Catching up on Crime Fiction: THE STRANGLER by William Landay

Wow – I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Jumping in, I thought I was up for a run of the mill semi historical crime novel, what I got instead was a deep seeded mystery with a heavy emphasis on strong characters intertwined in a family drama.

The three Daley brothers; Joe – the cop with a habit of getting in deep with the mob, Michael – the lawyer assigned to the Strangler task force, and Ricky – the cocksure criminal and professional cat burglar each bring a unique angle to the story centered around a spate of murders targeting young and old women alike. On the peripheral is the JFK assassination which does little to impact the story aside from providing context to the period piece.

At times THE STRANGLER read like an episode of the Sopranos, complete with the double crosses, violence, and jovial banter between characters that were staples of the series proper. The thin blue line did little to separate the good-guys from the bad-guys as the Daley struggles fought the system and each other just to stay whole.

Overall, this was a great read. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Would I re-read? Yes

Fiction Filed under: Crime, Family Drama, Mobsters, Boston,