Murder Takes Time

Jun 07, 2012 eNovel Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

The author of Murder Takes Time, Giacomo Giammatteo, may be the Mario Puzo of our time.

The story begins 30 miles south of Philadelphia, in Wilmington, Delaware. Located on the confluence of the Christina River and the Brandywine Creek. A sizeable percentage of the residents, as of the 2010 census, claim Italian, Irish and Polish ancestry. (Some spoilers if you continue reading...)

Nicky "the Rat" Fusco, Tony "the Brain" Sannullo, and Frankie "Bugs" Donovan grow up best friends in the southside Wi...more The author of Murder Takes Time, Giacomo Giammatteo, may be the Mario Puzo of our time.

The story begins 30 miles south of Philadelphia, in Wilmington, Delaware. Located on the confluence of the Christina River and the Brandywine Creek. A sizeable percentage of the residents, as of the 2010 census, claim Italian, Irish and Polish ancestry. (Some spoilers if you continue reading...)

Nicky "the Rat" Fusco, Tony "the Brain" Sannullo, and Frankie "Bugs" Donovan grow up best friends in the southside Wilmington neighborhood of Cleland Heights. Bound by their neighborhood code of friendship and honor, Nicky rushes to aid his friends in a gang fight. In an effort to save Frankie's life he shoots two of the rival gang members. Nicky is sent to prison for 10 years.

When Nicky emerges from incarceration, he finds the woman he loved has married another man. His best friends, Tony and Frankie, have moved to New York City. Heartbroken and with few contacts left, he moves to New York to start a new life. There he finds Tony involved in the mob, which as an ex-con, he quickly assimilates into the culture and lifestyle.

Frankie, on the other hand, is now an adept homicide detective. While investigating execution-style murders of mobsters, he notices all the evidence leads to his old neighborhood friends. He must now choose between his oath and duty as a law enforcement officer, or the bond of honor forged so many years earlier.

In real life nothing is easy, neither is it black and white. Giammatteo creates a story that involves the conflicts of reality that sometimes pull at us from both sides of the tracks. The author grew up in the Wilmington neighborhood of Cleland Heights. The characters are fictional, but certainly are drawn from real people and actual events.

Though there are some violent and graphic depictions, frank and coarse language, along with some titillating sexual encounters, this isn't your typical mob story. It entails more complex situations and life-choices, which illuminate the human side of the characters regardless of their transgressions.

Giammatteo's debut novel is breathtaking and groundbreaking. He is purportedly working on a sequel. The author attributes his writing acumen to St. Elizabeth's, the Catholic College Preparatory High School he attended, where the nuns "inspired, encouraged, motivated and beat an education" into him. The nuns may have been doing God's work, but this novel is a gift to the rest of us mortals. --eNovel Reviews
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Aug 15, 2012 Ruth Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

In many ways, I wish I had liked this book, but I cannot say it was a favorite for me. I feel like I have been a roller coaster ride. Some parts of it truly captured my interest, and about the time I became interested, my interest waned again. I know this was not my kind of book, but I will give the fairest review I can.

This was mostly a well-written mystery. I was hooked form the beginning, and I was compelled to keep reading so I would know what happened in the end. I only know about the mob f...more In many ways, I wish I had liked this book, but I cannot say it was a favorite for me. I feel like I have been a roller coaster ride. Some parts of it truly captured my interest, and about the time I became interested, my interest waned again. I know this was not my kind of book, but I will give the fairest review I can.

This was mostly a well-written mystery. I was hooked form the beginning, and I was compelled to keep reading so I would know what happened in the end. I only know about the mob from what I have heard and seen in passing, and I don't think I will want to hear about the mob again any time soon. I had a love-hate relationship with the murder descriptions. They are graphic, and yet at the same time, the serial murders are so horrific I struggled to turn my eyes away.

