David Levien

The first in his Frank Behr series, City of the Sun by David Levien is an American crime novel set in Indianapolis. Frank Behr is an ex-cop, now working as a private detective. He is hired by Paul and Carol Gabriel who are devastated by the disappearance of their twelve year old son. A year has almost gone by since they last saw their son and they have realized that Jamie’s case has been put on the back burner by the police. They are pretty sure that Jamie is most likely dead by now but show more they are in limbo and need to find out what happened to their son and who is responsible.

Frank painstakingly works the case and follows every lead, he has his own issues that have left him emotionally damaged. Eventually he and the father, Paul start to work together and they discover that Jamie wasn’t randomly grabbed off the streets, but was part of a well planned operation that is run by a local businessman. Behr finds out that the children are taken to Mexico so he and Paul follow the trail and arrive at a remote location in Mexico.

This is an emotionally wrenching story that grabs the reader right from the start, there is a sense of time running short that keeps the pages turning. High in suspense and action, City in the Sun introduces an intense, troubled character that I look forward to learning more of. This read was an excellent launch to the series. show less

This was the first book i had read by this author. I usually don't care for books that switch back and forth between characters but David Levien managed to do this with an expert touch. The reader was never confused about who was narrating or what was taking place. The murders were slightly over kill for the most part and the descriptions were gruesome but you never, until the last chapter, knew who the killer was. The author had a good writing style and was very easy to read. I'll be show more finding more of this series. show less

This author is truly deranged. He gets inside the mind of a serial killer like no one I have ever read before. His main character is former cop Frank Behr, a likeable though deeply flawed individual, who takes on the case of a missing woman simply to make the reward money. Along the way, he discovers a serial killer is operating in his city’s midst and he expands his focus to take him down. He also screws up his personal life in a number of missteps. However, the ending is the best part of show more the book. (Kills killer so he no longer can enjoy reliving his kills in prison) While he does not end up with the reward money, he does end as a winner. I loved this book. show less

The good news is that I have found a GREAT new author. The bad news is that he's not just new to me... This is his first novel and it's a really good one. Great characters and a good story. I do hope he's hard at work on the second one.