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Frank Janek #2
Switch
"He spent hours drawing sketches of how she might be killed. And the more work he put into them the more exciting the idea became. And then he started following her and then he was caught up. And the more caught up he was the more definitely she was doomed, for once an idea took hold in him he felt compelled to carry it out. It was the Switch that made his crime a work of art... "At first the two killings seem unrelated. The lonely call girl murdered on New York City's West Side had never met the prim schoolteacher slain across town in the far safer preserve of the city's Upper East Side. But someone has decapitated them both and switched their a deed that is apparently its own motive, a crime as pointless as it was perfectly executed.Detective Frank Janek immediately knows that he has entered the realm of a lethal madness. Middle-aged, divorced, a man centered solely on his work, Janek is practiced in piercing the minds of the criminals he pursues. In the absence of clues from the killer, he has only the awful symmetry of the crime to work with, only his own finely honed intuition. "This was a crime conceived in the shadows," he thinks, "There was precision in it, and passion. Concentrated rage and a love of order. A need to beautify. Even some strange, unfathomable, as yet uncatalogued species of love."The challenge—to become as precise, as creative, as cold as his prey-begins to take its toll. The tenuous psychological thread leads Janek back into the unsettled past—not only the killer's but his own. His own passion and rage and unresolved love. The love he bore for the man who trained him-a retired cop whose apparent suicide he has shied from investigating too closely, the passion for justice that has made him a marked man within the police fraternity. The rage he feels at ancient crimes that have finally burst into full and terrifying flower. And most of all, the new love he feels for the mysterious woman in whom all these strands of the past seem to converge. It is Janek's love for Caroline that leads him at last to a blinding vision of the purpose behind the grisly double homicide.Too late, he realizes that the case of "Switched Heads" may only be the bait....***Praise for am very impressed. Switch is superior in characterization, movement, tension, the quality of the writing and the a mind of the writer. William Bayer goes right on my "look for list" —John D. MacDonald"The crime is dazzling, the action fast paced, and there are good insights into police techniques and the police mind." —Robert Daley"Switch is a novel in which the grit and madness of New York are palpable. As well as engrossing the reader utterly, it does high honor to the grand tradition of the American psychological thriller, and despite the riveting nature of its central act of horror, it also traces an exhilarating love affair between two bloodied but triumphantly humane survivors of the city's attrition." —Thomas Keneally"Switch has the stunning intensity of The First Deadly Sin, and I can't think of a higher compliment." —Mary Higgins Clark
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
26 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
William Bayer
53 books28 followersWILLIAM BAYER is the author of nineteen fiction and non-fiction books. Thirteen of his novels are now available in ebook and audiobook editions. His books have been published in fourteen foreign languages. Two of his novels, Switch and Pattern Crimes, were New York Times best sellers.
Bill was born in Cleveland, Ohio, son of an attorney-father and screenwriter-mother ( Eleanor Perry). He was educated at Phillips Exeter and Harvard where he majored in art history. His Harvard honors thesis was an analysis of a single painting by Paul Gauguin: “D’où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?” For six years he served in Washington, Vietnam and New York as an officer with the U. S. Information Agency. He has been a grantee of The American Film Institute and The National Endowment of the Arts.
His novels have won the following awards: Peregrine (The Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, aka “The Edgar”); Switch, (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique); Mirror Maze, (the French Le Grand Prix Calibre 38); The Magician’s Tale (The Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery); The Dream Of The Broken Horses (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique).
His novel, Switch, was the source for seven television movies, including two four-hour mini-series. In all of them the main character, NYPD Detective Frank Janek, was played by the actor Richard Crenna. All seven movies were broadcast nationally by CBS in prime time.
Bayer is married to food writer, Paula Wolfert. They have lived in Paris, New York, Connecticut, Tangier (Morocco), and San Francisco. They currently reside in the Sonoma Valley, an area North of San Francisco which Jack London called “The Valley of the Moon.”
Bill was born in Cleveland, Ohio, son of an attorney-father and screenwriter-mother ( Eleanor Perry). He was educated at Phillips Exeter and Harvard where he majored in art history. His Harvard honors thesis was an analysis of a single painting by Paul Gauguin: “D’où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?” For six years he served in Washington, Vietnam and New York as an officer with the U. S. Information Agency. He has been a grantee of The American Film Institute and The National Endowment of the Arts.
His novels have won the following awards: Peregrine (The Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, aka “The Edgar”); Switch, (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique); Mirror Maze, (the French Le Grand Prix Calibre 38); The Magician’s Tale (The Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery); The Dream Of The Broken Horses (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique).
His novel, Switch, was the source for seven television movies, including two four-hour mini-series. In all of them the main character, NYPD Detective Frank Janek, was played by the actor Richard Crenna. All seven movies were broadcast nationally by CBS in prime time.
Bayer is married to food writer, Paula Wolfert. They have lived in Paris, New York, Connecticut, Tangier (Morocco), and San Francisco. They currently reside in the Sonoma Valley, an area North of San Francisco which Jack London called “The Valley of the Moon.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 9, 2020
First published in 1984, this is the second novel by William Bayer to feature NYPD homicide detective Frank Janek. As the book opens, Janek gets some very bad news; his “rabbi” in the department, a retired detective named Al DiMona has committed suicide. DiMona’s widow believes that her husband was tracking down an old case and can’t imagine why he would have taken his own life in the middle of it.
Janek promises to look into the situation and try to figure out what case DiMona might have resurrected. But before he can even begin to do so, as he is leaving DiMona’s funeral, the chief of detectives assigns him to a new and very bizarre murder case. A hooker and an apparently prim and proper female schoolteacher have both been knifed to death in their respective apartments within a few hours of each other. The killer then decapitated the two victims and switched their heads, doing so in such an artful manner that at first the people discovering the bodies don’t even realize that the heads have been switched.
Janek leads the team of detectives investigating the killings, but there are very few clues and the solution to the case will depend upon Frank Janek’s ability to get into the mind of a very clever and demented killer. At the same time he discovers and begins to pursue the case that Al DiMona had been following at the time of his death, and both investigations may put Janaek and the people he cares about in very grave danger.
This is an excellent police procedural from a time before cell phones and computers and when the technology of crime scene investigation was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today. Janek is a very appealing protagonist, and this book inspired a series of made-for-TV movies starring Richard Crenna as Janek. The book may be a bit hard to find at this late date, but it’s certainly worth looking for.
Janek promises to look into the situation and try to figure out what case DiMona might have resurrected. But before he can even begin to do so, as he is leaving DiMona’s funeral, the chief of detectives assigns him to a new and very bizarre murder case. A hooker and an apparently prim and proper female schoolteacher have both been knifed to death in their respective apartments within a few hours of each other. The killer then decapitated the two victims and switched their heads, doing so in such an artful manner that at first the people discovering the bodies don’t even realize that the heads have been switched.
Janek leads the team of detectives investigating the killings, but there are very few clues and the solution to the case will depend upon Frank Janek’s ability to get into the mind of a very clever and demented killer. At the same time he discovers and begins to pursue the case that Al DiMona had been following at the time of his death, and both investigations may put Janaek and the people he cares about in very grave danger.
This is an excellent police procedural from a time before cell phones and computers and when the technology of crime scene investigation was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today. Janek is a very appealing protagonist, and this book inspired a series of made-for-TV movies starring Richard Crenna as Janek. The book may be a bit hard to find at this late date, but it’s certainly worth looking for.
January 23, 2012
One of the really nifty things about the e-book revolution is that authors are bringing out some of their earlier works at very reduced prices making them irresistible. That’s how I discovered William Bayer. This is the first I have read, but intend to read all of them. They are excellent.
A killer is out there who has switched the heads on his victims. The women appear at first glance to have nothing in common; no link between them. Lt. Frank Janek and his partner are assigned the case. The killer is one of the creepiest I’ve read about in a long time.
There’s a parallel investigation that Frank runs on the side involving the suicide of his old friend and mentor. That investigation soon also involves a switch.
For those who might wonder, the title of one of Bayer’s talks was, “Why are my killers always from Cleveland?” Bayer was born there and said in the same piece that he considered Cleveland his Heart of Darkness, although its not so apparent in this book. Judging from synopses of his other books photography and art play a role in most of his works.
Switch is not so much a “who done it?” as "why it was done". The characters are real, the investigation difficult, the love story realistic if a bit coincidental. The results for the reader are solid enjoyment.
Re Janek: “He had been conscious for some time that all his relationships were tainted by his work. The searching look he applied to people, his constant quest for motives, strengths and weaknesses, figuring how to play someone, seize psychological advantage, manipulate, interrogate, break a person down—all of that, which was the essence of being a good detective, seemed to work against any possibility of intimacy. “
A killer is out there who has switched the heads on his victims. The women appear at first glance to have nothing in common; no link between them. Lt. Frank Janek and his partner are assigned the case. The killer is one of the creepiest I’ve read about in a long time.
There’s a parallel investigation that Frank runs on the side involving the suicide of his old friend and mentor. That investigation soon also involves a switch.
For those who might wonder, the title of one of Bayer’s talks was, “Why are my killers always from Cleveland?” Bayer was born there and said in the same piece that he considered Cleveland his Heart of Darkness, although its not so apparent in this book. Judging from synopses of his other books photography and art play a role in most of his works.
Switch is not so much a “who done it?” as "why it was done". The characters are real, the investigation difficult, the love story realistic if a bit coincidental. The results for the reader are solid enjoyment.
Re Janek: “He had been conscious for some time that all his relationships were tainted by his work. The searching look he applied to people, his constant quest for motives, strengths and weaknesses, figuring how to play someone, seize psychological advantage, manipulate, interrogate, break a person down—all of that, which was the essence of being a good detective, seemed to work against any possibility of intimacy. “
May 17, 2018
"[...] this man was trying to create people as much as to destroy them. [...] He killed them, certainly. But to use the parts his own way. So in a sense we could say he was a creator. Destroyer and also creator."
William Bayer's Switch (1984) is one of the best police procedurals I have ever read. For about half of the novel the author manages to avoid the awful clichés of the genre. Also, he succeeds in setting up the plot in a way that compels the reader to continue reading until the very end, even if the last part of the book is not as impressive as the first.
We meet Lt. Frank Janek at the funeral of his friend, a retired New York detective who has committed suicide. After the funeral the Chief of Detectives hands Janek - who is considered a star detective - a difficult and bizarre case. Two women, a teacher in an exclusive school for girls and a call girl, were killed and their heads have been switched. It takes Janek and his team quite some time to find a connection between the two victims.
Meanwhile Janek is trying to find the reasons for his friend's suicide. As he zeroes on the "switch" killer, further linkage between the two cases emerges. The lieutenant gets romantically involved with Caroline, a successful young photographer who is helping him in the case. Atypically for police procedurals Caroline portrayal is better written than that of Janek himself: she feels a more real person than he does.
The chapter titled Criminal Conversation distinguishes itself with accomplished prose and psychological plausibility. But what I like the most is the growing network of connections between the two cases and between main characters in the plot. The reader will also notice that the title of the novel can be interpreted in multiple ways.
An outstanding procedural! Now I want to read the author's Peregrine, a novel - also featuring Lieutenant Janek - that won the Edgar Award in 1982.
Four stars.
William Bayer's Switch (1984) is one of the best police procedurals I have ever read. For about half of the novel the author manages to avoid the awful clichés of the genre. Also, he succeeds in setting up the plot in a way that compels the reader to continue reading until the very end, even if the last part of the book is not as impressive as the first.
We meet Lt. Frank Janek at the funeral of his friend, a retired New York detective who has committed suicide. After the funeral the Chief of Detectives hands Janek - who is considered a star detective - a difficult and bizarre case. Two women, a teacher in an exclusive school for girls and a call girl, were killed and their heads have been switched. It takes Janek and his team quite some time to find a connection between the two victims.
Meanwhile Janek is trying to find the reasons for his friend's suicide. As he zeroes on the "switch" killer, further linkage between the two cases emerges. The lieutenant gets romantically involved with Caroline, a successful young photographer who is helping him in the case. Atypically for police procedurals Caroline portrayal is better written than that of Janek himself: she feels a more real person than he does.
The chapter titled Criminal Conversation distinguishes itself with accomplished prose and psychological plausibility. But what I like the most is the growing network of connections between the two cases and between main characters in the plot. The reader will also notice that the title of the novel can be interpreted in multiple ways.
An outstanding procedural! Now I want to read the author's Peregrine, a novel - also featuring Lieutenant Janek - that won the Edgar Award in 1982.
Four stars.
February 9, 2020
I just finished the last page of SWITCH by William Bayer last night. Today is February third of 2020 and there was an enormous amount of current news to greet me when I hit the remote on the TV this morning. A gunman shot six passengers on a Greyhound bus (one is already dead, the remaining five reported as injured). The Super Bowl was yesterday, and the Midwest cheered as the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the sports world by claiming their first Super Bowl victory in half a century. The Iowa caucuses start today for the large field Democratic hopefuls. It is suggested that a white haired Socialist named Bernie has both the momentum and the youth vote. Meanwhile, our duly elected President of the United States is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union Address tomorrow while he carries the burden of an unprecedented partisan impeachment on his broad shoulders. More news about China's Corona Virus, the travel bans and the quarantines with progress reports about the ongoing assessments of this new threat to the world.
Speaking of current affairs, I was saddened by news yesterday of the passing of Mary Higgins Clark, one of the most recognized names in the annals of popular crime
fiction. She passed away this past Friday at the age of 92. You might be asking yourself what today's highly charged headlines, and the passing of an incredibly prolific and talented mystery writer have in common with my book review.
I just finished the powerful psychological thriller SWITCH that was first published by William Bayer in the summer of 1984, over three and a half decades ago. It is timeless in its uniqueness, one of those rare novels that is so utterly spellbinding that it transcends the passage of the years. Secondly, and perhaps coincidentally, Mary Higgins Clark issued the most persuasive argument for the greatness of SWITCH when she was quoted in the book's list of authors and critics bestowing praise:
["Switch has the stunning intensity of The First Deadly Sin, and I can't think of a higher compliment."] -MARY HIGGINS CLARK
The First Deadly Sin [1973] by Lawrence Sanders was a tour de force with such intensity that it's narrative was indelibly imprinted in my memory. Simply put, it "knocked my socks off". I was so enthralled with it that I coerced my partner into reading it. Decades later, it was one of the few titles that I relentlessly hunted down to determine if it had been released as an ebook. I re-read it in 2014, savoring every sentence, and its haunting narrative had lost not an iota of its power over the years. Rereading one of my favorite thrillers of all time was a sinfully satisfying treat. It is an unforgettable police procedural, but the story transcends the hunt for a serial killer. It is about the (deadly sin) of pride, and the basic truth that it holds for both the hunter and the hunted. The ending remained vivid in my head for long after I had reread it. This psychological suspense masterpiece suffered with the movie adaptation starring Frank Sinatra as the prideful detective lead. But I digress.
