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Saints Of New York

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 308 ratings · 40 reviews

The death of a young heroin dealer occasions no great concern for New York PD Detective Frank Parrish - Danny Lange is just another casualty of the drug war. But when Danny's teenage sister winds up dead, questions are raised that have no clear answers.

Paperback, 464 pages

Published by Orion (first published 2010)

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Aug 12, 2012 Eliza rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Frank Parrish est un flic paumé, alcoolique, divorcé, père absent et la seule idée d’être son coéquipier à la brigade criminelle ferait fuir plus d’un policier chevronné. Le livre s’ouvre sur une scène violente : Frank essaie d’empêcher un junkie de tuer sa petite amie déjà salement amochée et de se tuer lui-même. Mais ce sera une explosion de sang. Le décor est planté : dans la police de New York, on n’est pas là pour rigoler, on n’est pas dans ce genre de film où le flic réussit toujours à sau...more Frank Parrish est un flic paumé, alcoolique, divorcé, père absent et la seule idée d’être son coéquipier à la brigade criminelle ferait fuir plus d’un policier chevronné. Le livre s’ouvre sur une scène violente : Frank essaie d’empêcher un junkie de tuer sa petite amie déjà salement amochée et de se tuer lui-même. Mais ce sera une explosion de sang. Le décor est planté : dans la police de New York, on n’est pas là pour rigoler, on n’est pas dans ce genre de film où le flic réussit toujours à sauver la situation. Ici, c’est la vraie vie. Et des morts tous les jours. Emporté sur l’enquête de la mort d’une jeune adolescente et de son frère, Parrish a tout à coup une intuition. L’intuition que cette fille pourrait être le début, ou plutôt la fin, d’une longue série. L’intuition que ce qui lui est arrivé pourrait recommencer. Mais que fait-on avec une intuition ? Pas grand-chose… L’enquête n’est qu’un prétexte pour faire évoluer le personnage central, Frank, qui est vraiment le cœur du roman.
Parce qu’il vient de perdre son coéquipier, Frank se voit contraint de parler avec une psychologue. Progressivement, il parle, de son divorce, de ses enfants, et surtout de son père. Dans la police de New York, la vie est tellement dure qu’il y a deux types de flics : ceux qui se laissent aller à la corruption, qui couvrent les crimes de la mafia pour dormir tranquille et ceux qui se battent tous les jours pour sauver des vies. Frank est l’un de ceux-là, mais son père, John Parrish, la légende du Bureau de contrôle du crime organisé, ces fameux Anges de New York, de quel côté était-il ? Dans ses ténèbres, Frank n’a qu’une seule certitude : il est différent de son père. Mais dans son enquête, s’il veut empêcher un autre crime, il devra sortir de la légalité. Et dans ce cas, qu’est-ce qui le différencie de son père ?
Ce roman puissant est un remarquable portrait. Ce personnage, pourtant peu original, prend toute son ampleur parce qu’on suit l’enquête à travers ses yeux, ses réactions et ses sentiments, ses doutes. L’ombre de son père permet une réflexion poussée sur le bien et le mal, la frontière entre les deux, cette zone grise où le bien prend la forme du mal et vice-versa. Frank Parrish devient petit à petit persuadé de l’identité du coupable, mais il n’a aucune preuve. Sans rien dire à sa hiérarchie ni à son coéquipier, il traque ce suspect jusqu’à la faute. Mais il n’a aucun droit de le faire. Alors si ce type est vraiment coupable, où est le problème ? “La fin justifie les moyens”, etc. Mais je n’ai pu m’empêcher de penser : et s’il est innocent ? et si Frank Parrish harcelait un homme innocent juste sur une intuition ? Les lois ne sont-elles pas aussi là pour nous protéger ? Je vous laisse le lire pour découvrir ce qu’il en est vraiment .
Cette lecture suscite beaucoup de questions, parce que l’auteur nous met dans des situations où il souhaite que nous nous posions ces questions. Rien n’est jamais tout blanc ni tout noir. La plume d’Ellory renforce ce procédé par sa justesse et en même temps sa violence. Frank Parrish n’est pas un tendre, son monde non plus, et le langage s’en ressent. Mais cela ne fait qu’ajouter au réalisme abrupt de ce récit et à son incroyable pouvoir d’attraction. Ellory a encore frappé et j’en redemande.(less)

