The Wolfman

this novel is an excellent read and is better written than 99% of the junk that's on the bestseller's list. mr. pekearo's untimely death is a tragedy for all of us who love gritty, intelligent crime novels. coen brothers could make an excellent movie from this book.

I won't bother to summarize the plot of this book as others have already done that in their reviews. I did not expect to enjoy reading this book so much and almost past it over in the library. I am very glad that I didn't. I was hooked from the very beginning and was very pleased that the author chose to end the book so well. It was a joy to read from the moment I picked up and it saddens me that Nicholas Pekearos' life was taken at such a young age.

I bought this book after reading articles about it and the author's death. Said articles made the book sound cheesy - "a detective werewolf who solves crime by night" - the sort of thing I'd expect to see on Mystery Science Theater 3000. I'd read about the tragedy of who the author was killed shortly after this book's publishing deal was signed and how there was already interest in a possible movie deal. I had to get the book to see if it was good, or it if all was hype. The book is great. From the minute I started reading the prologue, I couldn't stop reading. The "detective werewolf" descriptor isn't quite accurate but I've no interest in going further than that for fear of spoiling any of the story. The characterization was amazing and the dialogue real. It's a wonderful glimpse into corruption within small town, and every once in a while small parts jump out at you that say, "That was gonna show up in a future sequel." My only complaint was that I figured out who the villain was with 100 pages to spare - but I didn't figure everything out, there were still many surprises I didn't expect, and the climax was impressive and satisfying. I'm very thankful I got this book. And, selfishly, I'm heartbroken the hands and mind that brought this book won't be responsible for followups to it. There's so much more could be done with this character and his world, but I don't know if anyone else would do it justice. If you love detective fiction, or a good bit of noir mixed with horror, pick this up.

Discharged by the Army after serving as a grunt in Nam, Marlowe Higgins lives in Evelyn near the Ivy River just a spider's web outside of Tennessee. He earns a poor man's living making hamburgers at Frank's greasy spoon make that restaurant as he needs the below poverty level position. Once a month Marloew feels schizoid because he relishes yet fears the full moon when he, like his antecedents before him, turns into a werewolf. He also investigates malicious crimes as a form of sublimation to abate his guilt over killing innocent people during his blood disorder frenzy although Marlowe tries to target killers when he turns wolf albeit not always successfully. A particularly vicious serial killer has begin horrifically murdering people; the media calls this psychopath the Rose Killer for potting flowers in eye sockets of victims. Higgins begins investigating this predator with plans to rip his throat out when he finally hunts him down. This engaging paranormal serial killer thriller is an entertaining tale that werewolf fans and investigative vigilante readers will appreciate as the hero seems genuine especially when he agonizes over killing an innocent. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action, but it is Higgins who makes the horror crime thriller work as fans will empathize with his plight while wondering whether we sympathize with the devil. Sadly, Mr. Nicholas Pekearo was killed in 2007 while on duty as a NYPD auxiliary police officer. Harriet Klausner

Marlow Higgins is a Werewolf, and every full moon he kills someone, since being dishonorably discharged after a tour in Vietnam, he has moved from town to town, and been in and out of prison. Marlow decides at last to only kill evil people during the full moon. He settles in the small town of Evelyn, and makes friends friends with Daniel Peace, a Police Detective. A serial killer known as the Rose Killer, comes to town, and is brutally murdering young girls. Marlow decides to track the Rose Killer, and make him his next victim, but on the night of the next full moon, everything goes wrong. Marlow is full of guilt, and he isn't quite sure what happened on the night of the full moon, because the Rose Killer is still alive and the Wolf can't seem to scent him or track him. But the Rose Killer is closer to Marlow than he realizes. This book is part horror, part crime fiction. The author of this book, Nicholas Pekearo was killed in the line of duty, and this is his first published novel. I am truly honored that I was able to read it.