A Taste Of Old Revenge

by B.R. Stateham

When Abraham Polanski, concentration camp survivor, is found dead at his desk, no one knows who would want to kill the old man.

A family man and pillar of the Jewish community, he seems an unlikely target.

Homicide Detectives Frank Morales and Turner Hahn are long-time partners, having bonded over their love of vintage cars. People on the force – and a reported named Debra Paulson – are curious as to the source of his wealth, but Hahn’s not talking.

When his grandfather, a man he’s only known about for a short time, comes to town, he becomes involved in the investigation into Abraham Polanski’s death, and Hahn learns more and more about his own family history, and his grandfather’s mysterious past.

As the detectives investigate, they are also investigating the murder of a young convenience store clerk named Tommy Jones, a computer genius who is roommates with the son of a convicted racketeer-turned-businessman.

When signs start pointing to the roommate as Tommy’s killer, Turner and Morales know something is not right. Meanwhile, it seems Polanski might be more than a simple garage mechanic, as the detectives discover they are being followed, the FBI is interested in the case, and Mossad agents and members of the secretive organisation of former Nazis known as Odessa are all suddenly in town.

With hints of Raymond Chandler and John Le Carre, A Taste for Old Revenge is filled with murder, mayhem, plot twists and family secrets that will have readers racing through its pages.

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2011

About the author

I am a soon to be a seventy five year old writer of genre fiction. And yes, my portrait was used in 1931 for the original design of Boris Karloff's Frankenstein (well, maybe I'm stretching the truth just an itsy-bitsy bit).

I write hardboiled/noir. And fantasy. And someday . . . someday I plan to make a buck two ninety-five doing it. But I'm not holding my breath.

Reviews

[Darren Sant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Morales and Turner Hahn are a couple of hard working homicide detectives. Morales, the family man, is a big ugly lug of a man with a keen intellect and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Turner Hahn is a single man with an uncanny resemblence to Clark Gable and a love of muscle cars. Wealthy beyond the means of most detectives Turner doesn't need to work but without his job he'd go stir crazy. The story is largely told from Turner's perspective.

What Stateham offers with this novel is a good old fashioned detective yarn. His characters are interesting and he adds to them as the book develops. He describes the snow bound city excellently and I had no trouble picturing this freezing setting.

The author spins a convoluted tale which follows our two detectives on several cases. Are the cases connected? Who is constantly tailing our heroes? Can the FBI, who just happen to be in town, be trusted? These are questions that will be answered within the book. This story looks at old secrets and ancient grudges and what happens when money and power are abused. A tale that goes back to the Second World War.

Stateham's fiction is solid, realistic and totally without pretention or author's ego. He pays attention to detail at all times without making the book hard going. A thoroughly enjoyable read that like one of Dewey's chillis, left me hungry for more.

[Jillian Higham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing

There's two very complicated crimes in this story that are completely unrelated. The plot twisted and turned so much that I was quite confused. FBI agents, Mossad agents, undercover moles, old crimes and partners turning on each other. To suggest that an assassin would be given the full story on his employer is ridiculous. The author lost the plot several times. One of the suspects started off as Gus Larson, then became Gary, then Greg, then Gary Olsen. On page 373 Hiram is telling the story and suggests he will contact himself! Next Agent Benjamin looks at Hahn and asks him why he killed the old man instead of looking at the rogue agent . If the author is confused how do they expect the reader to follow the plot?

[Les Edgerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to B.R. Stateham, I’m writing this after only a couple of hours of sleep. It’s his fault the insides of my eyeballs feel like sandpaper and I’m on my fifth cup of coffee and it’s only 6:30 ayem.

I fully intended to go to sleep at my normal beddy-bye time, Didn’t work out. Why? Because I picked up his danged novel, A Taste of Old Revenge. I picked it up to get to sleep. Read a few pages and drift off…

Didn’t happen. Couldn’t put it down. Had to go downstairs to finish as my wife kept complaining about the light being on and keeping her awake. Now, I’m not only exhausted from no sleep, but my joints ache from the torture instrument that is our couch.

Sounds like I’m complaining, right? Well, I’m not. It was worth it and I’d do it all over again. In fact, I have. I’m reading it for a second time. It’s that good.

I love crime novels and I love the guys who can really write ‘em—guys like Raymond Chandler, and Joseph Wambaugh and Ed McBain. And, B.R. Stateham. He’s right there in that wonderful canon.

I’ll leave it to others to describe the plot. I just want to let you know that this is just one terrific story. You’ll meet two old-style detectives—Turner and Frank--who don’t solve their crimes via computers and the Internet, but mostly by old-fashioned sleuthing and honest shoe leather. If you like vintage cars, this is your book. If you like delicious little literary inside asides… like a couple of mick cops named… ready?... Flannery and O’Connor… this is your kind of a read. If you like novels where you think you’ve figured it out and then a twist occurs that blows that all to hell… this is your kind of novel. If you like novels where the cops find a naked body in a snowdrift that the coroner discovers died from a fall from a great height and there’s not a building higher than a single story where he’s found, this is your kind of book. If you like your novels peopled with Nazi assassins, the FBI, the Russian Odessa, and the Israeli Mossad, then this is your kind of novel.

Best of all, you’ll meet two cops who aren’t the stereotypical “good cop—bad cop.” Both of these guys are good guys. Just up against it. Big-time. You’re gonna like ‘em both. Like the guy on those ads for the Men’s Warehouse says (paraphrased slightly):

Get this novel and read it. I guarantee you’re gonna like it.

And tonight, I’m waiting until three in the morning and then I’m going to phone Mr. Stateham. Wake his butt up and see how he likes it…

[Venkatesan Iyengar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Taste of Old Revenge has all the caparisons of a dark noir police-procedural. It begins with a murder—the murder of Abraham Polanski, the owner of a garage specializing in restorations, and incidentally a holocaust survivor. Enter Turner Hahn and Frank Morales, two homicide detectives with prior experience in investigating such knotty cases. And with them for company, begins your roller-coaster ride that has the right amount of twists and turns, which include the mysterious death of a convenience store clerk. Turner and Morales soon realize that they are just a piece in the jigsaw puzzle that involves big names like Mossad, FBI, and Odessa, and a black book that is supposed to contain a list of Nazis. The plot is interesting and the crisp narration and the gentle humor keep you engaged throughout. The down-to-earth detectives, Turner and Frank, who complement each other, are endearing in their own ways and remind you a bit of yourself. In all, an absorbing whodunit.