I felt for Nicky as he told the story of his life. The guy had everything horrible happen to him, and his luck did not ever seem to change. There was some love interest in his life, but tragedy seemed to overshadow everything. Catholicism was a pretty strong theme in this book as well.

I was pleased to read no bedroom scenes, but the profanity was absolutely appalling! I am sure the language was true-to-life, but I never feel that this much profanity is appropriate. I would not recommend a read if you are easily offended.

The worst part for me was the ending. I absolutely hate to say this, but I have to be absolutely honest. Indeed, I believe the author is trying to be realistic, but murder mysteries are only entertainment for me when things resolve in the end. I believe in justice being served. I am not going to give away any more information about this issue. If I want unresolved issues, all I have to do is turn on the TV. Murder mysteries should be entertainment, and no matter how heinous the crime, I expect a true conclusion.

The author is a fairly decent author, and I am sure many people would enjoy the book. If you would like an edgy mystery that will keep you on a roller coaster of emotions, this may be the book for you.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100 percent mine, and I was not financially compensated.(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book ... a lot! The story was good. Nicky "The Rat" Fusco, Frankie "Bugs" Donovan, and Tony "The Brain" Sanullo became friends when they were young and remained friends as they became adults, even after Frankie became a cop and the others went to prison and/or became involved in the mob. Their loyalty and friendship are tested as members of the mob start getting brutally murdered.

I enjoyed the writing style ... it kept me wanting to read more. The style was interesting in that a c...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jackie by: http://giacomogiammatteo.com/books/friendship-and-honor-series/murder-takes-time/

Shelves: book-from-author-for-review, read-in-2012

Book Synopsis

A string of brutal murders has bodies piling up in Brooklyn, and Detective Frankie Donovan knows what is going on. Clues left at the crime scenes point to someone from the old neighborhood, and that isn't good.

Frankie has taken two oaths in his life - the one he took to uphold the law when he became a cop, and the one he took with his two best friends when they were eight years old and inseparable. Those relationships have forced Frankie to make many tough decisions, but now he fac...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Seumas Gallacher rated it 5 of 5 stars

For all the times you’ve heard the phrase ‘couldn’t put it down’ about novels, let me tell you MURDER TAKES TIME fills the bill perfectly.

Giacomo Giamatteo has produced a terrific story, woven through the lives of several young men from the ghettos. Friendship and Honor feature almost like characters themselves in this bonding of their pathways from adolescence into adulthood. The strains that threaten to sever the ties develop beautifully under Giamatteo’s superb ear for the language of the str...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Joe Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

A totally delightful romp through all the characters that populated our childhood. They may not have shared the same ethnicities but, all the character traits were there just not the particular set of last names. I loved the characters as they were obviously drawn upon the personal experiences of the author and I felt they were honest characters. We love some of them and see others for the back biting snakes they are. We have all had those type of characters in our lives as we matured. I also id...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Murder Takes time is the debut offering by author Giacomo Giammatteo. I have to say that for a first time author, he has a hit on his hands. I'm not usually a "mob" story reader. But I really liked this book. From the first chapter, I was hooked. The plot was well thought out and intriguing. It definitely had me guessing.

The story alternates between the present and the past. For Frankie, the past holds the key to the present. He is hunting a killer who he is convinced is someone from his past. C...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Nairabell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, partners-in-crime, read-in-2012

Twenty five years ago Tony 'the brain' Sannullo, Frankie 'Bugs' Donovan, Paulie 'the Suit' Perlano and Nicky 'the Rat' Fusco made an oath for Friendship and Honor. Now grown up the four boys have taken different paths and are living very different lives. Frankie is now a hardened Brooklyn cop facing a series of brutal murders that all have a bizarre combination of DNA planted at the scene. Struggling with the case he has no choice but to contact his old friends, even if the old oath could compro...more Twenty five years ago Tony 'the brain' Sannullo, Frankie 'Bugs' Donovan, Paulie 'the Suit' Perlano and Nicky 'the Rat' Fusco made an oath for Friendship and Honor. Now grown up the four boys have taken different paths and are living very different lives. Frankie is now a hardened Brooklyn cop facing a series of brutal murders that all have a bizarre combination of DNA planted at the scene. Struggling with the case he has no choice but to contact his old friends, even if the old oath could compromise the oath he swore as a cop.

