Orr and Obsession in "Tribeca Blues"

Kevin’s Corner


“Tribeca Blues” picks up approximately a year after events depicted in “A Well-Known Secret” with the shocking death of Leo, owner of Tilt and Terry Orr’s good friend. He was like a father to Diddio and in a way, was to Orr as well. While both Diddio and Orr knew Leo was not the picture of good health, far from it actually, his death is a shock and a heavy blow and another in the tragic series that has befallen the small group of friends. Also shocking were his last requests that they find hidden in his things.

Diddio is to get Tilt and is to make of it what he will. Orr is to keep an eye on Diddio which is something he would have done anyway and isn’t a surprise. What is surprising is that Leo wants Orr to find Loretta Jones, Leo’s evil ex-wife and make her pay for what she did to Leo years ago. He wants justice from the grave and Orr isn’t going to turn this request down. He begins with good intentions but soon is sidetracked by an opportunity to catch the madman he hold responsible for killing his wife and young son.

Emotionally complex, this novel somewhat completes a story arc that was begun in the first novel. Obsession has been a strong theme throughout the previous two books but not nearly at the level in this book. Obsession and the past along with Orr’s raw emotions are ramped up to a higher level that in the previous books but yet do not rise to the level that would drown the reader.

While there are heavy periods of intense emotional angst and introspection, the main storyline of bringing Loretta Jones to justice is always present. Often that storyline is slowed to a near standstill while Orr searches for his own personal justice but his search and Leo’s last request are deeply intertwined. This sets up a final fifty pages or so when everything clicks into place and the reader is whipped along in an intense climax. Considering the overall story arcs, it isn’t surprising that this novel is aimed squarely at the ongoing internal emotions and psychic struggle of Orr. As such, it also becomes a character study of one man and where his responsibility and well as guilt lie.

This third book in the series is another excellent book. I strongly recommend reading the two previous books so that the power of this book is not diminished. It is simply very good stuff and a real treat.


Tribeca Blues
By Jim Fusilli
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2003
ISBN # 0-399-15088-9
Hardback
273 Pages


More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.


Thanks for reading!


Kevin R. Tipple © 2005