Hammurabi's Code - Hardcover

Kenney, Charles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671896970 ISBN 13: 9780671896973

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1995

Synopsis

In the wake of a beloved politician's death, Frank Cronin, a respected investigative journalist intent on uncovering the killer--as well as the dead man's true nature--risks his reputation, his job, and his life

About this title

Reviews

Smart, tightly written and full of compelling background details, Kenney's debut earns a place near the head of the crime fiction pack. The story begins with the murder of Philip Stewart, Boston city councilman and a political icon with an unblemished reputation as a do-gooder for the down-and-out and the patron saint of a variety of liberal causes. When the Post calls on ace investigative reporter Frank Cronin to delve into the seemingly dead-end case, his efforts gradually reveal Stewart as a plaster saint whose dealings ranged from extortion to laundering mob money. The full extent of the corruption, however, isn't disclosed until the novel's shocking finale, which links police, press and politicians in a tangled web of urban payback and political retribution. Kenney, a Boston Globe reporter, makes splendid use of his insider's knowledge of the local political and journalistic scene to flesh out his plot and characters, while he sure-handedly uses flashbacks and occasional red herrings to build suspense. Despite minor shortcomings (the intrusion of stilted headline jargon, a mawkish subplot involving a rekindled romance), Kenney maintains a gripping level of tension; his mastery of the form marks him as a talent to watch.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The murder of a well-liked Boston councilman, Philip Stewart, sets off a series of damning articles by a respected reporter in the local newspaper. The paper's editor is hounded by the Kennedys and by religious leaders who feel that the councilman's reputation, as a protector of the homeless and general do-gooder, should be kept sacrosanct. Gazette reporter Cronin obviously feels otherwise and continues pursuing evidence of corruption in state and federal records and pressing his main source, a homicide cop named McCormack, for more information. The significance of Kenney's title does not become clear until near the novel's end; so cleverly does he entangle the reader in the story line about a murder victim's purported dark side that the question of who committed the murder is almost secondary until the two issues become inextricably linked. This is an excellent first novel by a Boston Post reporter who, hopefully, will write more about his city, its politics, and journalists. Denise Perry Donavin

Kenney (Riding the Runaway Horse, LJ 3/1/92) places his characters in a sticky situation created by the murder of a much-loved Boston city councilor. Frank Cronin, the Boston Post's best investigative reporter, digs into the apparently motiveless killing because a tip from policeman friend Thomas McCormack impugns the victim's reputation. Cronin soon finds evidence of stealthy extortion and embezzlement, which leads him to an unexpected murderer. Meanwhile, his romantic involvement with the assistant district attorney provides a welcome sideline. A solid, entrancing first work that bodes well for the future.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0671896970
• ISBN 13: 9780671896973
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304