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Partners: A Novel of Crime
On July 8 Jorge "Finito" Rakowski is released from the Otus Bantam Correctional Center on Rikers Island, where he has served ninety days for Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree; he's a thief. Nine months, thirteen victims, and several Latino aliases later, the handsome, sandy-haired Finito, whose magnetism only begins in his penetrating green eyes, has with deadly invention raised his criminal stakes. He has become a serial killer. In this gripping, new police procedural, the enthusiastically reviewed David Cray again lays bare the ambitions and betrayals among New York City's police detectives at the same time that he explores the darker side of the criminal mind. For NYPD's Belinda Moore—confident, cool, professional, black—and her dogged, promotion-hungry partner, Pudge Pedersson, find themselves not only baffled as to the identity of the notorious, slippery, and increasingly desperate Break-In Killer, but also battling, and defying, their superiors in the police bureaucracy. More and more, Belinda and Pedersson realize they can't crack the case and play by the book. What they don't realize is where the case—and a perp who's on to them—is dangerously, maybe even fatally, taking them.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 2003
8 people want to read
About the author
David Cray
8 books12 followersA pseudonym used by Stephen Solomita.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 7, 2013
RATING: 3.25
Finito Rakowski is an exceptionally handsome young man to whom women are very attracted. Finito plays on that characteristic to manipulate those women into meeting his needs, whether they be financial or physical. Having just been released from prison after serving a term for theft, his psychotic tendencies begin to escalate and he embarks on a series of killings. Although the means of murder varies, his trademark signature is that he leaves the woman with her eyes covered. He's called the "Break-in Killer", as he likes to follow the victim to her home and carry out his attack on her home territory.
Among the NYPD detectives assigned to the case are Belinda Moore, an African American woman who sees her job as just that, not a means to conquer the wrongs of the world, and Pudge Pedersson, who's always hoping that his accomplishments will be noticed and that he'll be promoted. They work very well together. Although Finito is maddeningly elusive, Belinda and Pudge go outside the system and are able to home in on him, in spite of the lack of support of their superiors.
It's unfortunate that Cray chose to follow the current trend in crime fiction of writing about a serial killer. He uses the technique of alternating chapters between the police point of view and Finito's. That approach has gotten to be almost a cliché recently, and thus, the book didn't feel fresh or unique. In addition, Cray chose to narrate Finito's chapters in present tense, which made for an awkward transition from the past tense chapters of the police. I also found it implausible that Finito could intellectually decide to escalate the nature of his crimes, as a true psychotic would have been more at the mercy of his subconscious needs rather than consciously planning for a bigger thrill with the next murder.
Cray is an accomplished craftsman as far as his writing ability. It's unfortunate that his talent has been squandered on a book that has such a derivative plot. That being said, if there is another book in this series, I will be reading it, as I found the two lead characters to be very appealing and the police procedural aspects well done. For the time being, I prefer Cray's Julia Brennan series, which has a darker overall feel to it.
Finito Rakowski is an exceptionally handsome young man to whom women are very attracted. Finito plays on that characteristic to manipulate those women into meeting his needs, whether they be financial or physical. Having just been released from prison after serving a term for theft, his psychotic tendencies begin to escalate and he embarks on a series of killings. Although the means of murder varies, his trademark signature is that he leaves the woman with her eyes covered. He's called the "Break-in Killer", as he likes to follow the victim to her home and carry out his attack on her home territory.
Among the NYPD detectives assigned to the case are Belinda Moore, an African American woman who sees her job as just that, not a means to conquer the wrongs of the world, and Pudge Pedersson, who's always hoping that his accomplishments will be noticed and that he'll be promoted. They work very well together. Although Finito is maddeningly elusive, Belinda and Pudge go outside the system and are able to home in on him, in spite of the lack of support of their superiors.
It's unfortunate that Cray chose to follow the current trend in crime fiction of writing about a serial killer. He uses the technique of alternating chapters between the police point of view and Finito's. That approach has gotten to be almost a cliché recently, and thus, the book didn't feel fresh or unique. In addition, Cray chose to narrate Finito's chapters in present tense, which made for an awkward transition from the past tense chapters of the police. I also found it implausible that Finito could intellectually decide to escalate the nature of his crimes, as a true psychotic would have been more at the mercy of his subconscious needs rather than consciously planning for a bigger thrill with the next murder.
Cray is an accomplished craftsman as far as his writing ability. It's unfortunate that his talent has been squandered on a book that has such a derivative plot. That being said, if there is another book in this series, I will be reading it, as I found the two lead characters to be very appealing and the police procedural aspects well done. For the time being, I prefer Cray's Julia Brennan series, which has a darker overall feel to it.
June 13, 2012
wonderful crime story!!i really enjoy David Cray-whomever he is!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews