A Killing in China Basin - Softcover

Russell, Kirk

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847513581 ISBN 13: 9781847513588

Publisher: Severn House Paperbacks Ltd, 2012

Synopsis

A new crime series set in San Francisco launches with a late night phone call. The body of a young woman lies in a trash-strewn room of a derelict building in China Basin. With that, veteran San Francisco homicide inspector, Ben Raveneau, and his hard-charging new partner, Elizabeth la Rosa, catch their first case together. But they can t identify the victim and they don t know why she was there. A false confession misleads and the apparent suicide but possible murder of an SF homicide inspector on medical leave may tie in. When Raveneau and la Rosa finally catch a break they are led into the past and a long ago case. A woman famous for her charitable works moves into focus and the inspectors adjust yet again. Now they re close but are racing against someone intent on stopping them. "

About this title

Review:

'A city storied with characters gains a relentless new hero with Ben Raveneau, a tough but aware homicide cop. I took this book to heart. So will you.' --MICHAEL CONNELLY

'In Ben Raveneau, Russell has created a detective hero who should keep readers entertained for many books to come. A great start to a great series.' --WILLIAM RYAN

'Edge-of-the-seat, unputdownable crime fiction. I loved it.'
--DEON MEYER

After four action-packed procedurals starring California Fish and Game Warden John Marquez (Redback, 2011, etc.), Russell moves to the big city for a more traditional but equally powerful tale of crime and punishment.
The discovery of a bound and strangled Jane Doe in an abandoned building in San Francisco's China Basin partners veteran Inspector Ben Raveneau with Elizabeth la Rosa, who's been taken under the wing of Deputy-chief Edith Grainer and made a Homicide Inspector at the tender age of 32. Raveneau's distracted from the case by the release from prison of computer wizard Cody Stoltz, who served five years for shooting his friend John Reinert. Stoltz insisted the shooter was a mugger who happened onto the scene of the buddies' quarrel over Erin Quinn, Reinert's wife and Stoltz's lover. Inspectors Ted Whitacre and Charles Bates saw the evidence differently, and a jury agreed with them. When Whitacre, dying of cancer, dies in what Raveneau thinks a suspiciously timed suicide and Bates's wife is struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, Raveneau has to suspect Stoltz, who says he's innocent but taunts Raveneau with how pleased he is. Equally creepy is Carl Heilbron, the body-shop technician who walks in, confesses to the Jane Doe murder (though he can't supply the name of the deceased and gets crucial details wrong), then changes his mind and walks free. The intricate plot will lead to more killings, more discoveries of malfeasance and a lot more questions for Raveneau.
The plot is upstaged by the brooding characters, good and evil, the snappy rhythms of Russell's sharply observed prose and the promise of Raveneau's return.
--Kirkus Review, September 15, 2011

About the Author:

Kirk Russell lives in Berkeley, California. He is married with two daughters and is the author of the highly-acclaimed John Marquez crime series and Ben Raveneau thrillers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Severn House Paperbacks Ltd
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1847513581
• ISBN 13: 9781847513588
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224