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THE HIDDEN MAN represents a noticeable improvement over Anthony Flacco's first novel, which told the tale of the great San Francisco earthquake. It is now nine years later, in a recovering city where every San Francisco, native and visitor alike, is drawn to the 1915 World's Fair and the events that accompany it. A featured entertainer at the fair, mesmerist James Duncan, is at the center of this historical murder mystery. Performing in sold-out shows, Duncan is troubled by events from his past, and in particular, one individual who threatens his very life. A disturbing chain of events causes his paranoia to grow. With his high profile as a featured draw for the upper crust of San Francisco society, Duncan is able to pull strings at the San Francisco Police Department, requesting and receiving police protection for his shows. The magician pins his hopes on Detective Randall Blackburn to assure his safety. Yet Blackburn feels this is time and effort wasted when, in a city full of visitors, it appears a serial killer is on the loose, attacking young women. Blackburn's adopted son, Shane Nightingale (whom readers were introduced to in the first novel in the series, THE LAST NIGHTINGALE) disagrees. Nightingale senses that Duncan does have a real basis for his fear, although Duncan won't share his reasons with the detective or anyone else, leaving both father and son frustrated in their efforts to protect him and scrambling to unlock the mystery of where the threat is coming from. Much like Flacco's first book, this murder mystery is rich in local color and historical accuracy. Like the Great Earthquake chronicled in his first book, here too Flacco captures readers' imaginations with the excitement and new developments surrounding the World's Fair of 1915. Even without reading the first book, Flacco's readers will find his characters engaging. The story is perfectly enjoyable without knowing the past history of Blackburn and Nightingale, although some of it is intertwined in this story. Where Flacco has improved from his first novel is in his overall consistency and in his tying up of loose ends (although there is an obvious one in THE HIDDEN MAN). Overall, Flacco brings a more mature and developed sensibility to this novel, and "if practice makes perfect," then Flacco's third book is sure to be a charm.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, July 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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