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May 09, 2012 Rob Kitchin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second Ellory book I’ve read. The other – A Quiet Belief in Angels – I found a rather extraordinary and emotionally exhausting read. The Saints of New York feels somewhat of a lesser book all round, but then it had a lot to live up to. The story is still a bit of an emotional ride as it tracks Parrish’s fragile state of mind and psychological transformation and the unfortunate lives of young girls being grabbed for snuff movies, but it doesn’t quite plumb the depths of the A Quiet Be...more

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Feb 15, 2012 James Perkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

As an alcoholic with an estranged wife, no friends, and a habit of bucking authority, Detective Frank Parrish is one big police novel cliche. Yet the book he inhabits is edgy and brilliant, a dark tale that stands head and shoulders above the sea of other detective stories as something altogether better. Parrish is more than just a jaded career cop: as he enters compulsory counselling for his mistakes, we learn about his complex past, and when he deals with the seamier side of the Big Apple, we...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jennifer (JC-S) by: fionnabhair@bigpond.com

Shelves: librarybooks

‘There were few phone calls that did not have a dead body at the other end.’

The novel opens with NYPD Detective Frank Parrish trying desperately to talk a man out of a murder-suicide. Although he fails, it is clear that Parrish lacks neither courage nor determination: he cares, and wants to do the right thing. Unfortunately, Frank Parrish has his own demons and obsessions and is close to losing his career and further estranging his family. In short, Frank Parrish is a deeply troubled man who is...more ‘There were few phone calls that did not have a dead body at the other end.’

The novel opens with NYPD Detective Frank Parrish trying desperately to talk a man out of a murder-suicide. Although he fails, it is clear that Parrish lacks neither courage nor determination: he cares, and wants to do the right thing. Unfortunately, Frank Parrish has his own demons and obsessions and is close to losing his career and further estranging his family. In short, Frank Parrish is a deeply troubled man who is undergoing enforced counselling following the death of his previous partner.

The murder of a heroin dealer’s teenage sister doesn’t make sense, and while it becomes clear to Frank Parrish that there is a disturbing pattern emerging between this and other murders of young teenaged females, it takes time for him to convince others. As Parrish’s investigation proceeds, with the assistance of his new partner, his counselling sessions lead us through the story of his past.
Frank Parrish is the son of a celebrated New York detective, John Parrish, one of the officers credited with extraordinary success in combating the mafia. This unit became known as the Saints of New York. But Frank Parrish knows better: he knows that his father was corrupt. Frank Parrish will learn that there is more than one way to be a saint.

A number of aspects save this novel from being about yet another angst-ridden police officer. The strengths and flaws of Frank Parrish are covered sensitively, and the case he is working on has some twists and turns of its own before the truth is known. This is a dark novel: flawed characters battling both internal and external demons; in a world where corruption seems widespread and redemption is not always possible.

‘Sometimes people just stopped looking.’

I enjoyed this novel. The juxtaposition of Frank Parrish’s personal battles with his investigation into the murders made the novel work for me, by making Parrish’s quest more desperate and more urgent. Will he win, or will he lose? Does he have enough time to solve the case before his own problems overwhelm him? This is the second R J Ellory novel I have read, and I’m looking forward to reading the others.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
(less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Marjolein rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: preview, read-in-dutch, us, thriller-detective-mystery, own, 2012

READ IN DUTCH

I've read Saints of New York for the Ezzulia Reading Club and I had therefor received a free copy of this book. I want to thank the publisher of the Dutch version for its generosity!

I've read three books by RJ Ellory so far, and I've liked them all. They are said to be literature thrillers, and although that is a term that is widely used in The Netherlands (not always correctly, I would rather say, mostly incorrectly) Ghostheart by RJ Ellory was the first book I thought was really a...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Several copies of this book were send to me by Bookdagger's RealReader's programme for my book club to read and discuss. The book club meeting will take place in four days time and I will add notes about that discussion to this review. In the meantime, here are my personal thoughts.

R.J. Ellory writes good stories. They are realistic, with characters you can believe in finding themselves in situations which seem all to possible. There are no saints in Ellory's books (despite the title) and althou...more

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Oct 02, 2010 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Yet again Roger Ellory transports his reader into the dark, murky world of American police procedure, with hints of corruption, desperation and some violence.

