Book Review: Stream of Death

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Stream of Death     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Bill Stackhouse
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Ed McAvoy # 1
Poisoned Pen, Feb 2001, $23.95, 226 pp.

In 1943 Sicily, Nazi Colonel Meitner knows the Italian army will collapse and the allies will easily defeat the few German units. When the battle is engaged, the action goes as expected by Meitner. However, before retreating from the island, he pays his respects to La Contessa Sophia Campi, a person he believes is part of the resistance. Without a word he kills Sophia and takes her diamond pendant jewel. Not long afterward, Sophia's brother Vittoria Gianelli arrives to learn that his beloved sibling was executed and vows a vendetta.

Over five decades later, Ulster County, New York police chief Ed McAvoy enjoys his life in the Catskills. However, his idyllic lifestyle takes a back seat starting with the discovery of a dog digging up a diamond pendant that Mafia Don Vittoria reads about in the Ashokan Register. The Don knows that his vendetta will finally begin. For Ed, the pendant leads to the difficult investigation of a murder of a senior citizen and the demands of the Don to return what is a family heirloom.

STREAM OF DEATH is an enjoyable regional mystery that links events over five decades apart. The well-written story line works because the minor subplots bring depth to the cast, making the key players seem genuine. In his debut novel, Bill Stackhouse writes like an old pro stacking his chances for success with this phenomenal police procedural that combines a hard-boiled investigation with that of a regional cozy.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner