Headstone City
By Tom Piccirilli
Bantam Books,
Isbn# 10-0-553-58721-8

Meet Johnny Danetello, ex-con, haunted by the spirit of a young woman who died in the back of his cab.  Angie was born into an old New York crime family, the Monticelli's, and they blame him for her death. "Dane" has more than one mystery in his life; how did his father really die? What form of death awaits him at the hands of the Monticelli family? What does his old friend, Vinny, really want? How does he cope with the confusions and betrayals, the morass of secrets, and stay alive?

Vinny Monticelli and Dane were a team, best friends who suffered a life-altering accident years ago. Dane was left with the ability to see ghosts. Vinny can see alternate futures and shape them, choosing between three possibilities to gain the best outcome. His family has put a price on Dane's head, but Vinny is ambiguous, alternately threatening and ignoring his old friend. There will be a reckoning, soon, or Dane will die at the hands of an assassin. Will it be engineered by Vinny, or will the old friends face off? Who will escape, and who will be killed?

This novel is a dark, fast-paced journey into the crime-noir genre that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The book starts out with an attempted murder and the pace doesn't let up throughout the novel.

Mr. Piccirilli's writing style is intelligent, intense and insightful, filled with attention to detail and emotions that ring true. Moody, strong writing and deep character development make you feel the tale, and the tight action and strong dialog keep you turning the pages. The emotions of the living and the dead, their faults and their needs, bring these characters close to the reader. We care what happens to them. The ending of the book is solid, following the emotional development of the characters to its logical conclusion and leaving the reader with a sense of a tale well told. This is one of Mr. Piccirilli's best novels yet. Don't miss it.

Visit Mr. Piccirilli's web site, Epitaphs, at www.tompiccirilli.com.