On a
bitterly cold afternoon in late October, I was one of twenty thousand witnesses
to a murder.
That’s
protagonist/narrator Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, clinical psychologist and occasional
consultant to the Pittsburgh Police Department, in the opening sentence/paragraph
of Panic Attack, the sixth title in the stellar series of mystery
thrillers by Dennis Palumbo.
Rinaldi has
acquired something of a “brand” as a result of his involvement in a number of
police investigations; from his role in the most recent case (see Head
Wounds) involving Sebastian Maddox, the assailant who, years before,
killed his wife and left him wounded and emotionally scarred; and from the
subsequent development of his reputation for helping traumatized victims of
violence, both official and civilian. Thus, the night before the event
described above, he delivered the commencement address at Teasdale College,
located in the small town of Lockhart less than twenty miles from Pittsburgh.
Teasdale’s dean, Martin Hobbs, has invited him to join him at the game wherein
Teasdale will face off with its division rival.
Shortly
before the opening kickoff, Teasdale’s mascot, a student in a tiger costume,
takes the field to perform. Shortly after, the tiger’s encouraging crowd noise
is overridden by a gunshot which leaves the mascot lying motionless on the
field. Rinaldi becomes immediately but indirectly embroiled in both the local
investigation and one that expands considerably when a serial sniper begins
picking off other ostensibly unrelated victims and creates a panicked
atmosphere in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Although
initially it would seem Rinaldi’s role in the Steel City Sniper case, as the
media has come to label it, is strictly as an unfortunate witness to the death
of the first victim, he is gradually drawn into it by a number of circumstances
and individuals.
Among the latter are sophomore Jason Graham;
To cite a
variation on an old expression with regard to Panic Attack, “you can’t
tell the corpses without a scorecard” because more murders follow and Rinaldi
becomes unavoidably caught up in their cases, not least because attempts are
made on his life.
He must also
contend with various traumatized clients, his current intimate relationship
with FBI agent Gloria Reese, and with prior involvements with and attractions to
women he met after his wife’s death.
Forgive some of this reviewer’s vagueness about story details. In mystery/thrillers of this sort I hate to reveal anything that might be regarded as a spoiler lest I detract from readers’ excitement and enjoyment. This definitely applies to the novel under consideration, which should keep most readers turning its pages because they are laden with twists and surprises.
But it’s important to add that
besides being a thriller, Panic Attack is also a novel of character. Dennis
Palumbo, like Rinaldi, is a practicing clinical psychologist, so the story’s
primary figures are not cardboard cutouts. As a native Pittsburghian, he also
delivers a strong sense of place. What also struck yours truly about one of the
plotline’s major revelations is its timeliness.
As anyone who has read this far has undoubtedly surmised, I’m as enthusiastic a fan of this novel as I am of the others in the Daniel Rinaldi series, and can strongly recommend it to all but those readers who cannot contend with raw language and a modicum of on-screen sexuality.
Barry Ergang © 2021
Derringer Award-winner Barry Ergang’s written work has
appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic. Some of it is
available at Amazon
and at Smashwords.
His website is http://www.writetrack.yolasite.com/.
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