I wasn't sure what I would think of this as it is outside my normal comfort zone so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is really readable and kept me glued to the page. You can really tell that the author is writing about the time and area in which he grew up and his passion really shines through the narrative. There are even photos of some of the locations in the back of the book. I'd been warned in advance about the rough language but it fits with the characters and their background and never comes across as excessive.

I found myself connecting with some characters more than others. Frankie is really struggling both with the case and with the conflict between his past and career. I sympathized with Nicky who has definitely had the most difficult life, and quickly became resentful of the circumstances that led him down an entirely different path to the one he wanted. I loved Mama Rosa and she really brought the boys childhoods to life. You could almost taste the sauce she was constantly nursing in the kitchen.

The plot is cleverly written and the motivations and identity of the killer are gradually revealed alongside the past of the boys and how they ended up becoming the men they are today. I was disappointed by the ending though as it feels like justice was abandoned in favour of leaving the storyline open for the sequel promised at the end of the book.

There were several things I didn't like: the violence is very graphic at times and could have been lessened without negatively impacting the storyline. Also while I knew there would be sexual content in advance I was unaware that a fair amount of those scenes are nonconsensual and pretty disturbing. I also struggled at times with the large cast, especially in the past scenes where lists of names are reeled off, and found it difficult to tell when certain scenes were taking place as while they are marked as '19 years ago' some cover years at a time.

All in all, this was a good read and I'd consider picking up Murder has Consequences when it is released.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 7/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Cover: 7/10

Overall: 37/50(less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Could childhood pranks carried into adulthood be purposely staged clues for solving murder investigations? Murders were taking place in New York, and clues were being left behind that implicated individuals who definitely had not been at the scene and clues that were too close for comfort.

The chapters are organized by flashbacks to the childhood of Tony, Frankie, Nicky, and Paulie as well as present day and other years in between. Their childhood friendship and the bond they had was difficult to...more Could childhood pranks carried into adulthood be purposely staged clues for solving murder investigations? Murders were taking place in New York, and clues were being left behind that implicated individuals who definitely had not been at the scene and clues that were too close for comfort.

The chapters are organized by flashbacks to the childhood of Tony, Frankie, Nicky, and Paulie as well as present day and other years in between. Their childhood friendship and the bond they had was difficult to overlook even though three of them were not upstanding citizens and one was a policeman. They were the best of buddies during childhood and had nicknames that stayed with them into adulthood. Their childhood antics and schemes were unbelievable and creative, but did this creativity and early start get them into things they shouldn't be in as adults....all except Frankie who turned out to be a policeman? Would his being a policeman be a detriment and make him a scapegoat for some of the murders?

The title is a perfect description of the contents of this book, but the book is also about family, friends, food, ordinary people, organized crime, and of course murder. If you are Italian, the sauce, meatballs, and nicknaming should be very familiar to you. I learned a new ingredient for my spaghetti sauce in this book and also some things I really didn't want to learn. There is a lot of brutality and profanity, but for the most part, the book is superbly written and flows very well. The way the book was laid out and how the plot played out was very unique for a first-time author....brilliant and creative on his part. The characters are authentic, the descriptions of the scenes are vivid, and as the end nears, you will have your heart pounding along with the detectives as they race to arrest the murderer before he kills again.