Saints of New York is most definitely more of a crime novel than many of his earlier books and centres around Detective Frank Parrish; forty something, verging on alcoholism, divorced, messed up and constantly fighting for justice. Frank has to deal with the legacy of his father; one of the original 'Saints of New York', the guys that rid N...more Yet again Roger Ellory transports his reader into the dark, murky world of American police procedure, with hints of corruption, desperation and some violence.

Saints of New York is most definitely more of a crime novel than many of his earlier books and centres around Detective Frank Parrish; forty something, verging on alcoholism, divorced, messed up and constantly fighting for justice. Frank has to deal with the legacy of his father; one of the original 'Saints of New York', the guys that rid New York of the last of the Mafia back in the 80s. Frank's father, John is something of a legend within the force, but not to Frank. Frank only remembers a distant guy, someone who cared more about money and status than his family.

Frank has been ordered to meet with a Police Counsellor daily, and it is through these chats that the reader learns more about Frank, his life, the reasons why he is in trouble, his marriage and not least, his feelings about his father. I found this way of relating Frank's background was done very cleverly. The beginning of the story is quite complex, there is quite a lot of Mafia history and names to remember but these soon fit into the current story.

The case that Frank is working on continues throughout the story, Frank has his own ways of dealing with things, he is quite the rebel at times and is determined to get justice for the teenage girls that are being murdered.

After the initial couple of chapters, this becomes a fast-paced story with some violent deaths and an excellent plot line. Frank Parrish is drawn incredibly well, he is something of a stereotypical American cop, but he's a good guy, not perfect but I was rooting for him all the way. The descriptions of police procedure are detailed yet also simple and the sense of the criminal underworld jumps out from the pages.

Another great read from Roger Ellory - fabulous lead character, fast moving plot with touches of violence, great supporting cast of characters and his trademark page-turning, 'cant put it down' ending.(less)

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Nov 26, 2010 Jo at Jaffareadstoo rated it 5 of 5 stars

R J Ellory is a master crime writer, with an uncanny ability to set time and place perfectly within the context of the story. Our initial introduction to NYPD detective Frank Parrish is graphic and gory, and leads one to suspect that this is merely a run of the mill crime fest; however, with fine attention to detail and superb characterisation, the story develops into much more than a whodunit. Whilst the main strand of the story focuses on a series of graphic murders, ultimately, it’s the story...more

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Jun 26, 2012 My Inner Shelf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: _ebook, polar-thriller

Roger Jon Ellory a fait ma joie avec Les Anonymes puis avec Seul le silence. Joie renouvelée lorsqu’il a accepté de répondre à mon interview. Ce fut donc une nouvelle joie lorsque je suis allée à la Comédie du livre cette année pour le rencontrer, avec une dédicace à la clé. Youpi. Il me restait donc à lire Les anges de New York, avant de rattraper mon retard avec Vendetta.

Ellory fait du noir, du très noir. En d’autres termes, il n’y pas que l’enquête policière qui compte, le contexte humain tie...more Roger Jon Ellory a fait ma joie avec Les Anonymes puis avec Seul le silence. Joie renouvelée lorsqu’il a accepté de répondre à mon interview. Ce fut donc une nouvelle joie lorsque je suis allée à la Comédie du livre cette année pour le rencontrer, avec une dédicace à la clé. Youpi. Il me restait donc à lire Les anges de New York, avant de rattraper mon retard avec Vendetta.

