Hell's Kitchen (A Location Scout Mystery)

Deaver at his devious best with more twists than a mountain road. A vivid picture of a NYC "neighborhood", redevelopment, historical context and multi-generational feuds/

The cover art doesn't do this book justice. Jeffery Deaver creates a rich archectural landscape for his mystery rather than putting it in some vague cliched archetypal buildings or rooms. The blury red building with yellow lit window does not capture this richness of set and scene!All through the book not one character nor one scene is wasted. It's an extremely tight and satisfying mystery. The last thread that is tied up as a coda is perhaps one that doesn't need to be addressed. One loose end would have giving the piece complete plausability but to explain the protagonist's motivation for being such a good samaritan is unnecessary and overwritten.

John Pellam is a former stuntman and location scout filming an oral history of New York's Hell's Kitchen. While working on the documentary he meets Ettie Washington, a septuagenarian who lived in that New York City area for most of her life. They get together for several days a week where Pellam records Ettie's memories of life in Hell's Kitchen. One day on his way to see Ettie, John witnesses her building being engulfed by flames. Ettie manages to escape but gets arrested shortly thereafter on suspicion of arson and insurance fraud. The police have strong circumstantial evidence against Ms. Washington and they plan to indict her for the death of one of the building's tenants. Pellam is not convinced of her guilt and he will do everything in his power to prove her innocence.During the course of his investigation he meets several characters that show life in Hell's Kitchen. Carol Wyandotte is a pessimistic social worker that does not have any hope for the youth living in that area. Roger McKennah is a real estate developer who wants to replace the tenements with new buildings. Sonny is a pyromaniac who is burning buildings all over Ettie's neighborhood for some mysterious motive that will be made clear later in the novel. There are other secondary characters that help bring the book to life, everything from Irish gangs to male prostitutes. Everyone has a story to tell and they make sure John hears all about it.Jeffery Deaver (or William Jefferies) gives a bleak portrait of this infamous New York area. There is a sense of hopelessness and despair shown throughout the book. It has an interesting plot and it was just recently nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Paperback Mystery Novel. The author's work had certain twists and turns that surprised me as a reader. I strongly recommend this book but be warned, it is a downer. Hopefully the next book I read will lift my spirits.

Combines the right mix of imagery, character building, ... everthing. Descriptions of arson fires is spooky. A great ending. This is my first book by Jeffery Deaver, or William Jefferies - whoever he is. It won't be my last.

"Hell's Kitchen" is Jeffery Deaver's last novel in the John Pellam series. "Shallow Graves" and "Bloody River Blues" were the first two in the series. "Hell's Kitchen" is not a re-published novel like the other two, it is brand new novel, published in 2001! It was my second favorite novel out of the three. John Pellam is in Hell's Kitchen, New York, making a documentary about the people there. He meets many interesting people including Ettie Washington. Ettie agrees to meet with John again for another interview, but when John gets to her apartment building, a fire erupts out of the basement. John, Ettie, and the other tenants barely escape in time. The police and fire marshal believe that Ettie hired someone to burn down the apartment building because of Ettie's new insurance policy. Ettie goes to jail. The arsonist is on the run burning subway trains, hotels, hospitals, stores, lawyer firms, killing many people in his way. John Pellam must capture this crazy arsonist and prove Ettie's innocense with the help of gang members, punks, and powerful construction builders, before Hell's Kitchen burns into hell. If you read the first two Pellam novels, then you cannot miss this one!

For the last eight years, John Pellam has worked as a Production Scout for film companies. However, in the last three months John has rented an apartment in the east Village and is filming his first documentary centering on Ettie Washington. John visits Ettie in Hell's Kitchen, but when he arrives he finds her trapped by a fire. She manages to escape through a window and gets to he hospital, but soon the police and fire marshal arrest her believing she is a serial arsonist trying to defraud the insurance company.The police know the arsonist leaves a trademark signature and enjoys his work. They want Ettie to confess, but she insists she is innocent and never took out an insurance policy. John, who has become quite fond of Ettie, begins investigating the crime, a decision which places him in danger.Jeffrey Deaver, writing as William Jeffries, shows a different side of his abundant talent as he concentrates more on the characters than the action thrillers. He captures the essence of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen inside a fast-paced suspense novel. The relationship between John and Ettie is interesting, but the ending blind sides the reader who should have known that a Deaver by any other name is still a Deaver, which means a great reading experience.Harriet Klausner