Highly recommended....I loved the Italian names and descriptions of the families and sadly the funerals. One thing that was confusing, though, was keeping track of who was talking....I thought it was being narrated by one character and then it turned out to be another. Other than that, it is an amazing, outstanding, and gripping first novel for Mr. Giammatteo. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the author in return for an honest review.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Sandie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Murder Takes Time is a story of love and betrayal, friendships and deadly enmities. A group of boys grow up poor in an Italian neighborhood. Tony is the smartest kid anyone knows. Suit only has one shirt as his family is so poor and vows to never wear anything but the finest when he is grown. Bugs gets his name for his ability to catch cockroaches in his tenement apartment; the only thing his father values about him. Nicky 'The Rat' has a fierce loyalty to his friends. He gets his nickname from...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Kacy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Murder Takes Time by Giacomo Giammatteo follows the lives of friends growing up in Sicilian and Italian families, immersed in a culture that will inevitably push them toward the mob and a lot of trouble. The story tests the lines of friendship, family, honor, love, and work. It forces the reader to choose a side with each character- is this person good or bad? Actions aside, I was constantly evaluating whether this person or that person was good at heart. It didn't matter how many people they h...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this tale of “Friendship and Honor”, Frankie, Nicky, Tony, Pauley and others grow up in the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. They smoke at age 6, stealing cigs from Johnny’s Food Market (and, sometimes getting caught). Learning who’s who in the Families keeps them safe if not sound and working card games for them gives them more income than they would have ever imagined. It also gives them nicknames: Frankie “Bugs”, Nicky “The Rat”, Pauley “Suit” and Tony was – just Tony.
Times passes, some li...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Kim Hansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

First and foremost – I really loved this book!

Murder Takes Time, by author Giacomo Giammatteo, includes the best of a thriller, murder mystery and love story – wrapped into one!

The story revolves around boys that were childhood friends and have grown up together. When they were young, they swore an oath to each other to basically always have each others backs – regardless of the situation. But that was long ago, before one of the boys becomes a police officer (Frankie), and the others are not ex...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book by Giacomo Giammatteo titled Murder Takes Time the bond of friendship is put to the test. The story is about 4 boys who grew up together. One becomes a cop and the other three are not as law-abiding. When Frankie, the cop , has investigate his friends the story unfolds. Here is a brief summary of the story.

A string of brutal murders has bodies piling up in Brooklyn, and Detective Frankie Donovan knows what is going on. Clues left at the crime scenes point to someone from the old neig...more In the book by Giacomo Giammatteo titled Murder Takes Time the bond of friendship is put to the test. The story is about 4 boys who grew up together. One becomes a cop and the other three are not as law-abiding. When Frankie, the cop , has investigate his friends the story unfolds. Here is a brief summary of the story.

A string of brutal murders has bodies piling up in Brooklyn, and Detective Frankie Donovan knows what is going on. Clues left at the crime scenes point to someone from the old neighborhood, and that isn’t good.
Frankie has taken two oaths in his life–the one he took to uphold the law when he became a cop, and the one he took with his two best friends when they were eight years old and inseparable. Those relationships have forced Frankie to make many tough decisions, but now he faces the toughest one of his life; he has five murders to solve and one of those two friends is responsible. If Frankie lets him go, he breaks the oath he took as a cop and risks losing his job. But if he tries to bring him in, he breaks the oath he kept for twenty-five years–and risks losing his life.
In the neighborhood where Frankie Donovan grew up, you never broke an oath.

Will Frankie break the oath of friendship or will he break the oath he took to uphold the law is the question that the reader has to ask themselves. What would you do in this situation? I mean we all know right from wrong but these are the boys he grew up and were like family to him. Does he turn them in or does he let them go? The only person that knows that question is Frankie himself and he is still uncertain of his decision.

