Richer Storytelling with More Show than Tell
This next installment in the Ricciardi series contains some welcome new approaches to the storytelling. Unlike the past books, the ending of this book doesn’t have an ending all too reminiscent of the telling approach so prolific in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It even threw in a couple unexpected twists at the end that were equally welcome. The list of murder suspects, in general, was far more complex. Also, the Ricciardi-Enrica-Livia love interest subplot sees a lot more action. Perhaps the one thing I liked most about this installment is that the repeated ghostly last thoughts that Ricciardi hears were exclusively in English. I’ve found the inclusion of the Italian in past books to be. After all, the entire book as we hear it is already an English translation. Once again, Grover Gardner provides the characters with the verve they deserve, bringing richness to already richly crafted characters.