Books by Richard Montanari

A haunting, nerve-jangling psychological thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Montanari set in a small town hiding a very dark secret

'You turn the pages as if your very life depends on it' - Daily Mail Destroyed by fire years ago, the infamous Philadelphia State Hospital was known as a warehouse for the criminally insane.But one man never left. By night Luther walks Philadelphia's backstreets; by day he roams the catacombs beneath the city. Luther is everywhere and nowhere; he's is in your dreams - and your nightmares. Then Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are called to a bizarre murder scene: a man has been killed by a railroad spike driven into his head. But this is just the beginning of a trail of evil that will lead Byrne and Balzano back to the hospital, to a missing girl and to a horror they could never have imagined . . .Praise for Richard Montanari 'A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly' Tess Gerritsen 'The author's elegiac tone takes the curse off this blood-drenched thriller . . . Gripping' New York Times (the 10 best crime novels of 2016) 'A master storyteller' James Ellroy 'Scary good!' Lisa Gardner 'Taut, propulsive and darkly gripping, Montanari is a master of suspense' Chris Ewan 'A specialist in serial killer tales . . . a wonderfully evocative writer' Publishers Weekly Amazon readers love Richard Montanari ***** 'One of the best detective stories I have ever read' ***** 'If you haven't read these books yet.... START READING THEM!' ***** 'Great plot and incredible pace. A real page turner' ***** 'I couldn't put it down - utterly absorbing and compelling!!' ***** 'The last 20 pages had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my chair!' ***** 'Absolutely brilliant - almost impossible to put down' ***** 'Every once and while I read a classic which I'll NEVER forget.This is a book I'll never forget' ***** 'This is a chillingly good read with a fast-paced storyline full of twists and turns' ***** 'From start to finish, you never want to stop! You have to know what happened!' ***** 'An outstanding tale with as many twists as a game of snakes and ladders' ***** 'One of the best crime/thriller writers' ***** 'Amazing' ***** 'Richard Montanari never lets you down. The ending is always a surprise' ***** 'So easy to pick up, so hard to put down'

It is fall in Philadelphia and the mutilated body of a man is found in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the city. Apart from their killer's unusual calling cards, the crime scene photos - past and present - are identical.

'You turn the pages as if your very life depends on it' - Daily MailMr Marseille is polite, elegant, and erudite. He would do anything for his genteel true love Anabelle. And he is a psychopath.A quiet Philadelphia suburb. A woman cycles past a train depot with her young daughter. And there she finds a murdered girl posed on a newly painted bench. Strangled. Beside her is a formal invite to a tea dance in a week's time.Seven days later, two more young victims are discovered in a disused house, posed on painted swings. At the scene is an identical invite. This time, though, there is something extra waiting for Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano.A delicate porcelain doll. It's a message. And a threat.With Marseille and Anabelle stalking the city, Detectives Byrne and Balzano have just seven days to find the link between the murders before another innocent child is snatched from its streets.Praise for Richard Montanari 'A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly' Tess Gerritsen 'The author's elegiac tone takes the curse off this blood-drenched thriller . . . Gripping' New York Times (the 10 best crime novels of 2016) 'A master storyteller' James Ellroy 'Scary good!' Lisa Gardner 'Taut, propulsive and darkly gripping, Montanari is a master of suspense' Chris Ewan 'A specialist in serial killer tales . . . a wonderfully evocative writer' Publishers Weekly Amazon readers love Richard Montanari ***** 'One of the best detective stories I have ever read' ***** 'If you haven't read these books yet.... START READING THEM!' ***** 'Great plot and incredible pace. A real page turner' ***** 'I couldn't put it down - utterly absorbing and compelling!!' ***** 'The last 20 pages had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my chair!' ***** 'Absolutely brilliant - almost impossible to put down' ***** 'Every once and while I read a classic which I'll NEVER forget.This is a book I'll never forget' ***** 'This is a chillingly good read with a fast-paced storyline full of twists and turns' ***** 'From start to finish, you never want to stop! You have to know what happened!' ***** 'An outstanding tale with as many twists as a game of snakes and ladders' ***** 'One of the best crime/thriller writers' ***** 'Amazing' ***** 'Richard Montanari never lets you down. The ending is always a surprise' ***** 'So easy to pick up, so hard to put down'

Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but still likes to pretend she's single. And each step that Homicide Detective Jack Paris takes to find their killer draws him closer to the heart of his own forbidden impulses. To enter the minds of Saila and Pharaoh is to enter a world from which no one ever fully returns...

