BOOK REVIEWS
VASQUEZ Private Eye
A Fable of Murder and the Unknown Truth
By: Edward Bardes
Hollywood Book Reviews
- Christina Avina
One of the hardest things a person can do is move on and let go of the past. Whether the past is holding a person back from moving forward in a relationship with someone, or the past is a painful loss or experience which keeps a traumatic hold, the toughest thing to realize is the past has already happened, and no amount of holding onto it can change what happened. Yet sometimes the past can surprise us and come back to haunt a person’s life in the present, and finding a means of confronting that past is all that stands between heartbreak and the truth.
In author Edward Bardes’s Vasquez Private Eye, the past comes back to haunt a detective and police officer named Johnson Vasquez. After surviving a plane crash six years earlier, the detective and his partner Zelda Thomson are investigating a series of court cases which have gone off the rails when a cryptic note comes into his possession leading to a high-profile murder case which will rock the state to the core. As he races to find the clues that will help stop a ruthless killer, the past of his trauma will threaten to overwhelm him, and the truth behind these killings will prove more shocking than he could have ever imagined.
The author did an incredible job of crafting a mind-bending, twisted, and gritty murder mystery and suspense thriller. The visceral imagery the author utilized in bringing these crimes and action sequences to life on the pages added a depth of storytelling which felt very cinematic in its delivery. The way the author was able to layer the mystery and unravel each clue in a short yet powerful length of reading was remarkable to see come to life, and the heavy atmosphere the narrative took on reflected the themes of corruption, justice, and violence which can occur to society when evil goes unchallenged.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy mystery novels, especially those that engage with crime thrillers, murder mysteries, revenge thrillers, and suspense novels. The rich dynamic between the cast of characters and the world-building the author was able to develop over time was truly captivating, and the author was able to really establish a foothold in this world early on to help cement the shock and awe of each twist in the case.
Mind-bending, gripping, and entertaining, author Edward Bardes’s Vazquez Private Eye is a must-read thriller and murder mystery you won’t be able to put down. The shocking twists and turns in the narrative, especially the reveal of the killer and the fate of the main players in the case, will keep readers on the edge of their seats, and the heart-pounding action and suspense will stay with the reader long after the story ends.
VASQUEZ Private Eye
A Fable of Murder and the Unknown Truth
By: Edward Bardes
Kirkus Reviews
"A solid cast populates this unusual and underwhelming mystery."
In Bardes’ mystery debut, a police detective becomes embroiled in a series of murders linked to his past.
When Johnson Vasquez was a 20-year-old police academy student, he, his parents, and brother were passengers on a Boeing 767 that crashed, killing his brother and injuring his mother. Johnson radioed for help from the cockpit, summoning emergency services and also prompting fellow academy student Zelda Thomson to investigate the maintenance practices of Firebird Airlines. Because Zelda’s evidence against them was obtained without warrant, Firebird was acquitted of malpractice charges. Seven years later, Johnson and Zelda have graduated to police detectives and are working together as partners, looking into a spate of mistrials. The attorney that Johnson talks to is murdered, as are Johnson’s father (a renowned police detective) and the judge who presided over the Firebird Airlines trial. Before each murder, Johnson receives cryptic, anonymous warnings. Though his presence at the crime scenes makes him a prime suspect, Johnson continues to investigate in both an official and unofficial capacity, delving deeper into the Firebird Airlines case to establish a connection to the current murders. The story unfolds primarily from Johnson’s perspective. The novel shines in its layered characterization and ingenious plot twists, and Bardes’ prose and dialogue are lively, if not always entirely convincing (“You, like thousands of others, were infuriated that the airline was let off without charge, even with the magnitude of vociferous evidence against them”). Throughout the book, however, there remains a sense of remove—both emotional and logical—from the real world. Johnson’s reaction to his father’s death, for instance, is jarringly minimal (“I sighed and casually turned to my right”), and he rarely behaves like a police officer. Still, there’s a case to be made for treating the work as unreliably conveyed, but if that’s case, the execution lacks the deftness to win readers over.
A solid cast populates this unusual and underwhelming mystery.
VASQUEZ Private Eye
A Fable of Murder and the Unknown Truth
By: Edward Bardes
Kirkus Reviews
"A gruesome thriller with intriguing ideas held back by flat characters and bizarre subplots."
In Bardes’ mystery debut, a police detective becomes embroiled in a series of murders linked to his past.
When Johnson Vasquez was a 20-year-old police academy student, he, his parents, and brother were passengers on a Boeing 767 that crashed, killing his brother and injuring his mother. Johnson radioed for help from the cockpit, summoning emergency services and also prompting fellow academy student Zelda Thomson to investigate the maintenance practices of Firebird Airlines. Because Zelda’s evidence against them was obtained without warrant, Firebird was acquitted of malpractice charges. Seven years later, Johnson and Zelda have graduated to police detectives and are working together as partners, looking into a spate of mistrials. The attorney that Johnson talks to is murdered, as are Johnson’s father (a renowned police detective) and the judge who presided over the Firebird Airlines trial. Before each murder, Johnson receives cryptic, anonymous warnings. Though his presence at the crime scenes makes him a prime suspect, Johnson continues to investigate in both an official and unofficial capacity, delving deeper into the Firebird Airlines case to establish a connection to the current murders. The story unfolds primarily from Johnson’s perspective. The novel shines in its layered characterization and ingenious plot twists, and Bardes’ prose and dialogue are lively, if not always entirely convincing (“You, like thousands of others, were infuriated that the airline was let off without charge, even with the magnitude of vociferous evidence against them”). Throughout the book, however, there remains a sense of remove—both emotional and logical—from the real world. Johnson’s reaction to his father’s death, for instance, is jarringly minimal (“I sighed and casually turned to my right”), and he rarely behaves like a police officer. Still, there’s a case to be made for treating the work as unreliably conveyed, but if that’s case, the execution lacks the deftness to win readers over.
A solid cast populates this unusual and underwhelming mystery.