Hoax: A Novel (A BUTCH KARP-MARLENE CIAMPI THRILLER) - Hardcover

Tanenbaum, Robert K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743452887 ISBN 13: 9780743452885

Publisher: Atria, 2004

Synopsis

Investigating the apparent gang-related murder of a rap star, prosecutor Butch Karp finds himself enmeshed in the shady side of New York City politics and finds the case complicated by would-be mayor Andrew Kane and a series of child assaults in New Mexico.

About this title

Review

Readers of this long-running series starring New York Assistant D.A. Butch Karp and his lethal but lovable wife Marlene Ciampi will wonder why three-quarters of their 16th adventure is devoted to a rehash of their personal history, a dissection of their tangled psyches, and a tedious retelling of events that have little bearing on what passes for the plot of this one. Once again, it's a story of higher-up cover-ups of both political and priestly evil--in this case, a candidate for mayor who's as murderous and venal as ever was, and a serial pedophile killer who happens to be a Catholic cleric. Unlike the previous books in Tanenbaum's oeuvre, this one lacks the skill and verve of Michael Gruber (Tropic of Night), the uncredited writer largely responsible for making the series come alive on the page. Whoever took over needs to learn the difference between telling and showing before he or she tackles the next in Tanenbaum's series. --Jane Adams

From the Inside Flap

Linda Fairstein, author of Final Jeopardy, Likely to Die, and The Kills "One of the most authentic voices in American crime fiction, Tanenbaum takes us on another turbocharged ride down mean streets, with characters we've come to love. Hoax is a brilliantly plotted thriller with enough twists and turns to live up to its name and enough heart-stopping action to keep you turning pages through the night."

Dr. Michael M. Baden, Forensic Pathologist and former Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York "Tanenbaum's best Butch Karp thriller yet -- and that's no "hoax." His knowledge of the criminal justice system and forensic science is unequalled -- brilliantly written."

Vincent Bugliosi, former Los Angeles District Attorney and author of Helter Skelter and the acclaimed And the Sea Will Tell "Using his previous experience as the top homicide prosecutor in the Manhattan DA's office, Tanenbaum, a master of mystery fiction, brings us Hoax, a suspenseful, action-packed thriller."

Catherine Crier, former judge, Court TV host, and bestselling author of The Case Against Lawyers "So intimate a look into the heart of evil, Hoax seems more fact than fiction. Through a series of heinous murders, tawdry relationships, and internal corruptions, Tanenbaum delivers a devastatingly honest portrait of a legal system gone awry and the brave few who fight for justice."

About this edition

• Publisher: Atria
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0743452887
• ISBN 13: 9780743452885
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 496