A very complicated crime story is waiting for Chase Williams and Inspector Angelo Alunni. Two cyclists in the Junior Italian National Team have been inexplicably shot. A month later Junior Target Shooting National Team member is killed by a high-precision shot to his forehead.
What do cycling and target shooting have in common? Why is someone picking off young Olympic hopefuls?
Angelo and Chase are helped by a ballistics expert from Rome, Gianmarco Betti. A series of discoveries, lies and unspoken truths gradually whittle away at the shortlist of suspects until we reach the thrilling conclusion. This is a truly perfect murder mystery. Perhaps.
Chase faces the case with his usual inquisitive attitude as well as his brilliant attention to detail. He also has to deal with his previous life in London as a junior Scotland Yard detective, where he caused an incident he can’t forgive himself for or ever forget.
Who’s going to pull the trigger?
From the same series: Into the Killer Sphere, a Chase Williams Murder Mystery #1
Other Chase Williams’s detective short stories: – Cutting Right To The Chase Vol.1, Chase Williams detective Short Stories Collection – Cutting Right To The Chase Vol.2, Chase Williams detective Short Stories Collection
Stefania Mattana writes crime novels and detective stories because she is a snooper. She always has been, ever since she was a kid. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications, websites and anthologies. Her British alter ego Chase Williams lives in her detective stories, from the Cutting Right to the Chase flash fiction collection to The Chase Williams Murder Mystery series. When she’s not ending up people on fiction, Stefania works within the digital marketing industry in London. She likes reading on the Tube, going to the gym and stalking dogs. She dislikes not running.
So, having read Stefania Mattana’s Cutting Right to the Chase, which I described as a “little wonder”, I moved on from the short stories to her second novel: Pull The Trigger – I must read the first now – which allowed me to get to know a little more (well, actually, quite a lot) about Chase Williams, the ex-detective, ex-pat gone-Italiano, living in Tursenia, a regular little Guernsey without the sea, although far more interesting than Bergerac could ever be.
What I got to know about Chase, who is frequently called upon by the Tursenian police to help out in investigations of the murderous variety, given his experience working for the MET, was pleasantly surprising in that he’s what Mattana would call a ‘regular guy’ – as I said in my last review: I love the Italiano/Americano phraseology going on within the narrative; it’s all fun fly-on-the-wall stuff, especially with regard to the descriptions of Chase himself. Chase is anything but an alpha hero, as is the case with many of these kinds of novels: he has his flaws – unlike, say, the heroic Betti, ballistics expert and Italian godlike creature.
Suffice to say, I see these novels, in time, and Chase, becoming very popular, if Mattana endeavours to keep with her formula.
Pull The Trigger in an excellent novel, and is based around a series of gunshots, and the painstaking process of just who… – no, I’ll say no more…
What I will say is that it’s quite evident that Mattana has done her homework relating to detective work, as well as taken her time in writing the book – a book which reads in the style of a “painstaking process”, thus creating the perfect atmosphere for such, and so the perfect crime novel for any fan of the genre…
I have read all the short stories by this author and t was a pleasure to be introduced to Chase Williams. Stefania Mattana's writing since the first short story has gone from strength to strength. She has moulded some great characters that you will get to know and love in each of the books. Pull the trigger does not disappoint. The process of the investigation reveals a clever plot that drives you forward to its completion. Well done Stefania Mattana.
There are a couple of murders being committed in Pull The Trigger: A Chase Williams Murder Mystery (Chase Williams Detective Stories Book 2) by Stefania Mattana. Can Inspector Angelo Annuli, ballistics guru expert Gianmarco Betti, and former Police Detective Chase Williams solve it in time before there’s more? Three young male cyclists, Olympic athletes from the Rio 2016 Italian Team Cycling Project, were training at Monte Priore when they were all shot. Sergio Mencarelli and Renato Rengoni were killed with fairly calculated precision while Edoardo Zuccon was shot twice but merely injured. Is Edoardo actually the target or is he being used as a pawn to throw suspicion off the case? Will the shooter come back to finish the job with Edoardo? Is it a professional hit or one of their teammates? Is there more than one shooter? Will others be killed? Is there a serial killer lurching throughout Monte Priore? There are so many questions to be answered and the clock is ticking for Angelo, Betti and Chase. Read more from Reader's Favorite Book Award Winner https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi... Pull the Trigger
Dopo i mini-racconti delle raccolte di “Cutting Right to the Chase” e l’intrigante novella “Into the Killer Sphere” finalmente arriva il primo vero romanzo che vede Chase Williams come protagonista. Il nostro ex-detective di Scotland Yard preferito si trova a indagare insieme all’amico ispettore Angelo Alunni su due omicidi in quel di Tursenia, che coinvolgono delle giovani promesse olimpiche. I due casi sono separati nel tempo e apparentemente indipendenti l’uno dall’altro, ma alcuni dettagli li collegano, dando luogo a un intricato mistero che metterà ancora una volta alla prova le doti investigative del nostro Chase. In questo romanzo corposo, la Mattana coniuga il classico giallo britannico, quasi impossibile da risolvere, dove il lettore ha tutto davanti agli occhi ma non è in grado di collegare i fili, con una sottotrama accattivante che getta un po’ di luce sul passato del protagonista. Cosa è accaduto a Chase a Londra? Quale terribile fatto l’ha spinto a lasciare il suo lavoro nella Polizia Metropolitana di Londra per ritirarsi a vivere in un luogo quasi sperduto in Toscana? Mentre l’investigazione va avanti, impareremo a conoscere meglio Chase e ad affezionarci a lui, e a soffrire un po’ insieme a lui. Il finale è assolutamente perfetto: appaga il lettore e allo stesso tempo lo lascia col desiderio di leggere altro. La Mattana dimostra in questo romanzo la sua ottima capacità di gestire una trama complessa mantenendo il difficile equilibrio tra lo sviluppo della storia e l’introspezione dei personaggi, che prendono vita, escono dalle pagine del libro e diventano amici del lettore, tanto che questo si ritrova ad attendere con impazienza il momento di tornare a leggere il libro per passare un po’ di tempo con loro. E, adesso che ho finito di leggerlo, non mi resta che attendere il prossimo della serie, sperando che l’attesa non sia troppo lunga.
Finally Chase reveals a bit of himself to the reader
After the collections of ultra-short stories, “Right Cutting to the Chase”, and the intriguing novella “Into the Sphere Killer”, the first true novel that sees Chase Williams as the protagonist finally arrives. Our favourite former Scotland Yard detective investigates together with his friend Inspector Angelo Alunni on two murders occurred near Tursenia, involving promising young Olympic athletes. The two cases are separated in time and apparently independent from each other, but some details connect them, giving rise to an intricate mystery that will once again test the investigative skills of our Chase. In this full-bodied novel, Mattana combines a classic British detective story, almost impossible to solve, where the reader has all before the eyes but is not able to connect the threads, with a captivating subplot throwing a little light on the past of the protagonist. What happened to Chase in London? What terrible fact led him to leave his job at the Metropolitan Police to retire to live in a place almost in the middle of nowhere in Tuscany? While the investigation goes on, we will learn more about Chase and start growing fond of him, and suffering a bit with him. The ending is absolutely perfect: it satisfies the reader and at the same time leaves them with the desire to read more. Mattana shows in this novel her excellent ability to manage a complex plot while maintaining the difficult balance between the development of the story and the introspection of the characters. This way they come to life, come out from the pages of the book and become friends of the reader, so that the latter finds themselves waiting impatiently for the time to go and read the book, to spend some time with them. And, now that I’ve finished reading it, I just have to wait for the next one in the series, hoping that the wait is not too long.
"Pull the Trigger" is the fourth book of the Chase Williams mystery series, the first long length crime story.
I found the story gripping from the beginning till the end, as I was not able to guess who assassin was until the last chapter. Chase Williams, a former British detective, helps his friend Inspector Alunni solve a complicate double murder involving some young athletes. Whilst solving the mystery, Chase also has to deal with his traumas caused by his previous life in London, troubles that he doesn’t want to revive.
The story is well structured and embraces the typical elements of the cozy mysteries, with a sparkle of thriller and lots of suspense that escalates at the end of the book. I found the characters very realistic and well portrayed, with a good balance between the main plot and their personal development. Chase is finally coming out as a human being and I look forward to see how he will evolve in the next book.
I would recommend Pull the Trigger to crime thriller fans and mystery and suspense readers.
What a real page turner. Pull the Trigger starts with a gripping beginning and ends even better, with a climax of mystery and suspense that didn’t make me relax for one moment. I am happy to see and know more about Chase Williams and what happened to him in London, which is good as I couldn’t pick up much about that in the other shorter books. The story is quite complex although easy to follow. The three detectives involved, Williams, Alunni and Cangi, proceed with logic and finally gets to the assassin, who was the one I haven’t never considered as a suspect. The end is pretty sad for Williams but opens to multiple continuation in the character’s evolution. Glad to see a mystery series that keeps going but that can be also enjoyed book by book without being forced to buy the others to make them sense.