Ellory fait du noir, du très noir. En d’autres termes, il n’y pas que l’enquête policière qui compte, le contexte humain tient un part importante dans les romans d’Ellory, sans pour autant négliger l’intrigue, toujours fouillée. Notre héros du moment est un inspecteur divorcé, père de deux enfants désormais adultes, et a un fort penchant pour la boisson. Eh oui, encore les gros clichés du policier qui a raté sa vie personnelle par amour pour son métier. Mais chez Ellory les clichés ont un sens et justifient parfois l’intrigue qui les enrobe. Nous suivons donc Frank Parrish dans une enquête difficile, et nous le suivons également au fil de sa thérapie, difficile aussi. Ses rendez-vous chez la psy sont aussi importants que ses investigations et sa gestion de l’enquête. Les dialogues entre lui et sa psy sont un pur délice, et ces chapitres se concluent à chaque fois sur une phrase percutante. Le personnage de Parrish m’a paru parfaitement réaliste et humain, ses angoisses le dévorent à petit feu et l’ombre de son père plane sur lui en permanence. Reconnu dans son métier il n’en demeure pas moins un élément difficile à cerner et à garder dans le droit chemin. Épris de justice de manière maladive et obsessionnelle, il n’hésite pas à sortir des clous lorsqu’il pense que cela peut servir la cause des victimes et neutraliser les coupables. Intuitif et efficace, il peut paraître un poil borné dans ses certitudes, poussé par des convictions qui ne font pas forcément l’unanimité. Obnubilé par son enquête en cours, Parrish confie à sa psy ses doutes, ses suspicions, ses intuitions, tout en lui racontant le passé de son père, qui selon lui n’était pas si glorieux. Deux histoires en une, une enquête sordide sur des meurtres de jeunes filles, et un flic ripoux à la réputation sans taches, avec au milieu un flic tourmenté, à la fois fils rancunier et mari/père foireux. On plonge avec lui dans cette époque où la Mafia avait la main-mise sur à peu près tout, police comprise. Parrish est un homme déçu, un fils blessé, un flic viscéralement contrarié par la réputation de son père, qu’il estime injustifiée. S’estimant portant d’un lourd secret et d’une vérité qui ne se dit pas, il met un point d’honneur à accomplir son devoir quoi qu’il lui en coûte. Le fils rachetant les erreurs du père… amis psy, ce roman est pour vous !

Vous l’aurez compris, chez Ellory il ne suffit pas d’un flic alcoolo, il faut en faire quelque chose, en sortir une histoire en béton et des personnages tout aussi solides et profonds. À la fois roman policier, roman psychologique, roman social, et même roman familial, Les Anges de New York ne manque pas non plus d’humour avec ces fameux chapitres des rendez-vous psy de Parrish, franchement jubilatoires.

En bonus une étonnante nouvelle inédite, Le Texas en automne, mais je n’en dis pas plus…(less)

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Jan 09, 2011 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although I am a big fan of crime fiction this is the first R J Ellory book that I have read. It is hard to say that I enjoyed it, given the subject matter, but I found it engrossing and also informative with lots of information on policing and corruption in New York. The main protaganist Frank Parrish could so easily have been a cliche but he is so much more than that. The clever device of Frank's daily enforced sessions with the police psychologist enable the reader to explore Frank's complex r...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Janny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-chunkster-challenge, crimezone-buzzzclub, dutch-reading, read-2012

Het verhaal begint met Frank Parrish, detective bij de NYPD, die zijn uiterste best doet om iemand er van te weerhouden zijn vriendin te vermoorden. Ik zal in het midden laten of dit hem wel of niet lukt maar na dit incident wordt hem geen rust gegund. Hij wordt direct opgeroepen omdat een drugsdealer is vermoord. Als later ook de zus van de drugsdealer dood wordt aangetroffen, kan een verband tussen beide moorden niet worden uitgesloten. Terwijl Frank Parrish de moorden probeert op te lossen, h...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Shaun Williams rated it 2 of 5 stars

I feel in love with RJ Ellory after reading A Quiet Vendetta and A Quiet Belief in Angels. I decided to pick this book up next and man, am I disappointed!
If this is Ellory's attempt at an anti-crime procedural; a novel to highlight the tedium of real police work, he achieves his goal. Saints of New York is a trying read with no pay off whatsoever.
I loved Parrish and it's why I'm so irked. While I loved the character, the pages and pages of hunches and "shadows" became so redundant that they too...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Scotchneat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This book has a ring of Dennis Lehane to it that I quite liked.

Frank Parrish is an NYPD detective who's on his last thread. Challenges the force too much and drinking away demons. He ends up investigating the deaths of a brother and a sister: he's a dealer, so not a big deal, but she was young and straight and strangled.

But questions lead to looking into his past, or his father's past, who was one of the "Saints of New York" who cleaned up the city in the 80's by breaking the mafia. Only now thi...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Peter Blom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

Gekocht samen met "In one person" van John Irving om het boekenweekgeschenk te verkrijgen. Niet om te lezen (nederlandse schrijver), maar om op zondag gratis te kunnen treinen. En het kon van de boekenbonnen van mijn 50e verjaardag.

2 boeken om mijn engels een beetje op pijl te houden.

