the current assignment he's working on takes a vicious turn, his entire life changes within the blink of an eye.

Witness to Anne Malloy's jumping out of a window and plummeting to her death six stories down, Mark realizes that...more Mark Cornell wasn't your every day private investigator. He was a full-fledged college student working the job on the side for a lawyer hoping to make ends meet. Mark dreams of becoming more than what he is now and knows he'll achieve his hopes if he keeps trying. Yet when the current assignment he's working on takes a vicious turn, his entire life changes within the blink of an eye.

Witness to Anne Malloy's jumping out of a window and plummeting to her death six stories down, Mark realizes that there's more to his assignment than his boss is letting on. The woman's husband seems to have more secrets than he'd ever imagined and he, himself, is now a suspect in the crime. It doesn't matter that he's innocent. The police are only concerned about the fact that he was in the right place at the wrong time. Furthermore, they're convinced Mark may know more than he's actually saying, even if he's been written off as nothing more than a peeping tom.

Intent on discovering the secrets behind the heinous crime, Mark delves into the circumstances surrounding the case itself. His boss is determined to lead him astray in order to keep him in the dark about matters that do no concern him. Mark, on the other hand, can't leave well enough alone. He needs to know why people are so intent on hiding the facts surrounding Anne Malloy and her family. His curiosity won't rest until he sets all those ghosts to sleep.

The woman is an enigma, one he can't quite figure out just yet. As he draws closer to the truth, he soon realizes that he may just be way in over his head. Anne Malloy was never who people thought she was, a certainty her husband and her entire family have gone through great lengths to hide. She's been dead for quite awhile, much to Marks dismay. As Mark dodges several attempts made on his life, he comes to understand that money will make a person do anything in order to cover the secrets of their past, including throwing a woman out of a six story window in order to make sure she keeps quiet about everything - permanently.

From the moment I began reading Salt City, I was hooked. The story itself was fast paced and while it didn't have much action, here and there, Robert is able to keep the reader glued to every page with the way he incorporate the character's dialogue to fully tell the story. Granted there's quite a few unexpected twists and turns, but that's what makes a thriller more intriguing, right? I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading more of Robert's work in the future.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 TAMMY CUEVAS rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mark Cornell, a college student working part-time for a private investigator, is sitting outside a building waiting to take photos for a divorce lawyer when the woman in question is thrown from a sixth floor window. When Mark learns that "Anne Malloy" had died months before, he goes on the trail to discover who this woman is and who killed her. The novel is set in the 70's , in other words, pre-Internet, so all of Mark's detective work is done the hard way.

In the beginning, I liked this novel. I...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dream-reader-dreamer2229-blo

What happens when a college grad student working part-time as an investigator for a divorce attorney witnesses a murder that has no evidence? Mark is given an assignment to follow the soon-to-be ex-wife of his divorce attorney employer and take pictures of her having an affair to be used against her in the divorce proceedings. Instead he watches her fall six stories to her death. A police officer also witnesses the event.

The next day he finds out that the police have a dead Jane Doe on their ha...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Syracuse, upstate New York. The “Salt City.” An apartment building on the edge of The Projects - and Anne Malloy dies, flying out of a sixth floor window, an apparent suicide, while Mark Cornell watches. Mark was there for a purpose, his part-time gig being to snap incriminating photos for a divorce lawyer who happily takes cases over the phone. Watching the apartment was Mark’s assignment. But this assignment has a problem: Mark learns that “Anne Malloy” had died months before, leavin...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Karielle Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog

Salt City by Robert C. Fleet
Release Date: March 23rd, 2012
Publisher: Red Frog Publishing
Page Count: 247
Source: From the author, via Innovative Online Book Tours for review, as part of the Salt City book tour

Syracuse, upstate New York. The “Salt City.” An apartment building on the edge of The Projects — and Anne Malloy dies, thrown out of a sixth floor window, an apparent suicide, while Mark Cornell watches. Mark was there for a purpose, his part‐time gig being to snap incriminating photos for a...more Salt City by Robert C. Fleet
Release Date: March 23rd, 2012
Publisher: Red Frog Publishing
Page Count: 247
Source: From the author, via Innovative Online Book Tours for review, as part of the Salt City book tour

Syracuse, upstate New York. The “Salt City.” An apartment building on the edge of The Projects — and Anne Malloy dies, thrown out of a sixth floor window, an apparent suicide, while Mark Cornell watches. Mark was there for a purpose, his part‐time gig being to snap incriminating photos for a divorce lawyer who happily takes cases over the phone. Watching the apartment was Mark’s assignment.

But this assignment has a problem: Mark learns that “Anne Malloy” had died months before, leaving behind a grieving husband. So who is this woman?

It’s 1976, before cellphones, internet, and all the easy ways of satisfying curiosities, so Mark Cornell’s search for a name to give the victim makes him a foot soldier slogging personally through the facts. And, as those facts pile up, Mark discovers that he really shouldn’t be playing detective, stumbling across the thin line between commerce and crime.

What Stephanie Thinks: Fleet exhibits a rich, literary voice through the eyes of Mark Cornell, a young and intelligent SUNY student who has, to both his excitement and horror, been tangled up in the suicide of Anne Malloy, in Salt City. Mark is a fresh character, and as clever as he is, he is still tremendously naïve, even if he doesn't like to think so. He never asked to play detective; all he was assigned to do was follow the woman around to gather evidence for a divorce case. But as the only eyewitness for her fall through a sixth story window, detective is the role he plays throughout the book, whether he likes it or not.

Even though this book is supposed to be a thriller, I'm disappointed to say the 'rush' of it isn't very exciting. There are some scenes I can tell were written to pump adrenaline, but they fall miserably, miserably flat. The plot is not engaging and moves too slowly to constitute for a solid suspense novel, and the character dynamic is so weak, I didn't get that satisfying That was a great book feeling by the book's end. The mystery aspect is also inadequate as well, the rising action meek, and the solution dissatisfying and ambiguous.

However, I am impressed with two things: the concept and gruesomeness of Anne Malloy's 'murder', despite the fact that she supposedly died months ago, and Fleet's writing style. The action of the novel itself may be unremarkable, but I love what the author does to manipulate the narration. Mark's first person voice is consistent and ever-descriptive, excellent in highlighting the heights of Syracuse and the frights of a repulsive crime.

Though the shock factor of this 'thriller' failed me, the elaborate and smooth style and the intrigue of the storyline make up for it. I don't see myself picking this one up again, but if you'd like to try it as a quick — but beware, rather dull — read, be my guest.

Stephanie Loves: "The card had been lying in Anne Malloy's face when I'd put my coat over its memory. She'd been holding the small rectangle of thin cardboard, I imagined, when her left hand became a part of her face. People will hold on to anything when falling. Sometimes it keeps you from hitting the ground."

Radical Rating: 6 hearts-Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back. (less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Pragya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, own-kindle, review-request, mystery

3.5 stars

This book hooked me from its very first page. It is unlike any mystery/ thriller I have read till now and makes for a fast-pace read.

The plot is innovative and complicated. I really liked the character of Mark Cornell.

The writing is different from the usual and makes for an easy, quick read.

I am not able to explain it why but I really liked this book for its unique approach to mystery/thriller writing.

I will agree I did get a bit confused towards the end when the mysery resolves and I...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Sheila marked it as to-read

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Feb 08, 2013 Adrian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, fiction

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Jun 17, 2012 Robertfleet rated it 5 of 5 stars

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