East of the arch Book

Well, now I'm disappointed. Randisi had such a great thing going with Joe Keoughs first three books. This one managed to undo all of that, as well as undermine and fly in the face of all of my recent praise. It's as if the author tried to bring the story into the more modern present, and failed- badly. The tone of this story is just all wrong, compared to the others. It doesn't work for Joe Keough and it doesn't work for me. As others have mentioned, there IS a marked, excessive amount of references to Det. Keough's "New York Attitude", though I didn't actually feel he was pulling any kind of attitude during those times. Rather, he was just being himself, but some other character decided to take issue with it and be an asshole about it. If this book is any indication of why the series ended after just five books, I can completely understand. I was really liking the character of Marc Jeter, and found myself hoping he'd get his own "spin-off" series. I even enjoyed the book and read it avidly, up to a point. The ending just wrapped things up too disturbingly. Too much politics and the ruination of everything that had been building. I'm not saying it doesn't happen in real life, but I sure haven't read of such in other fictional series. I think the author must have been pressured to bring Keough's personal escapades to the level of certain other percieved "ladies man" mystery detectives out there. It's a disappointing sellout- the bedhopping. The women aren't even believable.

Then there are the plot holes. I had hoped, after the advent of Det. Keough's diabetes in the last book, and his neighbor's suspicions regarding his doctor, to have been reading a follow up on that angle- a medical mystery. Instead, nothing is really addressed about Keogh seeing three different doctors in the previous book and really confirming his diabetes. The author just expects the reader to believe it and go with it, though the character continues to waffle about the diagnosis (not to mention accepting it), himself.

And don't get me started on the ending. That was disgusting. And pitiful. Randisi did not do right by his detectives with this mess.

I'm almost afraid to read the next one. It's a good thing my library doesn't have it and it will take me a while to acquire a copy.