SWITCH was a New York Times Best Seller in its day that garnered considerable critical acclaim, and was adapted to TV in a two part mini-series entitled "Double Take". This novel was arguably not the first of the Janek books, since the character of Frank Janek did appear in Bayer's 1981 novel PEREGRINE, winner of the Edgar Allen Poe Award (1982). William Bayer displayed a distinct talent for writing unforgettable thrillers. It is of note that his primary focus and main intent was to write a narrative that was the epitome of psychological suspense. I would argue that his novels also succeed as gritty and hard hitting police procedurals. Additionally, he was known to create piercing characterization and the backdrop or atmosphere was unmistakably present in his prose as a character in its own right. His style at least in this respect reminds me of Connelly's character Harry Bosch and his immutable connection to LA and his expressed emotional feelings for her.
"Always, when he drove across the bridge, Janek would look back at the city and wonder at its beauty and its power."
A heinous double murder shocks your consciousness and then you are treated to absolutely superb detective work, to include the part that methodical meticulous police works plays in the scheme of things. However, the psychological insights into the mind of a stone cold sociopathic killer and the intuitive genius of the detective on his heels is highlighted in this recipe to render a gripping unforgettable psychological thriller for the ages.
I consider both Lawrence Sanders and William Bayer to be two of the greatest of the “old master” crime fiction writers. In the case of SWITCH penned by Bayer, we are presented with an articulate, crisp, cerebral first person narrative from the perspective of Janek, the brilliant homicide detective who is assigned what readily is thought of as a truly unsolvable case. Janek is immediately cognizant that he will need to gaze into the abyss more deeply than he has ever done before in his career. The crime is a heinous utterly unbelievably shocking double murder, one premeditated and executed with a genius level of planning and precision. Bayer pulls us in and compels us to care with fully developed characterizations of the hunter and the hunted. The complex plot elevates the work above its genuinely chilling gravitas as a serial killer thriller. The underlying pattern of love and relationships underscores the action and suspense of the hunt for the homicidal sociopath. The fate of our relentless hero Janek is inexorably tied to the love he holds for his work, his mentor, and especially the romantic love and the passion he feels for the young beautiful Caroline whose life he intersects at the beginning of the novel. SWITCH is a novel that delivers a visceral blow to your senses. The plot and story line is populated with characters so vividly drawn with words on a colorful canvas you can easily see with your eyes and almost reach out and touch. Bayer waxes poetic at times but never fails to engage your mind and your emotions. All of your senses are in overdrive against the awesome backdrop of the New York City landscape.
Speaking of current affairs, I was saddened by news yesterday of the passing of Mary Higgins Clark, one of the most recognized names in the annals of popular crime
fiction. She passed away this past Friday at the age of 92. You might be asking yourself what today's highly charged headlines, and the passing of an incredibly prolific and talented mystery writer have in common with my book review.
I just finished the powerful psychological thriller SWITCH that was first published by William Bayer in the summer of 1984, over three and a half decades ago. It is timeless in its uniqueness, one of those rare novels that is so utterly spellbinding that it transcends the passage of the years. Secondly, and perhaps coincidentally, Mary Higgins Clark issued the most persuasive argument for the greatness of SWITCH when she was quoted in the book's list of authors and critics bestowing praise:
["Switch has the stunning intensity of The First Deadly Sin, and I can't think of a higher compliment."] -MARY HIGGINS CLARK
The First Deadly Sin [1973] by Lawrence Sanders was a tour de force with such intensity that it's narrative was indelibly imprinted in my memory. Simply put, it "knocked my socks off". I was so enthralled with it that I coerced my partner into reading it. Decades later, it was one of the few titles that I relentlessly hunted down to determine if it had been released as an ebook. I re-read it in 2014, savoring every sentence, and its haunting narrative had lost not an iota of its power over the years. Rereading one of my favorite thrillers of all time was a sinfully satisfying treat. It is an unforgettable police procedural, but the story transcends the hunt for a serial killer. It is about the (deadly sin) of pride, and the basic truth that it holds for both the hunter and the hunted. The ending remained vivid in my head for long after I had reread it. This psychological suspense masterpiece suffered with the movie adaptation starring Frank Sinatra as the prideful detective lead. But I digress.
SWITCH was a New York Times Best Seller in its day that garnered considerable critical acclaim, and was adapted to TV in a two part mini-series entitled "Double Take". This novel was arguably not the first of the Janek books, since the character of Frank Janek did appear in Bayer's 1981 novel PEREGRINE, winner of the Edgar Allen Poe Award (1982). William Bayer displayed a distinct talent for writing unforgettable thrillers. It is of note that his primary focus and main intent was to write a narrative that was the epitome of psychological suspense. I would argue that his novels also succeed as gritty and hard hitting police procedurals. Additionally, he was known to create piercing characterization and the backdrop or atmosphere was unmistakably present in his prose as a character in its own right. His style at least in this respect reminds me of Connelly's character Harry Bosch and his immutable connection to LA and his expressed emotional feelings for her.
