Saving Room for Dessert

Mario Balzic Detective Mystery #17

by K.C. Constantine

For former Air Force veteran and ex-mall security guard William Rayford, making the cut as Rocksburg's first African American cop fulfilled one of his life's ambitions, even though it sometimes still gives him a case of the Steel City Blues. Rayford well-knows this town's dark history of prejudice, but dealing with it is something else. Now, with his fellow officers, Rayford is ready for whatever Rocksburg throws his way, even if it means patrolling the river flats, where things can get deadly pretty quickly.

Genres: Crime

294 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2002

About the author

Carl Constantine Kosak is an American mystery author known for his work as K.C. Constantine. Little is known about Kosak, as he prefers anonymity and has given only a few interviews. He was born in 1934 and served in the Marines in the early 1950s. He lives in Greensburg PA with wife Linda.



http://www.badattitudes.com/KCCintvw....

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine effort by this author. His fictional Rockport, PA is loosely based on Greensburg PA (I lived there for 5 years.) The author is unusually adept at drawing a character and he just nails the local culture. This is not a mystery or detective novel, it is simply a police procedural but one with exceptional grace.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just wasn't the book I wanted it to be. I'd heard about Constantine's series of crime novels set in the region outside of Pittsburgh, and decided i wanted to check them out, considering I'm a Pittsburgh and love crime novels. But this wasn't really what I wanted it to be, and that's probably my fault more than the book's. As I've read through other summaries of Constantine's series of books, it seems like many of them are the sort of novels that center around one case and a detective working to crack it. That's what I wanted out of this novel.
But instead, we are given the inside story on three different officers' daily lives. It is well-told for the most part, and has some compelling passages as they navigate their days', each of them encountering their share of shady characters and difficult circumstances during their day patrolling, but it just wasn't the crime novel I wanted.

[Daniel Polansky]

Three patrolmen in a fading rust-belt town try and do right by themselves, their community, in the last of many works by the once widely beloved but now largely forgotten K.C. Constantine. Nuanced characters but limited plot.

[Bill Cissna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suitable finale for Constantine's intriguing police-procedural series set in a Rust-Belt challenged town in western Pennsylvania.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#17 of the Mario Balzic / Rocksburg series. Final novel of the series that featured the depressed fictious Pennsylvania "Rust Belt" town of Rocksburg, with long time police chief Mario Balzic featured in most of the series entries. This final entry is in the post-Balzic era, but features black cop William Rayford, whose abilities were recognized by Balzic and who was recommended by him.
Authoe K.C. Constantine is the long-held pseudonym of recently revealed reclusive writer (Carl Constantine Kosak; born 1934 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania).

Rocksburg series - For former Air Force veteran and ex-mall security guard William Rayford, making the cut as Rocksburg's first African American cop fulfilled one of his life's ambitions, even though it sometimes still gives him a case of the Steel City Blues. Rayford well-knows this town's dark history of prejudice, but dealing with it is something else. Now, with his fellow officers, Rayford is ready for whatever Rocksburg throws his way, even if it means patrolling the river flats, where things can get deadly pretty quickly.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a master at dialogue, his works read like screenplays. This time focusing on three members of the local police department, we get another glimpse into the cultural/psychological/political idiosyncrasies of human behavior as witnessed in small town contemporary life. The author is an astute observer of how personal and political power struggles can poison the well and make life intolerable. Yet, as usual, the good guys win, if only to fight another day. I've read all of his work and am always delighted, amused, bored and intrigued. The bored part because he lets his characters go on well after they've made their points. But that's my main complaint. I've never read anyone like him.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the final Rocksburg novel, the point of view expands beyond Balzic and Carlucci to give a more complete glimpse into the lives of three police officers (with a few final cameos from other Rocksburg residents). The focus is on the issues that each of the officers is struggling through and how these issues affect their day-to-day work. Constantine gives voice to his characters is a unique way. I really appreciate what he is doing, but understand other readers will be put off by the lack of "traditional" plot.

The Rocksburg series (especially after the first few volumes) isn't the typical procedural journey, but it takes you deep into new territory. Constantine has drawn a rich, complex, and troubling portrait of a small town. This is a masterwork.

[Virginia Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mario Balzic has retired as chief of the Rocksburg Police Department, but he is still a mentor to Rayford Williams, the only black cop in this white ethnic town near Pittsburgh. Much as Wambaugh does for the LAPD, Constantine takes us inside the daily work lives of these police officers as they respond to domestic disputes and help old ladies who are locked out of their Toyotas. Rayf is the focus here, dealing with his own issues while he tries to protect and serve. Read it for the characters and plot but relish the dialogue.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a really long time to get going. Lots of lead in before the grist of the plot started moving. Part of the reason I didn't enjoy it that much was because I was expecting a crime novel and this was much more a character study. I enjoyed the last third, but wouldn't recommend it over all.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel about three beat policemen in Rocksburg, Pennsylvania. Story deal with their patrol and work trials and tribulations as well as the personal demons each wrestles with. One some what amusing comeupance near the end.

[Kate Coluccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting characters and language.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rocksburg's first African American cop