1975,
Boston, a problematic neighbourhood where racial hatred dominates everyday
life. When 15-year-old Kevin finds his beloved grandmother stabbed and his
sister hurt by a black teenager, there is only one way to solve the problem. His
best friend Bobby helps him in seeking revenge. More than 25 years later, Kevin
is a famous investigative reporter and returns to his hometown. Not much has
changed there, the suburb still has to face violent murders and gangs control
the people’s life. When the gun which had been used a quarter of a century ago
is linked to recent murders, Kevin as well as his old friend, now a big fish in
illegal business, get on the police radar.
It takes
quite some time until the novel develops a bit of speed. By far too long for a
thriller. The prologue takes about a fifth of the novel and I was already prone
to putting the novel away. Luckily I kept on reading since then the story suddenly
gathered pace and became more and more interesting. The plot - which at first
glance seemed only slightly promising since you as a reader knew what happened
in 1975 – became more and more complex and had a real surprise to offer in the
end which made things look completely different.
The last
part of the novel really could atone for the slow start, nevertheless, no full
points.