Johnny Angel is found brutally murdered with a dead prostitute in his bed and a needle full of heroin in his arm.

In each soul, a secret ... Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano's first assignment from the Cold Case files is the brutal murder of a young runaway.

When the first body is found, mutilated and strangled on the riverbanks, Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano suspect yet another case of random urban violence.

The streets of Philadelphia are blistering in the summer heat, the homicide rate is soaring and the nights belong to the mad.

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. While the body count rises, Easter is fast approaching: the day of resurrection and of the last rosary to be counted ...

August er årets ondeste måned, tænkte Jessica. T.S. Eliot påstod ganske vist, at den ondeste måned var april, men han havde heller aldrig arbejdet i Philadelphia-politiets drabsafdeling. I april spirede håbet endnu. August havde kun én ting at byde på: hede. Ubønhørlig, hjernelammende, sjælsødelæggende hede. Den lagde sig over byen som en halvrådden presenning og fremkaldte alle former for sved, stank og ondskab. Et slagsmål i marts var et mord i august.En bortløben teenagepige bliver fundet død i en udstillingsmontre i den nordlige, farlige del af Philadelphia, mens byen er ved at kvæles i sommerheden. Det rutinerede makkerpar Jessica Balzano og Kevin Byrne bliver sat på sagen. Flere lig dukker op, alle ”anrettet” på besynderlige måder, og billedet af en usædvanlig, perverteret seriemorder med evner for magi og sære rebusser begynder at tage form. Hvad er det for en syg forestilling, den fantomagtige morder har kørende? Hvorfor skal pigerne dø? Og er det muligt at regne hans næste træk ud? Sagen bliver en besættelse for Balzano og Byrne, alt imens den uhyggelige illusionist forbereder sit shows sidste, store uforglemmelige nummer.

Richard Montanaris stærke Philadelphia-krimiserie med makkerparret Jessica Balzano/Kevin Byrne i hovedrollerne. En række unge, katolske piger findes myrdet på brutal vis. Alt tyder på ritualiserede forbrydelser begået af en sadistisk galning. Richard Montanari kombinerer klassisk amerikansk politikrimi med psykologisk (psykopatisk) thriller i en særdeles uhyggelig og effektiv blanding. Montanaris bøger er internationale bestsellere, ikke mindst i England, hvor han går top-10 hver gang. De næste bøger i serien, "Skuespilleren" og "Ravnemoderen" er ligeledes udgivet i Danmark.

Hun hedder Karen og sidder ved bredden af Schuylkillfloden i Philadelphia en frostklar decembernat. I måneskinnet kunne hun være en prinsesse eller en danserinde, så fin og porcelænsagtig i sin lange, smukke kjole. Men Karen danser ikke. Hun er tværtimod stendød – og hun har fået sine fødder skåret af. Kvinden, som kun hedder Karen i morderens syge fantasiverden, er det første men bestemt ikke sidste skamferede kvindelig, der dukker op langs den mægtige flod. Og samtlige kvinder er klædt ud, som var de sprunget lige ud af et eventyr. Langsomt går det op for Jessica Balzano og Kevin Byrne fra Drabsafdelingen, at kvindemordene har rødder tilbage til en gammel, uopklaret sag, hvor to uskyldige småpiger blev myrdet i en svanerede.

PSYCHO ruller over skærmen. Da den når til den berømte brusebadsscene, begynder billedet at flimre. Sort skærm. Så kommer billedet igen. Et andet badeværelse, dårligere billedkvalitet. En kvinde står bag et bruseforhæng og tager bad. En gammel dame træder ind i billedet. Hun har en stor kniv i hånden. Hun trækker forhænget til side og dolker den badende kvinde talrige gange. Dette er ikke en filmklassiker, det er virkelighed. Så flimrer billedet på ny. Og den rigtige Hitchcock fortsætter ... En frygtindgydende morder render omkring i Philadelphia og kopierer berømte filmmord. Det begynder med Psycho, så følger scenen fra Farligt begær, hvor Glenn Close bliver skudt, og sådan fortsætter det – ny film, nyt mord. Jessica Balzano bliver sat til at lede sagen, mens makkeren Kevin Byrne er på orlov efter at være blevet livsfarligt kvæstet i en tidligere sag (ROSENKRANSMORDENE). Men Byrne ligger ikke stille, gamle regnskaber skal gøres op, og mens Jessicas efterforskning gradvist indkredser den maskerede morder, begynder sporene at krydse hinanden.