Let me say first hand that I loved this book but the scenes in this book were a little gruesome. I could totally see this being made into a movie one day. I loved the fact that Frankie is torn between being loyal to his friends or being true to himself. I mean really when haven’t we been faced with the same thing. Peer pressure is a powerful thing. The story does jump back and forth from the past to the present and vice versa but it is very easy to follow. I found that how the story was written I had could sympathize with each of the characters. Yep even the bad guys are all a victim of their circumstances and the choices they make to rise above their circumstances cause their downfall.
If you are interested in checking out this book it is available on Amazon.follow
The author Giacomo Giammatteofollow was born in Delaware and makes his home in Texas. He lives on a farm with 41 animals. Murder Takes Time is his first book.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Aug 12, 2012 Gianna rated it 2 of 5 stars

The essence of the story is this. A group of kids grows up in Wilmington, Delaware--already a plus for me since I have a handful of good friends in Wilmington DE. Three in particular are really tight, and as they grow up, they follow in the mob's footsteps. However, one of them becomes a cop (Frankie), one gets in deep with the mob (Tony), and the last one, Nicky, ultimately goes to jail (oh, don't worry, I didn't give anything away!)

The book opens with a gruesome murder. GRUESOME! and you, the...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Chris Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review by Chris Phillips

Giammatteo brings new life to the typical detective murder story. He takes the time to develop a complex plot into an attention-capturing tale of intrigue and friends betrayed, remade and destroyed.

"It's not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath" – Aeschylus.

This quote begins the tale of a group of friends, perhaps unique in the way all Americans can be. Nicky “The Rat” Fusco, Frankie “Bugs” Donovan, Tony “The Brain” Sannullo, Tommy “Mick” McDermo...more

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May 08, 2012 Pedar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Looking for a great read this summer?

this book makes me think, “summer read.” I read all year, and much more now that I have an ereader, but there are books I try to save for “summer reads” because then I have time to think about them and sit back to take time if I wish for the parts that seem to call for reflection.

Murder Takes Time is such a book. It makes a great fast read that pulls you along and makes it hard to put down, but then you find yourself thinking about parts that come back again...more Looking for a great read this summer?

this book makes me think, “summer read.” I read all year, and much more now that I have an ereader, but there are books I try to save for “summer reads” because then I have time to think about them and sit back to take time if I wish for the parts that seem to call for reflection.

Murder Takes Time is such a book. It makes a great fast read that pulls you along and makes it hard to put down, but then you find yourself thinking about parts that come back again and again during other activities of the day. In summer I have time to indulge myself in that reflection--if a book has sufficient depth. And, this book does.

First, it is a story that probes honor and what it is, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Society has laws, rules and codes. Some are written, and some are tacit. Which are the stronger? How does the context effect that and why should the context effect that, especially the context of friendship?

The story itself centers around the implications of an event from childhood that results in crimes during adulthood. As such it includes, mystery, crime, and Mob elements.

The characters are complete characters that feel like people you know. They remind me of the people who populated my own childhood; friend's moms, old guys in the neighborhood, nuns patroling with yard sticks, parts of town you weren't supposed to go,... all ring true and make the setting both believable and familiar.

It is possible Giammatteo's best strength as a writer to use his characters to pull emotion out of the reader. They are familiar and very readable, so it makes sense that they would produce familiar and identifiable emotions for the reader. The emotional range extends from tender pulling out tears here and there, to funny, to suspense, that that makes interruptions of the read very annoying.

Some of the themes in this book are a bit in advance of young readers; language, violence and some adult oriented content. It is not unusual for a crime novel, especially Mob fiction.

I recommend it.

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Jan 27, 2013 Read2review rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-for-read-2-review

I was interested in this book from the moment I heard about it. I wasn’t disappointed. I was not able to put this book down and I already desperately want to read the second in the series!

The way Giacomo writes is just incredible. I felt like I was really there and watching the action unfold. The way that it was told by the different points of view can sometimes be confusing but it was easy to follow and added so much to the thread of the story. I also loved the fact that some chapters told the...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Sadie Forsythe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh, a full five stars for this one! Murder Takes Time is ostensibly a pretty straightforward cops versus the Mafia murder mystery, but it doesn't take long to realise that there is a lot more to it than that. Tony 'the brain,' Nicky 'the rat,' Paulie 'the suit' and Fankie 'Bugs' Donovan are fabulously conflicted charters, with full histories and a genuine desire to do right by their friends (even when failing miserably). You really feel for them (one in particular, but I don't want to ruin anyth...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Friendship and Honor!”

