Rocksburg Railroad Murders

Rating:
Summary: Introducing us to the life and crimes of Mario Balzic
Review: In the afterword to his latest novel, "From a Buick 8," Stephen King explains that his fictional West Pennsylvania town is "near" the fictional town of Rocksburg that is the setting for K. C. Constantine's series of nonviolence mysteries about chief of police Mario Balzic. I am sure I am not the only one who will take this particular bit of advice and check out "The Rocksburg Railroad Murders," the first volume in the series, which is set in the early 1970s.

Mario Balzic is described as "a hokey, untypical detective who works from a bedrock of compassion and shrewd common sense." But do not let this bit of endpiece hyperbole dissuade you from checking out this mystery. Yes, there are some stereotypical elements in this novel--the chief hates the pompous district attorney Milt Weigh and the overly inquisitive reporter Dick Deitz (no, not the Giants catcher who was hit by Don Drysdale with the bases loaded but not given first base because he did not try to get out of the way, thereby preserving Drysdale's scoreless innings streak, which has since been broken by Orel Hersheiser)--but this is also a chief of police who does not like his cops running around with guns (thing "Destry"). Mario has teenager daughters who are trying to tolerate his eccentricities, an elderly mother who remembers basically everything anybody has ever done in this town, and is friends with Father Marazzo, who is willing to listen to anything the chief wants to get off his chest.

A man Mario has known since childhood is found bludgeoned to death with a Coke bottle on the platform of the Rocksburg railroad station. The damage is so bad Mario has to be told the name of the victim. From his initial investigation Mario becomes convinced that the man's stepson is the guilty party, but proving it is going to prove rather difficult for a lot of reasons. As the title indicates, this is only the first murder in the book and the tension builds as we wait for the second victim to drop. For Constantine characterization assumes more of an importance than the detective work in this novel, because Mario pays as much attention to the need for compassion as he does for the search for clues.

This is a nice start. We get a good sense of the lay of the land, not only of Rocksburg but more importantly of the way Mario Balzic thinks and the way he feels. For me, this was enough to motivate me to move directly to the next story in the series, "The Man Who Like to Look at Himself." Except for the Spenser for Hire series I have never really a lot of mysteries per se, and when I do it is character more than story that grabs my interest. So danke, Mr. King. Final warning: Constantine does not divide his novles into chapters, so if you settle down to read this book intending to finish the first chapter before you go to sleep, you are going to by up all night.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting start.....will it get better?
Review: Like another reviewer, I also discovered this book and series by reading the afterword in Stephen King's "From a Buick 8." I figured any favorite of King's is a favorite of mine. This book begins a series of detective novels that are set in Rocksburg, Pennyslavania and feature Chief of Police Mario Balzac. It is also the debut novel for K. C. Constantine.

The story involves a murder at a railroad station and how the Chief and others in law enforcement attempt to solve it. More importantly, the book focuses on the characters and the story is really more about the people in Rocksburg and their "small town" lifestyle than the crime itself.

For true mystery fans, this book may be somewhat of a let down. The crime fighting is simplistic at times, and Chief Balzac seems to miraculously come to the right conclusion easily without much evidence or effort to back him up. However, the characters are fun and the book is short, so you will not have to invest too much time if you were looking for the crime novel of the century.

I would absolutely recommend this book and I am willing to continue in the series, but I do not know that I am sold for the whole lot. I am particularly eager to see if these books advance in plot and substance as Constantine's writing develops and as they progress through the years. Whether they parallel the changing times or remain stuck in the early 70's mentality remains to be seen.

Rating:
Summary: a stirring debut
Review: Mario Balzic is the chief of police in a small Pennsylvania town. He's an oddball in that he doesn't even carry a gun, usually. When a senseless murder occurs at the railroad station, and there are no witnesses, Mario must rely on his wits and knowledge of psychology to direct him to the likely killer.

Constantine writes very realistic fiction. This is not a glamorous or exciting detective novel, compared to most detective novels. The small-town setting makes it different from most police procedurals, also. All the dialogue seems very true-to-life, and the characters are drawn by someone who knows people.

The story drew me in further and further as I read. One gets the feeling that Constantine himself must live in a small Pennsylvania town like Rocksburg, just to be able to bring this kind of local flavor to the dish.

This is the place to start if you're interested in this series, since it's the first novel in the set.

ken

Rating:
Summary: a stirring debut
Review: Mario Balzic is the chief of police in a small Pennsylvania town. He's an oddball in that he doesn't even carry a gun, usually. When a senseless murder occurs at the railroad station, and there are no witnesses, Mario must rely on his wits and knowledge of psychology to direct him to the likely killer.

Constantine writes very realistic fiction. This is not a glamorous or exciting detective novel, compared to most detective novels. The small-town setting makes it different from most police procedurals, also. All the dialogue seems very true-to-life, and the characters are drawn by someone who knows people.

The story drew me in further and further as I read. One gets the feeling that Constantine himself must live in a small Pennsylvania town like Rocksburg, just to be able to bring this kind of local flavor to the dish.

This is the place to start if you're interested in this series, since it's the first novel in the set.

ken