"Always, when he drove across the bridge, Janek would look back at the city and wonder at its beauty and its power."
A heinous double murder shocks your consciousness and then you are treated to absolutely superb detective work, to include the part that methodical meticulous police works plays in the scheme of things. However, the psychological insights into the mind of a stone cold sociopathic killer and the intuitive genius of the detective on his heels is highlighted in this recipe to render a gripping unforgettable psychological thriller for the ages.
I consider both Lawrence Sanders and William Bayer to be two of the greatest of the “old master” crime fiction writers. In the case of SWITCH penned by Bayer, we are presented with an articulate, crisp, cerebral first person narrative from the perspective of Janek, the brilliant homicide detective who is assigned what readily is thought of as a truly unsolvable case. Janek is immediately cognizant that he will need to gaze into the abyss more deeply than he has ever done before in his career. The crime is a heinous utterly unbelievably shocking double murder, one premeditated and executed with a genius level of planning and precision. Bayer pulls us in and compels us to care with fully developed characterizations of the hunter and the hunted. The complex plot elevates the work above its genuinely chilling gravitas as a serial killer thriller. The underlying pattern of love and relationships underscores the action and suspense of the hunt for the homicidal sociopath. The fate of our relentless hero Janek is inexorably tied to the love he holds for his work, his mentor, and especially the romantic love and the passion he feels for the young beautiful Caroline whose life he intersects at the beginning of the novel. SWITCH is a novel that delivers a visceral blow to your senses. The plot and story line is populated with characters so vividly drawn with words on a colorful canvas you can easily see with your eyes and almost reach out and touch. Bayer waxes poetic at times but never fails to engage your mind and your emotions. All of your senses are in overdrive against the awesome backdrop of the New York City landscape.
August 5, 2017
This book was great in slowly unfolding a crime, and who, what, where, when and why it happened. My one complaint is so much romance that was unnecessary until the end of the book. The romance happened way too quickly, and their whole relationship was cliche and predictable. The crime part of the book was perfect
August 22, 2021
Shortly after this book came out in the mid '80's there was a TV mini series based on it called Doubletake which starred Richard Crenna as Lt. Frank Janek and Beverly D'Angelo as Caroline Wallace. My mum absolutely loved the mini series but she would never read the book because she thought it just wouldn't be the same and would spoil her future enjoyment of watching the mini series over and over. Which she did until she died. Between you and me, she had a huge crush on Richard Crenna. So, anyway, I bought this book - and it took a while to track a copy down and ended up getting a first edition off eBay - to see if she was right. And she wasn't. There are a few differences but, on the whole, the mini series was true to the book.
The book opens with Lt. Janek attending the funeral of his NYPD mentor, Al DiMona, where he meets his future love interest, Caroline. It turns out that Caroline is the daughter of another dead NYPD cop who was killed in a mob hit after running up some gambling debts. After the funeral he rides with Chief of Detectives Hart who gives him his next case - the gruesome double murder of school teacher Amanda Ireland and prostitute Brenda Beard. The twist to the murders is that the killer decapitated the victims and switched their heads. And it's up to Janek and his team to figure out why and who. Alongside his investigation into the murders Janek is also trying to discover why his friend and mentor committed suicide.
The book moves at a moderate pace and is written well enough to keep you interested. While the backstory into DiMona's suicide is unnecessary to the story of the murders, there just isn't enough of the story of the murders to not include it. On the whole, it was enjoyable. Good but far from great - likely the reason it was tricky to find a copy without buying the Kindle edition.
The book opens with Lt. Janek attending the funeral of his NYPD mentor, Al DiMona, where he meets his future love interest, Caroline. It turns out that Caroline is the daughter of another dead NYPD cop who was killed in a mob hit after running up some gambling debts. After the funeral he rides with Chief of Detectives Hart who gives him his next case - the gruesome double murder of school teacher Amanda Ireland and prostitute Brenda Beard. The twist to the murders is that the killer decapitated the victims and switched their heads. And it's up to Janek and his team to figure out why and who. Alongside his investigation into the murders Janek is also trying to discover why his friend and mentor committed suicide.
The book moves at a moderate pace and is written well enough to keep you interested. While the backstory into DiMona's suicide is unnecessary to the story of the murders, there just isn't enough of the story of the murders to not include it. On the whole, it was enjoyable. Good but far from great - likely the reason it was tricky to find a copy without buying the Kindle edition.
February 28, 2025
A few weeks ago, I randomly remember seeing some made-for-TV movie with Richard Crenna as a detective looking into a weird double homicide where a killer murders two women in their homes - and switched their heads. It was an intriguing movie, but I never found out how it turned out. Looking it up, it's based on a novel by a guy named William Bayer. So I got it and read it.
Yeah, it's good. There are three stories co-existing. Det. Frank Janek attends the funeral for his mentor ("rabbi" in police lingo) who just committed suicide in retirement. He meets a woman there who he begin a romance with. Also there is a chief of detectives, who gives him the double-homicide head switch case. Turns out all three stories intermix a little as the book goes on without necessarily depending on each other. He looks into why his mentor killed himself and also investigating the case, and developing a relationship with this woman.
