Richard Montanari – The Rosary Girls

Title: The Rosary Girls
Author: Richard Montanari
ISBN # 0099486881
Publisher: Arrow Books
First Published: 2006
533 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
In the most brutal killing crusade Philadelphia has seen in years, a series of young Catholic women are found dead, their bodies mutilated and their hands bolted together. Each clutches a rosary in her lifeless grasp. Veteran cop, Kevin Byrne and his rookie partner, Jessica Balzano set out to hunt down the elusive killer, who leads them deeper and deeper into the abyss of a madman's depravity. Suspects appear before them like bad dreams - and vanish just as quickly. While the body count rises, Easter is fast approaching: the day of resurrection and of the last rosary to be counted...

Review:
There’s nothing quite like a good crime novel that features gruesome murders by a fiendish psychopath, flawed homicide detectives, tricky plot twists and tight writing, and it’s great when you find one that delivers on all levels.

The Rosary Girls kept me guessing to the very last – every time I thought I had it all figured out, another clue was revealed, yet it all seemed to come to a natural conclusion – it couldn’t possibly have ended any other way.

If this effort is indicative of Montanari’s style, then I will most certainly be reading more of this work and, no doubt, will become a great fan!