De schrijver is erg goed, dat wist ik al.
Het verhaal is mooi. Een stoere moeilijke agent die met iedereen moeite heeft en om een zaak op te lossen de grens over gaat. Leukste scene als al die bovengenoemde personen...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Bibliophile rated it 3 of 5 stars

Frank Parrish is a desillusioned, divorced, alcoholic cop with anger issues, just like most of his fictional collegues. I guess that particular cliché has some truth to it. Dealing with murdered kids and snuff movies would probably make me drink, too. The problem is, this book is all about Frank and his daddy-issues, his ex-wife issues, his daughter-issues and his inner demon-issues. It's all competently done, but I just wasn't that interested in him, or the murders of pretty teenage girls. Why...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Joyce rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Een boek wat heel langzaam op gang komt, de persoonlijke verhalen/gesprekken van Frank Parrish in het begin brengen alleen maar verwarring in het verhaal. Ik had moeite om in het verhaal te komen.

Het duurt lang voordat er spanning in het verhaal komt, het verhaal kabbelt maar een beetje voort, de verdenkingen zijn er wel, maar het mist spanning. De persoonlijke gebeurtenissen rond Frank Parish vertroebelen het boek een beetje. Ik vind het aandeel in het boek iets te groot.

Het einde van het boe...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Joshua Emil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: maybe-you-ll-like-it

I bought this book after my grandmother's funeral in August of 2012 and started reading it in January of 2013. It took me three months to finish this because I dealt with incessant schoolwork because I'm part of a graduating batch. So, I won't bore you with what happened in life from August of 2012 to March of 2013. Saints of New York is a story of a burnt-out and unorthodox detective who is under investigation for insubordination and scrutiny of his actions because his father was a decorated of...more I bought this book after my grandmother's funeral in August of 2012 and started reading it in January of 2013. It took me three months to finish this because I dealt with incessant schoolwork because I'm part of a graduating batch. So, I won't bore you with what happened in life from August of 2012 to March of 2013. Saints of New York is a story of a burnt-out and unorthodox detective who is under investigation for insubordination and scrutiny of his actions because his father was a decorated officer and a "Saint of New York". Weighing him also includes his therapy sessions because of what happened to him in the early part of the novel and the "serial killer" like case. The case involves the illicit sex trade. With restrictions weighing him down, he also faces personal problems he brought to himself and to everyone. He was estranged with his family and himself. This estrange-ness helps him overcome the case and change his morals.

R.J. Ellory showed great geographical reference about the City of New York and the story may have been told in other stories but this one has good storytelling and good details with the action. Although a police procedural, it didn't feel like that there was a ride along with the NYPD. I was looking for realism with what the detectives do.

If Mr. Ellory is reading this, I praise you for your work but I'd like to suggest some things you need to improve on and some certain points I'd like to clear for you.

1.I suggest you have a ride-along with the NYPD because the precinct where Parrish worked was very fictitious. Fictitious to the fact that it loses realism. The point here is that NYPD's Patrol Borough Brooklyn(South and North) has precincts organized from the 60's to 90's. The police procedural written should be at least close to the real world.
2.More research on the City itself and how it works. Show what Brooklyn really is and what the City has.

On top of it all, good story, I learned a lot from the characters especially where Frank and the psychiatrist talked about the Mafia history in New York City. That was the best part. I hope that Mr. Ellry improve more and I hope he keeps doing stories like these but close to the facts of reality.(less)

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Feb 02, 2013 Ian Mapp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Another muscular book from Ellory - which works in the same way as the others that I have read by him. You can feel the research dripping off the page.

Frank Parrish is a walking cliche of an alcholic cop, living under his fathers shadow - who closed down the mafia in NYC before his untimely death. He is on probabation and has a dead work partner - the circumstances of his death are not revealed until the end of the book.

He is investigating the deaths of young girls in the current time, interper...more

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Apr 21, 2012 John Herbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, ten-out-of-ten

Yet again Ellory delivers - it's almost taken as read that you'll finish another novel of his, fully satisfied with a minimum 9/10 rating.
And yet another detective struggling to come to terms with life and the booze, ex-wife and kids somewheres else, out of his life - but Ellory pitches it at you in that refreshingly honest style of his, and so we have detective Frank Parrish busily immersed in drugged up, murdered teenagers, attempting to live up to his father's reputation.
It's R J Ellory - nuf...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Ruth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-historical