The murderer is a little too clever at times, and the last chapter felt a bit forced. But overall it's a very well-done and effective detective story.
Yeah, it's good. There are three stories co-existing. Det. Frank Janek attends the funeral for his mentor ("rabbi" in police lingo) who just committed suicide in retirement. He meets a woman there who he begin a romance with. Also there is a chief of detectives, who gives him the double-homicide head switch case. Turns out all three stories intermix a little as the book goes on without necessarily depending on each other. He looks into why his mentor killed himself and also investigating the case, and developing a relationship with this woman.
The murderer is a little too clever at times, and the last chapter felt a bit forced. But overall it's a very well-done and effective detective story.
September 4, 2024
L'inzio del libero prometteva bene.
Un doppio omicidio (macabro ma originale) e un detective solitario che riesce ad accaparrarsi la simpatia del lettore.
Una trama originale ed una storia sviluppata con molti dialoghi e descrizioni brevi, molto apprezzata per non annoiare chi legge.
Peccato però, che si sia voluto inserire una componente romantica che non era necessaria.
La storia tra il detective di mezzaetà, perseguito dalle scelte del passato ed una giovane, bellissima ragazza con mille qualità stona fortemente nella storia.
Non riesce a suscitare nessuna empatia, nessun coinvolgimento....annoia.
Sembra la storia di un vecchio ricco pieno di rimorsi che trova una giovane in gamba che gli fa tornare la voglia di vivere, ed è vero amore...un cliche banale e inutile.
Avrei sicuramente valutato il libro di più se non fosse stato per questo aspetto.
Un doppio omicidio (macabro ma originale) e un detective solitario che riesce ad accaparrarsi la simpatia del lettore.
Una trama originale ed una storia sviluppata con molti dialoghi e descrizioni brevi, molto apprezzata per non annoiare chi legge.
Peccato però, che si sia voluto inserire una componente romantica che non era necessaria.
La storia tra il detective di mezzaetà, perseguito dalle scelte del passato ed una giovane, bellissima ragazza con mille qualità stona fortemente nella storia.
Non riesce a suscitare nessuna empatia, nessun coinvolgimento....annoia.
Sembra la storia di un vecchio ricco pieno di rimorsi che trova una giovane in gamba che gli fa tornare la voglia di vivere, ed è vero amore...un cliche banale e inutile.
Avrei sicuramente valutato il libro di più se non fosse stato per questo aspetto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2020
It was good. Really really good. The switched heads was too interesting and as I read it I lost track of time. There were many filler parts, maybe because the author wanted us to see what it is like to be inside a cop's mind handling a case. In that thought it's alright. I pause when I feel too overwhelmed and pick the book again. Near the ending, I read the book ay our terrace and the weather was so great and it made my reading experience even sweeter.
It was a great scene, when Janek caught Lane and it covered up for the parts which I felt were unnecessary. Also, the case of Caroline's father - I felt that it was rushed but nevertheless it made the duo so bad ass and I can undrstand why it's short. Overall, it was a good read. I would totally recommend it. 🥂
It was a great scene, when Janek caught Lane and it covered up for the parts which I felt were unnecessary. Also, the case of Caroline's father - I felt that it was rushed but nevertheless it made the duo so bad ass and I can undrstand why it's short. Overall, it was a good read. I would totally recommend it. 🥂
July 4, 2021
Average. Pretty boring. Too much focus on repetitive dialogue that drags the story out too long. Every other page is redundant except for small pieces of revelations in the investigation. Bayer kind of glosses over the important parts of the case while emphasizing things that already happened over and over. Characters are bland and I didn't find myself caring about anyone in particular. If this book was cut in half--200 pages instead of 360--it would be a lot better.
Overall, didn't hate it, didn't love it.
Overall, didn't hate it, didn't love it.
July 26, 2019
I could basically sum this book up with the sound "meh". I would never tell someone they shouldn't read it because it was fine. I personally was distracted by the spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the book, but even without that I wouldn't necessarily say that the writing was great. It wouldn't stop me from reading another book by this author. It's an interesting enough story, tying things together and I never felt the need to stop reading it.
Read
December 21, 2021I should have read Switch before Wallflower (see a few books above this one) but I didn't and it really only makes a small difference. Switch is really amazing. In New York City a serial killer is killing in pairs and then carefully cutting off his victims heads and then switching them so that the head on one was found on the body of the other. Pretty grizzly and fascinating. Homicide Detective Janek leads the unraveling of this excellent mystery.
September 24, 2022
Currently re-reading this absolute classic cop vs serial killer novel in anticipation for starting my second novel. Top drawer stuff. A baffling case. Grizzled cop. Police corruption and psycho-s3xual violence. Quality.
January 18, 2023
Detective Frank Janek's life is about to get complicated, handed a tough double homicide, his mentor has committed suicide and an attractive lady is about to enter his world. Good procedure police story, with Frank crossing swords with a cunning killer and the chief of detectives.
May 20, 2022
Great murder mystery. Didn’t love how things got wrapped up in the end but it was fine. I enjoyed it over all.
