Bøger af Richard Montanari

With the breakneck pacing and intricate plotting of his most recent novel, The Rosary Girls, Richard Montanari established himself as one of the most exciting suspense writers working today. Now he proves himself a virtuoso with The Skin Gods, an explosive new thriller featuring Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano. It is the steaming heart of summer in the City of Brotherly Love. Back on the force after taking a bullet during the arrest of a sadistic murderer, Detective Kevin Byrne warily returns to police headquarters. He cannot shake the memory of the Rosary Killer's innocent victims-or his growing sense that the evil has not been vanquished. And when he and his partner, Detective Jessica Balzano, are called in on a bizarre case, Byrne's gravest suspicions are confirmed. A madman, dubbed The Actor by the homicide unit, is meticulously re-creating Hollywood's most famous-and most gruesome-death scenes. The first murder is caught on film, spliced into a rented VHS edition of the Hitchcock black-and-white masterpiece Psycho. But in place of Janet Leigh is a real-life woman, and this time, the blood is red and the knife is real. Soon, more thrilling classics are turned into terrifying snuff films and placed on video store shelves for an unsuspecting public to find. The key to this horrific puzzle could lie with any of The Skin Gods' supporting cast: the A-list Hollywood director, the ruthless executive assistant, the convicted mass murderer-or perhaps someone else who has made a sinister art of gruesome violence. Hot on the psychopath's trail, Balzano and Byrne descend into the mouth of madness and beyond, deep into the depraved underworld of S&M clubs and the porn industry, where the worship of flesh leads to malevolent evil. Before the final credits roll, the investigators will discover that none of The Actor's victims are as innocent as they appear to be, and that the clue the police need to prevent future murders might be found in Detective Byrne's own dark past.

"Taut, propulsive and darkly gripping, Montanari is a master of suspense." -Chris EwanA haunting, nerve-jangling psychological thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Montanari, set in a small town hiding a very dark secretNew York psychologist Will Hardy had it all--a loving family, a flourishing career, a bestselling book. Until the night it all ended in a tempest of fire and ash, leaving only Will and his fifteen-year-old daughter Bernadette to stand in the ruins.Haunted and grief-stricken, Will accepts an enigmatic invitation from his family's past to begin their lives anew in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio.Meanwhile, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl, convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades--including her own long-missing sister.But what place does Will's new home have in the story of the missing girls? And what links the killings to the diary of a young woman written over a century earlier? The disappearances in Abbeville have happened before, and now Will's own daughter might be next...

In this gripping, unforgettable thriller for readers of James Patterson and Lisa Gardner, someone is recreating infamous unsolved murders... and the killer is closer than anyone could imagine.Fall in Philadelphia. A man's corpse is found in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. It's unmistakably the work of a killer.But to homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, it feels familiar. Eight years ago, another body was found in the same place, in the same position... killed in the same manner. Even the crime-scene photos are identical.That case was never closed. And now more copycat murders are happening. Someone is recreating the city's most infamous unsolved killings, victim by victim -- with more clues for Byrne and Balzano to unravel...Taut and suspenseful, The Echo Man is already an international bestseller. Discover what readers around the world already know: Richard Montanari's novels are "relentlessly suspenseful" (Tess Gerritsen).

Master of terrifying crime novels Richard Montanari, author of The Rosary Girls, returns with a standalone small-town thriller to make the hairs stand on the back of your neck

A haunting, nerve-jangling psychological thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Montanari set in a small town hiding a very dark secret

'You turn the pages as if your very life depends on it' - Daily Mail Destroyed by fire years ago, the infamous Philadelphia State Hospital was known as a warehouse for the criminally insane.But one man never left. By night Luther walks Philadelphia's backstreets; by day he roams the catacombs beneath the city. Luther is everywhere and nowhere; he's is in your dreams - and your nightmares. Then Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are called to a bizarre murder scene: a man has been killed by a railroad spike driven into his head. But this is just the beginning of a trail of evil that will lead Byrne and Balzano back to the hospital, to a missing girl and to a horror they could never have imagined . . .Praise for Richard Montanari 'A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly' Tess Gerritsen 'The author's elegiac tone takes the curse off this blood-drenched thriller . . . Gripping' New York Times (the 10 best crime novels of 2016) 'A master storyteller' James Ellroy 'Scary good!' Lisa Gardner 'Taut, propulsive and darkly gripping, Montanari is a master of suspense' Chris Ewan 'A specialist in serial killer tales . . . a wonderfully evocative writer' Publishers Weekly Amazon readers love Richard Montanari ***** 'One of the best detective stories I have ever read' ***** 'If you haven't read these books yet.... START READING THEM!' ***** 'Great plot and incredible pace. A real page turner' ***** 'I couldn't put it down - utterly absorbing and compelling!!' ***** 'The last 20 pages had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my chair!' ***** 'Absolutely brilliant - almost impossible to put down' ***** 'Every once and while I read a classic which I'll NEVER forget.This is a book I'll never forget' ***** 'This is a chillingly good read with a fast-paced storyline full of twists and turns' ***** 'From start to finish, you never want to stop! You have to know what happened!' ***** 'An outstanding tale with as many twists as a game of snakes and ladders' ***** 'One of the best crime/thriller writers' ***** 'Amazing' ***** 'Richard Montanari never lets you down. The ending is always a surprise' ***** 'So easy to pick up, so hard to put down'

'The thing is, Detective... If you believe in God, you've got to believe in the Devil.'Deepest winter. Darkest Philadelphia.A murder shocks the frozen city - the most spectacular homicide in its 300-year-old history: an ex-cop has been lured to the basement of an abandoned chapel, wrapped in barbed wire - and kept alive for ten days.Twenty-four hours after the discovery, Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano find another victim in another church, encased in a pristine block of ice.Someone is transforming the city's cathederals into killing rooms, someone who is determined to raise hell on earth.Packed with ingenious twists and relentless excitement, The Killing Room is a novel of blistering thrills and heart-stopping suspense.