This is what four friends Nicky, Tony, Frankie and Paulie vowed. As little boys from the age of 6 they were already stealing, smoking and selling cigarettes, left alone to run the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. By the age of 8 they had taken the oath of friendship and honor, promising to always have the backs of the others and never rat their friends out. As they grew older they began running errands and doing odd jobs for the local so-called “mob.”

Eventually a few other...more

“Friendship and Honor!”

This is what four friends Nicky, Tony, Frankie and Paulie vowed. As little boys from the age of 6 they were already stealing, smoking and selling cigarettes, left alone to run the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. By the age of 8 they had taken the oath of friendship and honor, promising to always have the backs of the others and never rat their friends out. As they grew older they began running errands and doing odd jobs for the local so-called “mob.”

Eventually a few others boys joined their group and they began pulling off larger heists. The closest of the two were Nicky and Tony due to the premature death of Nicky’s mom and his never-present father. Tony’s mother, Momma Rosa, practically raised Nicky as her own.

Fast forward many years and Nicky is released from prison for a killing he made during a ‘gang’ fight as a kid. While in prison Nicky earned the fear of everyone, including the guards. None of his friends visited or wrote him while he was inside. Frankie became a cop and Tony and Paulie moved to the big city where they were “union workers,” aka working for the real mob this time. During the entire book, even with all that Nicky did I still thought of him as my favorite. Very conflicting.

When Nicky was released he turned to Tony for a place to stay and a job. He was introduced to Tony’s boss who game him a job with the union. They were all “union reps,” but nobody ever knew anyone’s true job description.

When several murders start taking place in Frankie’s district, he begins to suspect Nicky, but he won’t tell anyone unless he knows for sure, and he was conflicted about the oath he made with his friends as a child. Each murder has a similarity and each murder has a clue telling Frankie yes, it’s Nicky. How do you explain to your lieutenant that a dead rate means it could possibly be your childhood friend – since birth?

This is a story that takes you back and forth from childhood to adulthood and from the beginning of the crimes to present day. Actually, it jumps around several dates, back and forth, and I was never quite positive where we were. It also occasionally changed characters from one paragraph to the next, which occasionally through me off. The only other confusion I had, was keeping up with who belonged to what nickname. There was Paulie the Suit, Nicky the Rat, Frankie “Bugs” and I don’t remember Tony’s nickname. There were also the members of the mob and the other boys they grew up with. I would have to occasionally stop reading to try to remember who belonged to what and that was a bit frustrating at times.

Other than the time and name confusion, I actually enjoyed the book and read it in only a couple of days. At the end I found myself shushing my family and leaving the room just to get to the end. The crimes could be gruesome – I must warn you – especially the final crime. Shocking as a matter of fact. Shocking enough that I couldn’t keep my eyes off the words. I also, much like detective Frankie Bugs Donovan, found myself conflicted about the prime suspect. I wanted him to finish his jobs, I wanted him to stop, I wanted him arrested but I wanted him to get free. You’ll see when you read it.

Do I recommend the book? Sure. Not an emphatic, “YES, GO GET IT NOW!!” but more of a, “If you have the time, this is a quick engaging read.”
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Jul 23, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

The novel starts out with three best friends growing up in Delaware, just 30 miles south of Philadelphia. Nicky "The Rat" Fusco, Frankie "Bugs" Donovan, and Tony "The Brain" Sanullo. The three are thick as thieves until a gang fight gets deadly and Nicky takes the fall for everyone. He's sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The book bounces back and forth between the past and the current day. The characters in the story are well developed and we learn what happened to them in the past that makes the...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Murder Takes Time is a story about three best friends whose bonds of friendship are put to the test. Nicky "The Rat" Fusco, Tony "The Brain" Sannullo, and Frankie "Bugs" Donovan grew up on the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. Thicker than thieves, they took an oath of friendship and honor, promising to always have each other's back and never rat each other out. When a gang fight turns deadly, Nicky takes the fall and and is sentenced to prison for ten years.