August 20, 2023
I didn't like this book. I did finish it.
May 1, 2015
My Review
Well, the publishers summary is long enough to give every reader a pretty good idea of what this book is about, but it's a bit darker than I expected it to be.
The work worn, hard boiled middle aged detective, Janek, takes on a strange case, very strange indeed, it all begins at the funeral of retired detective Al DiMona. Al was Janeks' rabbi - cop slang for mentor - Al had committed suicide by "eating his gun". His death hit Janek hard, he had this feeling that he should look deeper into what drove his friend to do such a thing, especially as Lou, Als wife, had insisted to Janek that he had been working on something secretive prior to his death. At the funeral he sees a woman, she looks out of place, so he decides to introduce himself to Caroline. She tells him she was just a friend of Al, just came to say goodbye.
Before he leaves, he's told that Chief of Detectives Hart wants him to ride back with him, it's during this trip that Janek is given the "switched heads" case of the two murdered women. Seems two detectives were called out, one to each case, they got into a fight about who should investigate, so Chief Hart settled it by giving it to Janek.
This is where his head scratching begins, it's all so bizarre, everything about it just plain weird, how's a man to start? The first few chapters are compelling reading, then it gets a little dull, there's a lot of conversation, conjecture, what ifs. In truth, all probably quite realistic but it doesn't hold the attention quite so well as the first part of the story.
Then there's the mystery of Al, and this is where Caroline has the leading part, having fallen in love with her ( and pretty darned quick if you ask me) Janek discovers she has not been entirely truthful. By this time, it's all become very complicated!
Despite being a little dull in parts, the author does have a wonderful way with words, he describes a room and you are there, seeing it. There's a very poignant passage about Lou, describing her reaction when, whilst cleaning the bathroom she hears the shot, she knows, she just knows she is going to walk down the stairs and find the dead body of her husband Al.
Narrator
Wonderful performance by Jeffrey Kafer, he has the perfect voice for Janek, he switches faultlessly from character to character, gender to gender and it's seamless. Easy to listen to with a good pace, there's a lot of emotion in this book, from overwrought Lou to angry, frustrated detectives. Then, of course, there's the cold, cold murderer! Jeffrey Kafer nails it.
This audiobook was gifted via Audioblast in return for this, my honest review.
Well, the publishers summary is long enough to give every reader a pretty good idea of what this book is about, but it's a bit darker than I expected it to be.
The work worn, hard boiled middle aged detective, Janek, takes on a strange case, very strange indeed, it all begins at the funeral of retired detective Al DiMona. Al was Janeks' rabbi - cop slang for mentor - Al had committed suicide by "eating his gun". His death hit Janek hard, he had this feeling that he should look deeper into what drove his friend to do such a thing, especially as Lou, Als wife, had insisted to Janek that he had been working on something secretive prior to his death. At the funeral he sees a woman, she looks out of place, so he decides to introduce himself to Caroline. She tells him she was just a friend of Al, just came to say goodbye.
Before he leaves, he's told that Chief of Detectives Hart wants him to ride back with him, it's during this trip that Janek is given the "switched heads" case of the two murdered women. Seems two detectives were called out, one to each case, they got into a fight about who should investigate, so Chief Hart settled it by giving it to Janek.
This is where his head scratching begins, it's all so bizarre, everything about it just plain weird, how's a man to start? The first few chapters are compelling reading, then it gets a little dull, there's a lot of conversation, conjecture, what ifs. In truth, all probably quite realistic but it doesn't hold the attention quite so well as the first part of the story.
Then there's the mystery of Al, and this is where Caroline has the leading part, having fallen in love with her ( and pretty darned quick if you ask me) Janek discovers she has not been entirely truthful. By this time, it's all become very complicated!
Despite being a little dull in parts, the author does have a wonderful way with words, he describes a room and you are there, seeing it. There's a very poignant passage about Lou, describing her reaction when, whilst cleaning the bathroom she hears the shot, she knows, she just knows she is going to walk down the stairs and find the dead body of her husband Al.
Narrator
Wonderful performance by Jeffrey Kafer, he has the perfect voice for Janek, he switches faultlessly from character to character, gender to gender and it's seamless. Easy to listen to with a good pace, there's a lot of emotion in this book, from overwrought Lou to angry, frustrated detectives. Then, of course, there's the cold, cold murderer! Jeffrey Kafer nails it.
This audiobook was gifted via Audioblast in return for this, my honest review.
August 14, 2016
One of the really nifty things about the e-book revolution is that authors are bringing out some of their earlier works at very reduced prices making them irresistible. That’s how I discovered William Bayer. This is the first I have read, but intend to read all of them. They are excellent.
A killer is out there who has switched the heads on his victims who appear at first glance to have nothing in common; no link between them. Lt. Frank Janek and his partner are assigned the case. The killer is one of the creepiest I’ve read about in a long time.
There’s a parallel investigation that Frank runs on the side involving his old mentor who had committed suicide. That investigation soon also involves a switch.
