I have not read a book by Richard Montanari since the Rosary Girls, way back when, and before I started reviewing, so I cannot remember what I thought about that one. Possibly not very much given that I have not returned to him for the 9 intervening years. But having just finished this one, I may have to go back and start again. It did not matter that I had not read the three books inbetween, this can be read almost as a stand-alone.
It is a very densely plotted book with several strands woven together and impacting on the detective duos personal lives as well, which, thankfully, do not intrude too much. Once I got into the writer's rhythms, at about page 60, I did not want to put it down. I think that this is a sure sign that I will follow up on Montanari in the relatively near future. ( )

The Echo Man is the 5th book in Richard Montanari's series featuring Detectives Balzano and Byrne.

Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne face one of their most baffling cases to date. A body is found - completely shaved, with the head wrapped in paper and sealing wax and a temporary tattoo on one finger. As the detectives delve further, they realize that the spot where the body was found is the scene of an unsolved cold case from eight years ago. The placement of the body is identical. And then - it happens again. Who has knowledge of these past crimes and what is the link?

The common link seems to be music. And Kevin Byrne. One of his first cases was that of a gifted musician. It seemed open and shut at the time....

" When the woman opened her eyes, Byrne felt something flicker in his chest. In his time on the streets of Philadelphia he had met all types of people, from soulless drug dealers, to smash-and-grab artists, to hopped-up joyriding kids. But never before had he encountered anyone so detached from the crime they had just committed. In her light-brown eyes Byrne saw demons caper from shadow to shadow. 'My name is Detective Kevin Byrne', he said. It's going to be all right'. It was November 1, 1990. Nothing has been right since."

But Kevin Byrne has demons of his own to battle. Nearly killed in a past case, he has been subject to blinding headaches, black outs and visions.

I enjoy the character of Jessica Balzano very much. The secondary storyline featuring her home life and family provides a continuing thread I have enjoyed following. I'm never sure what I think of Kevin Byrne. He's highly intelligent, quite determined, but doesn't always include his partner on his actions. I'm not sure if Montanari is aiming to be different with the vision thing, but I feel it sometimes interferes in what would be a solid detective series without adding it to the mix.

The plot of The Echo Man is quite ingenious and highly original. Reader beware - some of the descriptons are quite graphic. Lots of red herrings will keep you guessing until the end. ( )

*Rating* 3.5
*Genre* Mystery/Thriller

*Review*

The Echo Man, by Richard Montanari, is the fifth novel in the Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne series and the first book released since Badlands came out in 2008. Echo Man marks the return of Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Detectives Balzano and Byrne in a case that has major implications for Byrne as well as a case that he worked on 20 years ago.

Flashback to November 1, 1990; Byrne’s discovery of a woman who just committed what he thought was murder. A case that has haunted him ever since. Readers are given a glimpse into a newly promoted Detective Kevin Byrne. The so called guilty party was a world famous cellist named Christa Marie Schonburg. After admitting to the murder of her psychiatrist, she spent the next 20 years in and out of jail and psychiatric facilities.

Now, in the present, it appears that someone in Philadelphia is cleaning up the messes caused by her guilty verdict and other crimes that went unsolved by the PPD. Once again Christa plays an important part in the story. Christa sends Kevin a letter and tells him that she can help him with finding out who the killer is. The only catch--Christa is dying and wants to spend time with Kevin whose own guilt in her guilty verdict has haunted him ever since.

The murderer, nicknamed the Echo Man, has spent the past 20 years hiding in plain sight in an important role for the city of Philadelphia. He goes after those who have gotten away with murder, and plans one final Coda, or final selection of a piece of music, and then he will bow out forever. By the time he is done, Philadelphia will have yet another serial killer all in the name of vigilante justice.

Lucinda (Lucy) Doucette is another character that plays an important role in the story. 9 years ago, she lost 3 days of her life that she’s been trying to get back by going to different specialists including regression therapists. Lucy’s forgotten memories happened on 09/11/2001 when Flight 93 hit the ground near Shanksville, PA. On that day, she was kidnapped along with another girl who wasn’t as lucky as Lucy to survive her ordeal. Lucy and Kevin also have a relationship; one built on lost time and guilt.

The one constant and the reason I continue to enjoy reading this series is the partnership between Balzano and Byrne and how they react to each other. While Kevin is dealing with personal issues and the fact that someone is gunning for his head because of his involvement in the Christa Marie case, Jessica is about ready to go through a life changing moment by becoming a mother to an orphaned 2 year old child.

What doesn’t change is that since Byrne was shot in the head, and was dead, he gets psychometry like intuitions. He can somehow sense and see things that others can’t. It’s what makes him a damn fine detective and one who is able to figure out who the killer is before Jessica can.

I don’t believe that you need to read any of the previous installments in this series to enjoy this book. Montanari may change certain aspects of Philadelphia for the sake of the story, but he gets the police procedures down to a science. My only hope is that those who have enjoyed this series in the past, won't have to wait another 3 years before the next book comes out.

Other books in series:
1. The Rosary Girls (2005)
2. The Skin Gods (2006)
3. Merciless (2007)
4. Badlands (2008)

ARC Recvd 08/10/2011 via Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group. ( )