c2010. Grim, grim grim - with an enormous amount of expletives. I like to think that I am not a prude but I do think some of this was gratuitous. I think that this is another example of trying to read the wrong genre at the wrong time however I was also put off when reading the blurb about the author. Although English, this story has an American setting. This got me thinking about how an author can do this knowing that although very similar, American terminology etc is different to UK English. I...more c2010. Grim, grim grim - with an enormous amount of expletives. I like to think that I am not a prude but I do think some of this was gratuitous. I think that this is another example of trying to read the wrong genre at the wrong time however I was also put off when reading the blurb about the author. Although English, this story has an American setting. This got me thinking about how an author can do this knowing that although very similar, American terminology etc is different to UK English. I then started wondering if the editors rewrite the book to ensure that no UKisms get through. How did the author get the knowledge of the american policing procedures etc to write the book accurately. All these questions and more kept popping up in my head whilst reading the book and throughly disrupted my reading enjoyment. PS: interesting extract from The Telegraph 04/09/12 "RJ Ellory, the bestselling British crime writer exposed for writing fake online reviews lauding himself while criticising rivals, has engaged in the practice for the past decade, he admitted today. In a series of messages to fans and rivals on social networking sites, he repeatedly apologised for his actions on websites such as Amazon and vowed he would not “avoid responsibility”. Ellory, a father–of–one from Birmingham who has won a variety of awards including Crime Novel of the Year 2010, did not respond to repeated requests from The Daily Telegraph for comment today. “Over the last ten years I have posted approximately 12 reviews of my own books, and I also criticised a book written by Stuart MacBride, and another by Mark Billingham, both of whom had done nothing to warrant such criticism. This I regret deeply, but time cannot be turned back. I have apologised for what I have done, and I hope in time that we can move beyond this.” The writer, whose real name is Roger Jon Ellory, admitted he had used fake identities to write about his own work and giving himself five–star ratings while simultaneously criticising his rivals."(less)

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Apr 06, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, review-books, usa

I started reading R.J. Ellory's books with A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS which I absolutely loved. Then moved onto THE ANNIVERSARY MAN which made my Top Ten of 2010 and eventually, after I worked out a way to finagle the definition, into the two books that I nominated as my favourites for that year in my contribution to an article in Deadly Pleasures magazine. SAINTS OF NEW YORK is the latest I've been lucky enough to read, and with each book, I just get more and more impressed.

SAINTS OF NEW YORK is...more I started reading R.J. Ellory's books with A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS which I absolutely loved. Then moved onto THE ANNIVERSARY MAN which made my Top Ten of 2010 and eventually, after I worked out a way to finagle the definition, into the two books that I nominated as my favourites for that year in my contribution to an article in Deadly Pleasures magazine. SAINTS OF NEW YORK is the latest I've been lucky enough to read, and with each book, I just get more and more impressed.

SAINTS OF NEW YORK is veering more towards a traditional procedural crime novel than earlier books, but with Ellory's trademarks of flawed characters, in a dark and murky world, struggling against personal and external demons and pressures.

In Frank Parrish's case, a lot of his demons come directly from the larger than life legacy of his father, one of the original "Saints of New York", the policemen who famously stood up to the Mafia in the early 1980's. Whilst everybody else regards John Parrish as a hero and legend, Frank stands alone, remembering a man who seemed to care more about the job, and the money, and status than he did about his own family. How Frank deals with his own day to day life, as a divorced, alcoholic, desperate and disaffected man, is woven brilliantly into this book as he has been forced to attend daily sessions with a Police Department counsellor. As these sessions proceed, Frank's state of mind, his background and his life are drawn out, just as he inches closer and closer to the killer of what turns out to be more than just one teenage girl.

SAINTS OF NEW YORK has a wonderfully dark, murky, tense and slightly desperate feel about it. It sets itself deep in the underbelly of New York, simultaneously taking you deep into the personal world of Frank Parrish. Violent and dark, there is also an intricate and compelling plot in which a man handles the professional with aplomb and the personal with a staggering lack thereof. I really have no idea how this author does it, but there's something amazingly compelling about Frank Parrish. Which doesn't take anything away from a fast-paced, well plotted novel that takes a few chapters to pull you in and then grabs you and holds onto you until the very end. And then for a while after that. (less)

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Oct 18, 2010 Simon Gosden rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very, very good thriller. Frank Parrish (NYPD) has had a tough day, a junkie has his girlfriend as a hostage, Frank tries to help but simply gets covered in blood with two dead boies and the feeling he's cocked up. Then a young junkie is found shot in an alley, Frank goes to the punks apartment and finds the fellas sister strangled. Frank's suddenly found one hell of a case. Brilliant read.

