This first in a new series from Rick Mofina introduces Jack Gannon, a reporter for a Buffalo, New York newspapers going through what every paper in North America is enduring: the constant threat of downsizing or closing down. Jack, once a contender for a Pulitzer Prize, is now thirty-four and single; he had been with the Buffalo Sentinel for ten years, and still dreams of moving to New York City. When he comes upon a story where the opportunity for a huge scoop nearly falls in his lap, he seizes upon it. The story involves the horrific murder of a young woman, Bernice Hogan, who had a history of drugs and the prostitution necessary to support her habit.
Gannon’s investigation into the murder suddenly takes an expected turn when he discovers the shocking identity of the leading suspect. When he convinces his editor of the legitimacy of his source, while standing by his pledge to keep that person’s name secret, he lands a front-page headline, to his peril. He refuses to be intimidated, however, vowing “to see that in death, [Bernice] received the respect that had eluded her in life.” And then the woman’s best friend disappears, and the degree of danger, and suspense, escalates quickly.
I have to reluctantly admit that I found the writing, at least in the early sections of the book, frequently overly melodramatic. Of course I should also state that the story itself is inherently a melodramatic one, made all the more so by an underlying thread dealing with Gannon’s sister, who seemingly disappeared after leaving home years ago when she was seventeen. But, e.g., when Gannon decides to stake out the house of the man the police have named as their lead suspect, and later follows him, and there are no police present doing the same thing in the course of their own investigation, I found my suspension of disbelief somewhat strained. However, as I read on, that quickly passed when, as in all Mr. Mofina’s previous novels, “Vengeance Road” kept this reader quickly turning pages, anxious to find out all the answers in the tale he has spun. I will look forward to Gannon’s next appearance on the page, and the book is recommended. (I should note that I started the novel on the day before Thanksgiving. The next day, I picked up the book again, pausing only for the holiday meal and foregoing the day’s TV offerings – - a Dallas Cowboys followed by a NY Giants football game, followed in turn by a Paul McCartney concert, recorded live only a few months before in New York City – - until the book was finished. Now that’s suspense!)