Fast forward to the present time, the...more Murder Takes Time is a story about three best friends whose bonds of friendship are put to the test. Nicky "The Rat" Fusco, Tony "The Brain" Sannullo, and Frankie "Bugs" Donovan grew up on the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. Thicker than thieves, they took an oath of friendship and honor, promising to always have each other's back and never rat each other out. When a gang fight turns deadly, Nicky takes the fall and and is sentenced to prison for ten years.

Fast forward to the present time, the three friends now live in Brooklyn, New York, and have taken different paths in their lives. Frankie has become a detective, while Nicky and Tony have become members of the Martelli crime family.

When Frankie investigates a string of murders that has clues of the murderer pointing to someone from the old neighborhood, he finds himself looking at one of his best friends being the culprit. Frankie is conflicted and has to make the hard decision between honoring the oath he swore as a police officer; or honor the oath that he took thirty years ago with his best friends. With an emotional bond to his friends that are unbreakable, the lines between right and wrong begin to blur, and he struggles to decide what actions to take. This is not only a decision of the heart, it could also be a decision that is deadly ... if the right decision isn't made.

Murder Takes Time is a fast-paced riveting and gritty thriller that will captivate your interest from the beginning. In his debut novel, author Giacomo Giammatteo weaves an intriguing tale of friendship, honor, loyalty and murder, told in the third person narrative with alternating points of view, and alternating between flashbacks to the past and the present day. The reader is engaged to follow along with the story of the three best friends, and how their bond of friendship is tested in a storyline that has a very graphic and explicit description of violence and strong language. This is a realistic and dramatic story with non-stop action and suspense that will keep you riveted to your seat and turning the pages.

The story has a cast of characters who are realistic and complex; with explicit dialogues and interactions; is rich in vivid and very graphic details and descriptions of murder scenes and crime investigations; the storyline flows smoothly and engages the reader to get involved in the story with an insight into each character, and keeps them guessing at the reason behind the murders.

If you are looking for a riveting and gritty no-holds barred murder mystery thriller that will captivate you and give you goose bumps, then Murder Takes Time is the book for you!

Murder Takes Time is the first book in the Friendship & Honor series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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Aug 18, 2012 MaryAnn Koopmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

Lesson in what it takes to form friendships and honor is the main theme of the book. It was thrilling and opened with a plot that you just had to keep reading on until you were finished with the book. I totally was impressed by the writing of this book. Not for teens or children. Murder Takes Time was a great name for this book because it was about three young boys who grow up together and then became Adults. A totally awesome read!

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Sep 28, 2012 LORI CASWELL rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I have a hard time classifying this very unique book. It is a crime, detective, psychological, mob, life journey, suspense thriller, love story.

The author created and developed wonderful characters and we follow them throughout their lives. We they were young they made a pact: Friendship and Honor.

"Friendship means we look out for each other. Nobody ever rats or betrays us."

"Honor means nobody" messes "with one of us and not the others. We stick up for each other. And it means we don't run, unle...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Confession: I kind of love all things mob related because it's absolutely insane to think that people kill people and do other illegal and generally bad things because of a lack of respect. I think it's crazy. Generally, I try to stay away from books like this because I feel like they all kind of end up the same and I don't get anything new or fresh out of them.

Thankfully I took a chance on this book because I had this baby done in one weekend. It's 400some pages so it's not a book you just bree...more Confession: I kind of love all things mob related because it's absolutely insane to think that people kill people and do other illegal and generally bad things because of a lack of respect. I think it's crazy. Generally, I try to stay away from books like this because I feel like they all kind of end up the same and I don't get anything new or fresh out of them.