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Mar 18, 2012 Mick O'Dwyer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really enjoyed 'A Simple Act Of Violence' so I was looking forward to this. Sadly 'Saints Of New York' isn't a patch on 'Violence'. It just about reaches the heights of being a tired and uninterested rehash of ye oldie alcoholic detective with family issues and an uninspired killer on the loose. At times it seems as though the author is just as bored as the reader, even throwing in a few cop conversing with a psychiatrist chapters to break up the monotony - complete with references to Goodfellas...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Sonja Star-de vries rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Een verslavend goede en vlot geschreven thriller die heel moeilijk weg te leggen is.Het karakter van de hoofdpersoon, detective Frank Parrish wordt heel goed neergezet en van mij mag deze Frank ook wel weer een rol krijgen in een volgend boek van R.J. Ellory.
"De helden van New York" krijgt bij mij een plaatsje in mijn top 10. verwijder bewerk Melden

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Jan 16, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another great book from RJ Ellory - loved the way that the main character, Frank Parrish, was developed and found the book compulsive reading and impossible to put down. Quiet Vendetta's still my favourite though - twist in the ending to that was what makes the difference.

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Jul 26, 2012 Robin Pratt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating theme development. Diverse characters woven together from disparate points. Primarily a powerful, well thought story that holds you right to the end with the broad and detailed aspects woven deftly - so sad to reach the end.

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Jan 05, 2012 Kieran Delaney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ellory writes fantastic novels and Saints Of New York is no different. It's dark and violent, without being cartoonish - a very real, gritty thriller full of frustration, sacrifice and redemption.

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Jan 22, 2011 Neil rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure this was up to the usual standard when first starting the latest offering from my favourite author. However, by the end, I was feveroushly turning the pages, desperate to know how things turned out for Frank Parrish. Brilliant.

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Jan 01, 2012 Annet rated it 3 of 5 stars

First book for 2012 finished!
R.J. Ellory is a very good writer, a crime writer but much more than that. I thought A quiet belief in Angels was a better book, this was the first Ellory I read last year, it is much more than a crime story. Saints of New York is a crime story much more and a good one too. I've discovered a great writer and already have one of his other books on my shelves to read this year. This book is about NYPD detective Frank Parrish, who struggles with his past, his father a s...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

R J Ellory is one of my favorite authors. It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, it was very gripping.I couldn't stop until I found out the ending.

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About R.J. Ellory

Roger began his first novel on November 4th, 1987 and did not stop, except for three days when he was going through a divorce from his first wife, until July of 1993. During this time he completed twenty-two novels, most of them in longhand, and accumulated several hundred polite and complimentary rejection letters from many different and varied publishers.

He stopped writing out of sheer frustrat...more Roger began his first novel on November 4th, 1987 and did not stop, except for three days when he was going through a divorce from his first wife, until July of 1993. During this time he completed twenty-two novels, most of them in longhand, and accumulated several hundred polite and complimentary rejection letters from many different and varied publishers.

He stopped writing out of sheer frustration and did not start again for eight years.

In the early part of September 2001 he decided to start writing again. This decision was based on the realization that it was the only thing he had ever really wanted to do.

Between August 2001 and January 2002 he wrote three books, the second of which was called ‘Candlemoth’. This was purchased by Orion and published in 2003. ‘Candlemoth’ was translated into German, Dutch and Italian, and has now also been purchased for translation in numerous other languages. The book also secured a nomination on the shortlist for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger for Best Thriller 2003. His second book, ‘Ghostheart’, was released in 2004, and his third book, ‘A Quiet Vendetta’, was released in August 2005. In 2006 he published ‘City of Lies’, and once again secured a nomination for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of that year. His fifth book – ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ - was published in August 2006, and in the latter part of the year it was selected for the phenomenally successful British TV equivalent of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, the Richard and Judy Book Club.

‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ went on to be shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction, the 813 Trophy, the Quebec Booksellers’ Prize, The Europeen Du Point Crime Fiction Prize, and was winner of the Inaugural Prix Roman Noir Nouvel Observateur. It has since been voted Best Thriller of 2009 in The Strand Magazine. The book was also optioned for film, and Roger has recently completed the screenplay for Oscar-winning French director, Olivier Dahan.

Following on from ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’, Roger released ‘A Simple Act of Violence’, again securing a nomination for Best British Crime Fiction of 2008. In late 2009 he released ‘The Anniversary Man’ to rave reviews.
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