“Cicero’s Dead” by Patrick H. Moore Is a Debut Crime Novel That “Blows Me Away”: Book Review by Darcia Helle
Book Review of Cicero’s Dead by Darcia Helle
Cicero Lamont dealt drugs in massive quantities making huge profits and lots of enemies until one night he was introduced to the steel bumper in a hit-and-run and now he’s dead. His daughter, Jade, has also just learned that her mom has committed suicide and now her brother, Richie, is missing. She hires Nick Crane to find him and to track down whoever murdered their father, but as the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’ because 300 million dollars cuts an awful lot of family ties.
Published: November 2014
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My Review:
Sometimes an author will come out of nowhere with a debut novel that blows me away. Patrick Moore with his novel Cicero’s Dead is one such instance.
What struck me first was the realism, both with the dialogue and the characters’ interactions. Moore perfectly captures all the nuances. The characters are each unique and well developed, with all the little quirks that make them feel human. The dialogue is perfection. Nothing feels stilted or forced. The flow is natural, always fitting well with the speaker.
He nodded. “It looked like it hurt, but he didn’t move. It was scary, dude. Then Arnold locks eyes with me and says, ‘As you can see, I like handsome young men with sensitive features,’ and squeezes the last remaining drops of blood out of Richard’s mouth, and still he doesn’t pull away, even though his eyes were watering. I knew I was way out of my depth. I got mad. The son of a bitch had no right to hurt him like that, but at the same time, I felt this peculiar terror. You ever felt that, anger and terror, all rolled into one?”
“All the time. Not a good feeling.” To my surprise I realized I was sweating even though the night was breezy and mild. My tape recorder was whirring away in my pocket and I wondered what Brad would think when I played it back to him.
The plot is intricate without being overly complicated. While this is largely a crime story, we’re also given little twists to build suspense.
Brad asked, “What if Jade turns out to be the bad guy?”
“We’re all bad guys. It’s only a question of degree.”
I was hooked from start to finish, and I’m hoping Moore has plans for a second Nick Crane novel.
Please click to below to view Darcia’s Helle’s many excellent posts:
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To Burn or Not to Burn? Auto-Da-Fé Is Not Good for Women or Children!
The Disgraceful Entrapment of Jesse Snodgrass: Keep the Narcs Out of Our Schools
Why Should I Believe You? The History of the Polygraph
“Don’t Behead Me, Dude!”: The Story of Beheading and the Invention of the Guillotine
Aileen Wuornos, America’s First High-Profile Female Serial Killer, Never Had a Chance
The Terror of ISO: A Descent into Madness
Al Capone Could Not Bribe the Rock: Alcatraz, Fortress of Doom
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Darcia Helle lives in a fictional world with a husband who is sometimes real. Their house is ruled by spoiled dogs and cats and the occasional dust bunny.
Suspense, random blood splatter and mismatched socks consume Darcia’s days. She writes because the characters trespassing through her mind leave her no alternative. Only then are the voices free to haunt someone else’s mind.
Join Darcia in her fictional world: www.QuietFuryBooks.com
The characters await you.
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Great review, Darcia and yes, although I’m obviously biased about Patrick’s novel, your points are well made. 🙂
I obviously loved this book! I’m always hesitant to read/review a book by someone I know. I’ve been in uncomfortable positions when I find I like the person but not the book. No such problem with Patrick. This is one I highly recommend to all readers!
Thank you Darcia Helle, for the heads up on Patrick’s new book. I am an admirer of his work and will definitely look into it.
Thanks for the review, Darcia. I’ve got to free up some time to read Patrick’s debut novel.
I don’t usually look at reviews before I read a book, but I already started it so it does not count.
I was looking forward to Cicero’s Dead publishing and not disappointed so far. I will read the rest in one shot this weekend.
Now we know what Nick Crane looks like
Funny, Lise, because I kept picturing Patrick as Nick. 🙂
Nick is a dead ringer for Patrick except Nick is 12 years younger and slightly better looking. 🙂 Since CICERO takes places during the great SoCal fires on 2003, Nick would be about 41 at that time.
I couldn’t help doing the same thing Darcia. May you be forever Mr. Crane.
I am Mr. Crane but not really…
Actually, I wanted to write May you be forever young Mr. Crane, but you know how it is with me and the typos or in this case, omission.
Does Mr. Crane have a mustache and goatee like Patrick?
He vacillates on this critical issue which is unlike him.