Book Review - Natalie's Art

Natalie’s Art: Frank Renzi Book 5

By: Susan Fleet
Publisher: Music and Mayhem Press
ISBN: 978-0-9847235-7-7
Published: November 2014
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: November 29, 2014

Susan Fleet quickly ramps up the action in the latest edition of her Frank Renzi Crime Series, Natalie’s Art.

Thanks to an art heist gone bad in Boston in 2008, Art thief Natalie Brixton (Valerie) had to reinvent herself after shooting former Boston cop, Frank Renzi. In a London museum in June, 2010, Valerie surfaces. After fleeing Boston, Valerie landed in Paris and became a high class call girl. That was just the beginning of her new life. Lucky for her, reclusive and diabolical mastermind, Londoner Jonathan Pym discovers Valerie, and decides to rescue her. He moves her to London to be with him full time and perhaps now, Valerie’s permanent ‘do-over’ has begun. However, this one comes with a price—a price that places her not only under the constant and watchful eye of Pym, but in a situation where every decision she wants to make would be made for her.

It was no coincidence Valerie was hand-picked by Pym. It would seem Pym had done his homework and learned she had stellar talent when it came to stealing coveted and iconic art. Ironically, Pym loved priceless art. While Valerie's ‘job’ proved to be nerve-wracking, what made it worse was her soulless partner in crime, Steven Haas (Gregor). Valerie maintained certain standards. Under no circumstances would she kill any of the victims subjected to their life of thievery. Sadly, when forced to make the choice between freedom and killing a witness at the behest of Gregor, Valerie raised her Beretta, pointed and shot. With no time to waste, she grabbed the Rembrandt and was gone in the wind...

What I always find fascinating about a superbly written crime series is the non-stop twists and turns of plot that begins on page one and continues to ramp and accelerate with the turn of each page. Susan Fleet has mastered this concept. From the onset of Natalie’s Art, there is a ‘come hither’ nuance that Fleet pens through word placement that translates to: 'Hold on, pay attention, you’re about to go on an amazing adventure!' Ms. Fleet adeptly applies a unique personality for each of her characters to assume and own; yet, she leaves a bit up to the imagination of her reader to fill in the blanks toward finishing touches. The pace and tone is set immediately in Natalie’s Art and the subject matter is interesting. The dialogue is crisp and without question, believable. The plot? Well, who doesn’t like a twisting and turning plot that focuses on the ‘kidnapping’ of iconic works of breathtaking art? Fleet’s backdrop places the reader teetering back and forth between two continents, oceans apart and confidently sets credible scenery in each set up that supports the non-stop action. This is the fifth book in her Frank Renzi crime series. What Natalie’s Art did for me was to convince me to take a wander back to the beginning of this series and read the first four leading up to this one! Well done Ms. Fleet. I look forward to your next novel.

Quill says: Natalie’s Art is a fast-paced, action-packed read that will have you cheering for the bad guy (girl, in this case) as much as the cop who’s life mission it is to catch his alluring thief!

Book Review - Jackpot: A Frank Renzi Mystery

Jackpot: A Frank Renzi Mystery

By: Susan Fleet
Publisher: Music and Mayhem Press
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9847235-5-3
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 25, 2013

For anyone who loves the gritty, the witty, and perfect descriptions that lure the reader in and make them feel as if they’re standing on-site literally being witness to a crime, Author Susan Fleet has continually given this ‘gift’ to thrill lovers with each novel. This time around, the magician has decided to lead readers back in time - offering a prequel to her Frank Renzi stories so that everyone can see how his transformation, love and hate of the job, and his pure dedication came about.

Feeling like a big screen movie, the curtains part and we begin with an elderly lady living in Chatham, Massachusetts. Her TV has just gone on the fritz and she’s waiting for the cable man to arrive. Sadly, her cable guy just happens to be a brutal killer with a strange mission - taking out winners of the Lottery.

Switching to Boston Homicide Detective Frank Renzi, readers get a look at Frank’s personal life. He’s not exactly in a marriage set in Paradise, seeing as Frank spends a great deal of time having an affair with Gina, a newspaper reporter who is also married.

Frank becomes the lead Detective on the ‘Lottery Killer’ case and is more than frustrated because no progress is being made; this is one killer who’s very hard to figure out.

Readers meet up with a new character, Nigel Heath. Nigel’s life is a bit frustrating; he’s desperately trying to land the job of conductor with the Boston Pops and wants nothing more than to impress Vicky -  the woman he loves. Unfortunately, his gambling addiction is his downfall. Buying a lottery ticket on the off chance he’ll become a millionaire, Nigel has more than a little luck that leads him straight into the path of an uncompromising killer.

Fleet has done another superb job of bringing her surroundings and her characters to life. In fact, there will be some readers who may never take a chance on the Lottery again. Characters you have fallen in love with open the doors to their past, where they’re not all that nice at times. The reader will want to help them, hurt them, and sometimes yell at them; but, in the end, they will come to terms with Renzi’s past and be eager for another Susan Fleet novel in their future.

Quill says: Prequel’s are risky in a tremendously great series, but Fleet (not a surprise) has pulled it off with style!