Thankfully I took a chance on this book because I had this baby done in one weekend. It's 400some pages so it's not a book you just breeze through, but it definitely has enough action throughout it to keep you turning the pages.

Here's what I really liked about the book: I loved how it flipped between characters. I wasn't sure if I would like Frankie's character because throughout the book he struggles between being a cop, and being a gangster. Him and his group of friends basically grew up around the mob and were pretty much being groomed as the next generation of the mob, so the fact he later became a cop is fairly shocking to his friends. And while Frankie sees the value of his job, he struggles with it. I loved how he figures it out in the end. Kind of. I can't tell you any more because that kind of gives it away.

The other thing about this book I really liked is that it combines so many genres. It's got the murder/mystery, a little bit thriller, a little bit romance but all mixed together so no one genre takes over. I also loved how you literally had no idea what was going to happen next. The murders themselves were creatively written and if you've ever seen a Law & Order episode, you can imagine how those detectives would react with the evidence left behind.

The only thing that I didn't understand though is why none of Nicky's friends acknowledged that he literally went to prison because of them and for them. Especially Tony. I didn't like Tony's character at all and it turns out I had good reason not to, but I would have like to have a Nicky & Tony confrontation about the gun fight that led to Nicky going to prison. I'm just saying- it could have been dynamic.

Such a great book and I think you will really like it. If you visit Giacomo Giammateo's website HERE you can find all of the links to purchase this book. It's available in e-format or trade paperback. It turned out to be so much better than I had hoped. I really hope that this does turn into a series because I'd like to see what happens to the remaining characters and their story lines. Especially Frankie's- I bet he'd have a good story to tell.(less)

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Oct 18, 2012 Naomi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read my full review @ http://bit.ly/Pi00to

My opinion: DYNAMIC read by this debut author! This book kicked off on page one with a gritty murder to introduce the reader to the theme of the book and, for the most part, didn't stop until the end! I would put this author's works up against authors such as Mario Puzo any day of the week.

He laid out the story in alternate times in history progressing up to the present with the current organized crime murder spree. This led to a deep tension in the boo...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Victoria Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to hand it to Giammatteo. Writing your first novel in a non-linear format is not easy to do. But he does it, and he does it well. He deftly moves the story in and out of the past to the present and back again. His characters are rich and complex. I admit that I had some difficulty in keeping track of all the characters and their nicknames. I found it confusing, even more so because throughout the book he switches back and forth from given names to nicknames. For me, Murder Takes Time star...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Paula Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, for-review, virtual-book-tour, mystery, partners-in-crime, pump-up-your-book-promotions, read-in-2012

This book was so incredible to read. I loved the connection these boys turned into men had with each other. The main story is about boys who grew up in a neighborhood, where when you took an oath you were connected with that oath, when they grow up after Nicky ends up risking himself to protect his friends. Frankie Donovan ends up being a cop, distancing himself from Tony who is now with a mob. When Nicky ends up connecting up with his friends and finds the roads they are leading. Definitely a g...more

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Aug 17, 2012 rebecca bryant rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Murder Takes Time we step into a murder scene where the bodies are not only brutality murder but are quickly piling up. In order to solve this crime one detective will have to return to his past in order to do so. I have to say from the first few pages of this book I was hooked it had the right combination of action, friendship and love story all rolled into one. It was kind on like seeing CSI meet Godfather. You had all the criminal aspects of the investigation with old school mobster feel t...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS BUT ONLY READ 20% because of a lot of bad language,sex scenes & violence.
Okay without all the swearing in it I would have finshed the book. I was getting more uncomfortable as I was listening to the
book on my Kindle. I decided that finshing a book that was bugging me more & more was stupid and I love books had plenty more to read.
I love the writing, the characters, storylines. It was drawing me into the stories. It jumped from now to the past trying to
figure out what path brough...more

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