"Pull The Trigger: A Chase Williams murder mystery" by Stefania Mattana is another great instalment in her Chase WIlliams series. Awoken in the middle of the night Chase is asked to assist his friend Inspector Angelo in solving another mystery. The victims of seemingly related shootings are 2016 Olympic hopefuls, only why, we don't know. This story is more evolved than book one as the characters and the scene setting from book one come more into their own and there is more to the book than just the case solving. The story surprised me more than once, I loved getting my teeth into all it had to offer and I most enjoyed the setting in Italy and the great characters Mattana has created. A very strong effort and a writer to watch.
A double murder has hit the Tursenia countryside, as two younger athletes have been shot to death. Inspector Angelo Alunni thinks the cases are connected and calls his friends to help him sort the mysteries out. In this Pull The Trigger British detective Chase Williams is called to solve a complicated yet well-crafted double assassination. The character of Williams comes finally out as he is, after having him seen just sketched on the short stories collection. Surrounded by a superbly described Italian atmosphere, detective Chase appears as a complex character with lots of regrets yet to be unveiled. The story is a compelling suspense mastermind that kept me in doubt till its very end. Recommended to thriller and cozy mystery readers.
After having read Into the Killer Sphere from the same mystery series, which is a classic murder mystery in very Agatha Christie style, I’ve never imagined to see Chase Williams involved into a thriller case of murder. Pull the Trigger is fast-paced novel when the elements of the classic cozy mysteries merge with the thriller ones typical of the best mystery and suspense stories. Throughout a vortigo of twist and turns, we follow Chase and Inspector Alunni’s attempts of solving a complex cases of murder, which might be linked to each other. The main characters well emerge along the story creating a feeling of knowing them since ever. A very good read that will make you turn the page no stop.
First of all I want to say that I don't like sport books and this book is about sport but (fortunately for me) not only... It is a cozy mystery that remembers stories about a character called Hercule! Nevertheless there are some action scenes. Chase struggles with a difficult and strange case. It will not be easy to find the killer and the protagonist will have to deal with his past. In previous stories we didn't know a lot about him, but this time, page after page, we find something about his past. But the author is very clever and she leaves us with the desire to learn more. In this book the author shows us another beautiful italian landscape.
Pull the Trigger is another well written presentation about Chase attacking a crime solving problem. This novel, however, is an expansion of the author's writing since it is a full story and follows the clues from beginning to end.
I am a fan of this author and look forward to Her next novel.
Chase Williams is on the case. Pull The Trigger is a thrilling murder-mystery set in Italy. Filled with great characters many moments of suspense, I found myself enthralled by the end of the first chapter. A gripping whodunit story which had me guessing all the way.
I spend quite a bit of time on Twitter and receive quite a few follow requests. Just over a year ago I received a follow request from this author. I looked at her profile expecting to find the latest vampire-zombie-romance novel, but no. I was pleasantly surprised to see a young woman with a defiant look about her and a warning to be nice or you'll wind up in her next he next crime novel. I went our and bought her book. It was a collection of short stories involving a young looking detective Chase Williams.
Chase is a former Scotland Yard detective in exile in Tursenia, Italy. He is no longer employed in police work, but gets drafted into helping the local police inspector. Chase reminded me of a grown up Encyclopedia Brown. Chase seemed to be a polite, nice guy. I read the second collection and Chase seemed to grow as a character. He seemed lose some of the young image in the second book, but was recognizably the same person. In Pull the Trigger Chase, becomes more of an adult, or a bit more real. He gets angry and annoyed. His secret, the reason he left Scotland Yard, is becoming more of an issue.
In his first full length book, Chase is called in to help in a sports mystery. A rather timely controversy in cycling is the center of the story. After so many very short mysteries, I was wondering if Chase would make a smooth transfer into a full length crime thriller. The mystery and suspense are well done and had me guessing the whole time. In fact, as a pre-release reader, I wrote the author early on thinking I had the mystery solved, I was wrong.
Mattana is an interesting writer Born and raised in Italy and now residing in England. Her writing holds almost an accent in my American mind. The British is visible in her writing and the Italian in her style. It took until this last book for me to realize that Chase is her mirror image. We have a female, Italian, living in Britain writing about a male, Brit, living in Italy. It is nice to Chase evolve as a character and develop an edge. A very enjoyable read and mystery. Grab a cup of tea or cappuccino and enjoy.