Monday, January 21, 2013

Review: "Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery" by Ralph Pezzullo


Tony “Smokey” Annicelli still knows people on the NYPD even though it has been quite a few years since he wore the uniform. When Luke, his best friend on the force, calls him and says that he better get over the fourth floor of a building at Two-forty-seven West Twenty-Ninth Street, Smoky doesn’t ask a lot of questions. Despite the urgency in Luke’s call, he is made to wait with his questions unanswered.

Finally, Detective Donnelly, after dragging him around awhile talking to people, takes him to the bloody mess of a body for identification.  An identification Donnelly seems to have already made, but wants Smokey to see the dead person to cause Smokey pain. Mission accomplished as the deceased was/is Ricky Bravere, the son of Smokey’s best friend, Evan.  The same son who was also Smokey’s godson. The same godson he had sworn to protect all those years ago as his friend lay dying in the hospital.

Guilt over the past haunts Smokey as he investigates the death of his godson. Not just the guilt over a godson that he lost track of over the years and failed to protect, but guilt as well over a horrifying incident that happened long ago when Smokey was young. It changed him forever and the death of his godson will bring that and other painful episodes to light in brutal ways. That guilt over the past he feels so deeply in so many ways will have a huge toll and yet also serve as a motivator in this often nightmarish and very complex mystery published by Zumaya Enigma. A mystery that is so complex, to say more would create potential spoilers for readers and thus ruin a very good and often violent book.



Readers are strongly cautioned that Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery and sequel to Eve Missing features explicit language, graphic violence, and various adult activities. As such, this is an adult novel aimed to adult mystery readers who have no issues with language or content. Those readers that prefer their bad guys to say, “Gosh darn” and the like instead of string of obscenities are strongly encouraged to skip this title and pick something else. This is a hard edged book that tells a compelling dark tale filled with violence, drugs, unredeemable criminals, rock and roll, and more and is a very good read. It just isn’t a book for everyone.

Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery
Ralph Pezzullo
Zumaya Enigma (division of Zumaya Publishing)
June 2012
ISBN# 978-1-61271-059-4
Paperback (available as e-book)
202 Pages
$12.99


Material supplied by publicist PJ Nunn owner of BreakThrough Promotions in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013

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