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It's been five years since the death of his wife and young son, but Terry Orr is still obsessed with finding Raymond Weisz, the man he believes was responsible for their death. That obsession is always beneath the surface, even as Terry tries to move on with his life and put the past behind him. Terry is raising his precocious 15-year-old daughter Bella on his own and has moved toward being a better parent than he was in the first several years after the incident. As the book opens, a local restaurateur and good friend by the name of Leo Mallard dies. His last request is that Terry find his former wife Loretta, who he feels has cheated him out of a lot of money. Terry, his girlfriend Julie Gaida, Bella, and their family friend Dennis Diddio go to New Orleans to attend Leo's funeral. Out of the blue, Terry receives a fax that Raymond Weisz's mother has died. He immediately flies back to New York, feeling certain that Raymond will attend his mother's funeral and that he can confront the man who has ruined his life. His obsession is so great that he does not realize that he has again let down those who care about him -- Julie, with whom he is beginning to open up, Bella, Diddio and not least of all, Leo, whose funeral he does not attend. Just as it seems that Terry is going to follow the exact same path he has for the past five years and continue to be consumed by the past, he is faced with a startling revelation, one that changes everything that he has thought and believed to be true about his life and the lives of his loved ones. How he handles this new information leads to a riveting portrayal of a man whose entire belief system has to change. Although less eloquently written than the first two books in the series, TRIBECA BLUES is much stronger in terms of plot and characterization than the earlier books. Terry has grown beyond his all-consuming fixation and seems willing to accept the help that he needs to face the future with optimism. There are a few sub-plots which felt tacked on to make the plot more complex, including tracking down some money transactions involving Leo and his ex-wife Loretta. In my opinion, these threads distracted from the main narrative, which was very strongly delivered. In particular, the final resolution of the Weisz showdown was extremely powerful. As always, Fusilli masterfully describes the New York setting, its residents still shaken by the events of 9/11. At the end, it is suggested that maybe now Terry can become a 'real' private investigator. It will be interesting to see if Fusilli takes the character in that direction after having spent three books in dealing with the family deaths and finding Weisz. Whichever way he goes, I'll be right there with him.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, September 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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