It is fall in Philadelphia and the mutilated body of a man is found in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the city. Apart from their killer's unusual calling cards, the crime scene photos - past and present - are identical.

Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but still likes to pretend she's single. And each step that Homicide Detective Jack Paris takes to find their killer draws him closer to the heart of his own forbidden impulses. To enter the minds of Saila and Pharaoh is to enter a world from which no one ever fully returns...

Johnny Angel is found brutally murdered with a dead prostitute in his bed and a needle full of heroin in his arm.

In each soul, a secret ... Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano's first assignment from the Cold Case files is the brutal murder of a young runaway.

When the first body is found, mutilated and strangled on the riverbanks, Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano suspect yet another case of random urban violence.

The streets of Philadelphia are blistering in the summer heat, the homicide rate is soaring and the nights belong to the mad.

Veteran cop Kevin Byrne and his rookie partner Jessica Balzano set out to hunt down the elusive killer, who leads them deeper and deeper into the abyss of a madman's depravity. While the body count rises, Easter is fast approaching: the day of resurrection and of the last rosary to be counted ...

August er årets ondeste måned, tænkte Jessica. T.S. Eliot påstod ganske vist, at den ondeste måned var april, men han havde heller aldrig arbejdet i Philadelphia-politiets drabsafdeling. I april spirede håbet endnu. August havde kun én ting at byde på: hede. Ubønhørlig, hjernelammende, sjælsødelæggende hede. Den lagde sig over byen som en halvrådden presenning og fremkaldte alle former for sved, stank og ondskab. Et slagsmål i marts var et mord i august.En bortløben teenagepige bliver fundet død i en udstillingsmontre i den nordlige, farlige del af Philadelphia, mens byen er ved at kvæles i sommerheden. Det rutinerede makkerpar Jessica Balzano og Kevin Byrne bliver sat på sagen. Flere lig dukker op, alle ”anrettet” på besynderlige måder, og billedet af en usædvanlig, perverteret seriemorder med evner for magi og sære rebusser begynder at tage form. Hvad er det for en syg forestilling, den fantomagtige morder har kørende? Hvorfor skal pigerne dø? Og er det muligt at regne hans næste træk ud? Sagen bliver en besættelse for Balzano og Byrne, alt imens den uhyggelige illusionist forbereder sit shows sidste, store uforglemmelige nummer.

Richard Montanaris stærke Philadelphia-krimiserie med makkerparret Jessica Balzano/Kevin Byrne i hovedrollerne. En række unge, katolske piger findes myrdet på brutal vis. Alt tyder på ritualiserede forbrydelser begået af en sadistisk galning. Richard Montanari kombinerer klassisk amerikansk politikrimi med psykologisk (psykopatisk) thriller i en særdeles uhyggelig og effektiv blanding. Montanaris bøger er internationale bestsellere, ikke mindst i England, hvor han går top-10 hver gang. De næste bøger i serien, "Skuespilleren" og "Ravnemoderen" er ligeledes udgivet i Danmark.

Hun hedder Karen og sidder ved bredden af Schuylkillfloden i Philadelphia en frostklar decembernat. I måneskinnet kunne hun være en prinsesse eller en danserinde, så fin og porcelænsagtig i sin lange, smukke kjole. Men Karen danser ikke. Hun er tværtimod stendød – og hun har fået sine fødder skåret af. Kvinden, som kun hedder Karen i morderens syge fantasiverden, er det første men bestemt ikke sidste skamferede kvindelig, der dukker op langs den mægtige flod. Og samtlige kvinder er klædt ud, som var de sprunget lige ud af et eventyr. Langsomt går det op for Jessica Balzano og Kevin Byrne fra Drabsafdelingen, at kvindemordene har rødder tilbage til en gammel, uopklaret sag, hvor to uskyldige småpiger blev myrdet i en svanerede.

PSYCHO ruller over skærmen. Da den når til den berømte brusebadsscene, begynder billedet at flimre. Sort skærm. Så kommer billedet igen. Et andet badeværelse, dårligere billedkvalitet. En kvinde står bag et bruseforhæng og tager bad. En gammel dame træder ind i billedet. Hun har en stor kniv i hånden. Hun trækker forhænget til side og dolker den badende kvinde talrige gange. Dette er ikke en filmklassiker, det er virkelighed. Så flimrer billedet på ny. Og den rigtige Hitchcock fortsætter ... En frygtindgydende morder render omkring i Philadelphia og kopierer berømte filmmord. Det begynder med Psycho, så følger scenen fra Farligt begær, hvor Glenn Close bliver skudt, og sådan fortsætter det – ny film, nyt mord. Jessica Balzano bliver sat til at lede sagen, mens makkeren Kevin Byrne er på orlov efter at være blevet livsfarligt kvæstet i en tidligere sag (ROSENKRANSMORDENE). Men Byrne ligger ikke stille, gamle regnskaber skal gøres op, og mens Jessicas efterforskning gradvist indkredser den maskerede morder, begynder sporene at krydse hinanden.