For those who might wonder, the title of one of Bayer’s talks was, “Why are my killers always from Cleveland?” Bayer was born there and said in the same piece that he considered Cleveland his Heart of Darkness, although its not so apparent in this book.
Not so much a “who done it?” as why it was done. The characters are real, the investigation hard, the love story realistic if a bit coincidental. The results for the reader are excellent.
Re Janek: “He had been conscious for some time that all his relationships were tainted by his work. The searching look he applied to people, his constant quest for motives, strengths and weaknesses, figuring how to play someone, seize psychological advantage, manipulate, interrogate, break a person down—all of that, which was the essence of being a good detective, seemed to work against any possibility of intimacy. “
A killer is out there who has switched the heads on his victims who appear at first glance to have nothing in common; no link between them. Lt. Frank Janek and his partner are assigned the case. The killer is one of the creepiest I’ve read about in a long time.
There’s a parallel investigation that Frank runs on the side involving his old mentor who had committed suicide. That investigation soon also involves a switch.
For those who might wonder, the title of one of Bayer’s talks was, “Why are my killers always from Cleveland?” Bayer was born there and said in the same piece that he considered Cleveland his Heart of Darkness, although its not so apparent in this book.
Not so much a “who done it?” as why it was done. The characters are real, the investigation hard, the love story realistic if a bit coincidental. The results for the reader are excellent.
Re Janek: “He had been conscious for some time that all his relationships were tainted by his work. The searching look he applied to people, his constant quest for motives, strengths and weaknesses, figuring how to play someone, seize psychological advantage, manipulate, interrogate, break a person down—all of that, which was the essence of being a good detective, seemed to work against any possibility of intimacy. “
March 29, 2014
WHEN I STARTED READING THIS I KEPT THINKING THE NAME OF THE LEAD CHARACTER SEEMS SO FAMILIAR. AHA! RICHARD CRENNA OLD TV MOVIE SERIES "JANEK". I HAVE LOVED HIM SINCE I FIRST WATCHED HIM IN "OUR MISS BROOKS", ANOTHER OLD TV SITCOM. THIS BOOK WAS A MADE FOR TV MOVIE SERIES, ONE I REALLY DIDN'T CARE FOR. I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY HE PLAYED THE CHARACTER THE WAY HE DID, BORING AND UNINTERESTING. SINCE READING THIS I KNOW IT WAS HOW IT WAS WRITTEN (he nailed it). LIKE THE MOVIES IT WAS BORING TO ME, ONLY MORE SO. VERY WORDY, FILLED WITH A LOT OF WHAT HE WAS THINKING, NOT SUSPENSEFUL AT ALL. THE ENDING WAS NOT VERY EXCITING AFTER WADING THROUGH ALL THAT DIALOG. BUMMER!! ;<
July 27, 2014
For a long while this book was heading for a five star rating. The writing over the first third was superb, and I was drawn into the mystery, and to the detective's relationship.
But then pages were going by without advancing the plot and it became laborious. The investigation consisted of police work mentioned in a couple of lines, followed by some half-page interviews almost as an afterthought of "oh yeah, I suppose I should describe the investigation."
I also have a problem with them latching onto one suspect, and he eventually confesses - there was little deduction involved, and the resolution was a washout.
But then pages were going by without advancing the plot and it became laborious. The investigation consisted of police work mentioned in a couple of lines, followed by some half-page interviews almost as an afterthought of "oh yeah, I suppose I should describe the investigation."
I also have a problem with them latching onto one suspect, and he eventually confesses - there was little deduction involved, and the resolution was a washout.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2011
Murder mystery about 2 young women who were murdered and then their heads were switched. The first part was rather yucky to think about and read. However, the story then turns into the story of the detective assigned to the case. His newly retired partner commits susicide, apparently a common occurance among retired police officers, or was it a susicide? The detective finds a new love and discovers that her father was a policeman who was killed by the mob or was it a mob hit? And how is the chief of police involved in all this?
February 16, 2014
This was the first book I've read by William Bayer, and I intend to read more! This is the 1st in a series about Detective Frank Janek. Janek is investigating a murder where 2 women are killed & their heads are "switched" with each other's body! Other plotlines involve shady cops, lifelong situations within families, etc.
Very well-written, easy to read and suspenseful.
Very well-written, easy to read and suspenseful.
Read
September 26, 2011The same day that Janek goes to his former partner's funeral, he is assigned a creepy case where two victims' heads were switched. After some intriguing detective work, he and his team sort it all out.
July 23, 2009
Nicely done intense probing into a detective's psyche as he solves a very bizarre case. The homicide case alone made this book an excellent read.
August 22, 2011
I read this book year ago. I never forgot it Loved it took me only 4 days to read I could not put it down
Read
December 1, 2013great read
May 17, 2014
The beginning was much better than the end. Story line had great promise. Unfortunately, it fizzled out.
April 13, 2015
I enjoyed the book but it moved so slowly. Not sure I liked it enough to read more of the series.
September 10, 2015
Book ok
Not bad but not that interesting to me. Characters did not hold my interest and book was slow in some areas
Not bad but not that interesting to me. Characters did not hold my interest and book was slow in some areas
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