The Front
by Patricia Cornwell
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Book Reviews of The Front
Book Review: "It's never too late for justice."
Summary: 2 Stars
Patricia Cornwell's "The Front" is the second in a series featuring thirty-four year old Massachusetts state homicide investigator Win (Gernimo) Garano. Win's nemesis is egocentric and obnoxious Middlesex County District Attorney Monique Lamont. She relishes every opportunity to manipulate and humiliate Win, in spite of the fact that he once saved her life. Lamont comes up with a preposterous project for Win, as part of a public relations ploy "to take back our neighborhoods" and "to create a model that will be studied everywhere." Garano's task is to unearth information on an unsolved sexual homicide that took place in 1962: A blind British citizen named Janie Brolin was raped and strangled in Watertown, Massachusetts. Could she have been the Boston strangler's first victim? Win resents Lamont for expecting him to reopen a forty-five year old case. To make matters worse, Lamont has invited New Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent to get involved.
Lamont further suggests that Win enlist the aid of a Watertown cop nicknamed Stump (her nickname is unrelated to the fact that she has worn a prosthesis since her leg was amputated below the knee). Stump wants no part of the Brolin case, and she tells Win to do his own dirty work for Lamont. It seems that Lamont and Stump detest one another and Stump has not found it in her heart to forgive Monique for her past transgressions. Stump also fears that Monique wants to destroy a growing coalition called FRONT (Friends, Resources, Officers Networking Together), consisting of sixty police departments cooperating and pooling their resources. Stump urges Win to find a way to get out from under Lamont's thumb.
This book is irritating in so many ways: Cornwell's artificial use of the present tense is grating. The loosely constructed plot is lame and nonsensical. The story wanders down different paths that never fully converge, and none of the characters are satisfactorily developed. As in the first novel of the series, "At Risk," Win is devoted to his eccentric Nana, the charming and superstitious psychic who raised him. Stump is a hard-bitten and tough cop who may have secret feelings for Win. In spite of her efforts to make him angry, Win is turned on by Stump's mind and physical beauty. Unfortunately, Cornwell does not establish a believable relationship between these two. They constantly exchange insults and juvenile banter, like a pair of squabbling siblings. In addition, a story line that has Lamont under suspicion for aiding terrorists is nothing short of outlandish. Adding to the absurdity, Win experiences a brainstorm that enables him to solve the Brolin case as if by magic. It is almost as if he has inherited Nana's second sight. "The Front" is a weak effort by Cornwell; it is insubstantial, lacks cohesion and pace, and never picks up enough steam to hold the reader's interest.
Book Review: Reviewing: The Front
Summary: 2 Stars
The murder happened in 1962. On April fourth of that year in Watertown, Massachusetts, Janie Brolin was killed. Janie was blind and spending a year in the United States away from her home in Great Britain. It was never solved and District Attorney Monique Lamont has decided Massachusetts State Police Investigator Win Gerano is going to solve it. He should want to. After all, she believes that the case was the first murder committed by the notorious Boston strangler.
She sees the case as a "drama" to be played out in the media and ultimately solved because she made it happen. Not only will solving the case be a huge media public relations event for her, it will be a slap in the face of local law enforcement in the area that has formed an organization called "Front." The acronym stands for "Friends, Resources, Officers, Networking Together" and currently has sixty departments sharing resources, man power, etc in an effort to bypass the state police for funding, equipment, technical expertise, etc. It is politics pure and simple and D.A Monique Lamont is shoving Win down the local cop's throats whether or not they like it and the case is going to be solved. Period.
This novel is a sequel to the novel "At Risk" which first introduced the characters involved. While the events that happened in that novel could have easily caused this sequel to have depth, author Patrica Cornwell has continued to make the series as lean and as shallow as possible. Therefore, what could have led to deep character development instead is given short shrift because readers are often told about character emotions, needs and wants, but the characters never come alive for the reader. Multiple secondary storylines are given the barest of detail, discarded quickly, only to be left hanging, or quickly concluded at the of the novel depriving the reader of a meaningful read.
The reader is left with a short book at 180 pages driven relentlessly forward by the twin themes of political rage and an old murder case. Like the issue of character development, both themes could have been developed significantly and weren't. The result is a read that while interesting and fast moving so that the reader continues to turn pages, it disappointingly has zero depth and isn't worthy of much attention.
Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008
Book Review: Thank you so much for the advance copy. I loved it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this book as an advance copy. I got the email and sent away my details and I was actually picked. Wow; that doesn't happen to me much. I was really pleased and excited to be one of the first to get my teeth into Patricia's new book. So I made my lunch and settled down. And there I stayed till the afternoon when my daughter came home and reminded me what time it was. I had to take my dog to get his vaccinations. Figuring it was a risk to drive and read at the same time I dragged myself away from the story and went to the vets. I couldn't wait to come home to get back to the plots and sleuthing of Win and Co. Ok so I had to stop for a while to make dinner for my husband and children again dragged myself away. Anyways I have now finished the book and I really must say I loved it! I've read Patricia's books since Postmortem came out so I feel like I've taken a journey along with her. It's always interesting when Patricia has introduced a new series of characters and story lines. It's strange to get used to reading about new people and places written by Patricia's imagination when you've become so used to following the lives of Kay, Marino, Lucy and Benton. Those characters become lodged in our memories like old familiar friends so to speak. We look forward to reading the next chapter and wonder what we've missed since they've been absent. Thus to read about new ones we wonder if we will like them as much. I personally think I like these new ones and am looking forward to reading about their next chapters. I've enjoyed all the books I've read of hers; some more than others. But this one is particularly fresh and funny. I found myself laughing out loud to Farouk and his 'understanding' of the English language. I like it when I read something that makes me laugh out loud or cry for that matter; it makes the experience more complete. This story unravels and reravels before your eyes and then ends with an 'Ah, I see.' It also made a sense that this book was so much lighter then some of Patricia's more recent work. It shows that Patricia Cornwell is still at the top of her league in writing a really good read!! Thank you Patricia for all the really good reads over the years. I for one can't wait for the next book in this series. So get writing ......
Book Review: powerful dramatic police procedural
Summary: 5 Stars
Working as a homicide investigator for the Massachusetts State Police Win Garano is currently assigned to Middlesex County District Attorney Monique Lamont, a power hungry, ball-busting political beast. She is opposed to the Front, a coalition of police departments that come to each other's aid like fire departments do; this provides a center of excellence built on an economy of scales as they do not need to duplicate labs or police specializations. Monique sees the outcome of this trend as lessoning her power so to hell with the citizens as that will not be allowed to happen.
Monique assigns Win to the cold case of a blond British woman living in the Commonwealth who was killed four decades ago. She orders him to look into a possible link between that homicide and the Boston Strangler. Win works with Watertown Detective Stump, who refuses to deal with either the State cop or Monique. Win catches her telling many lies, which makes him wonder what she hides and if it is connected to the inquiries. Stump is working on a case where a bank robber leaves a letter with no fingerprints on it and he is not wearing gloves. She is also working a case where copper is being sold illegally. In an ironic twist the bank robbery case is solved with Win's help but Monique might be in trouble and is not as tough as she appears because she fears her mistakes will surface to cost her what she holds dear.
THE FRONT is a powerful dramatic police procedural novella that packs as strong a punch as the Scarpetta saga does. Win feels insecure at times due to the machinations of his boss who is a Massachusetts Lady Macbeth. The audience will adore and admire Win though he is a beta male working for an alpha female. Monique on the other hand will be detested not because of her tough dominating personality, but for putting her ambition over what is good for the State. Fans will enjoy this solid whodunit while hoping Win wins and Monique gets her comeuppance.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Brief but compelling story
Summary: 4 Stars
I was surprised that the book was so brief. The story itself is about a 40 year old cold case, which seems de rigueur these days in view of several TV shows that address this topic. It is somewhat interesting, but not up to Patricia's usual nail biter fare. For me, the primary focus seemed to be upon District Attorney Monique Lamont and her maddening personality and somewhat warped character. The lead Detective Win Garano, assigned to Lamont's agenda laden cold case investigation, is characterized as a self absorbed narcissist whose focus is upon "looking good". He does this by haunting second hand stores in search of used designer apparel and accessories. He is petulant, resentful and carries a huge chip on his shoulder. He seems both hero and nemesis for Lamont which is a nice twist.
I was very amused by the hardball, very sharp dialog between Lamont and Governor Mather when they played "politics" after her U-Tube videos appeared. It was so real I felt like I was in the room hearing it. Cornwell definitely excels at crisp dialog. Political maneuvering seemed to be the backbone of this story. How true to life!
Intriguing puzzle: Is Win a lover or a hater of Monique? There is an overtly seductive element in his conflicted feelings toward her. It is clearest when he and Lamont are together in a companionable yet edgy manner while dining at the Harvard Faculty Club. As the book ended I was left to wonder what happened to Scotland Yard's suspicion that Lamont is funding a terrorist organization under the guise of a Romanian Orphanage? Will this become clear in her next book in this new series? I like this yummy notion of nailing nasty Monique Lamont.
I love Patricia Cornwell's writing and I definitely look forward to her next novel about Kay Scarpetta coming in October. I hope it resolves the issue around Marino who disappeared in her last book.