Shutter Man

By: Richard Montanari

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Plagued with a rare disease that prevents him from recognizing faces, Billy carries a photograph in his pocket that is his only way of identifying his next target. Killing is in Billy's bloodline, as a member of Philadelphia's dangerous Farren crime family.

While Billy stalks Philadelphia, Detective Kevin Byrne is assigned to a series of bizarre home-invasion cases and is joined by his former partner-turned-assistant district attorney, Jessica Balzano. Their investigations circle Byrne's childhood neighborhood of Devil's Pocket, and they find themselves revisiting a crime from Byrne's past that has haunted him for decades. What Byrne witnessed as a child in Devil's Pocket jeopardizes the Farren family -- which makes him the next target on Billy's hit list. A multigenerational story of hardship, guilt, and redemption, Shutter Man is Byrne and Balzano's most tense and personal case to date.

One of The New York Times's 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016

Critic reviews

One of the New York Times Book Review's Best Crime Novels of 2016

"There's a lot of flawed humanity in Devil's Pocket. . . . Richard Montanari's elegiac tone takes the curse off Shutter Man, a blood-drenched thriller about a group of imperfectly domesticated boys who came from the same blighted neighborhood and grew up to become criminals and killers-and cops. . . . Pay special mind to Detective Kevin Byrne, the ethically conflicted hero of Montanari's gripping police procedurals."—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"A bit like Memento for Philadelphia"—Keri Blakinger, New York Daily News

Meh.

Kind of a rambling and convoluted story. It could have been a tighter story without all the deep dives into the characters psyches; just too much at times and it became dull.

I love a book that’s setting is in my neighbourhood.

This is my 2nd book by the author and it’s narrated great. The book overall is great!

Bit of a Letdown

It was an ok read, but only ok, and have come to expect much more from a Burn Balzano book... The plot line was a bit meandering and higglety-pigglety... The different arcs making up the whole weren't very tight... The action is pretty decent, but suffers from some stop and start pacing... On a personal note, legal blindness is quite different from actual blindness and it's apparent the author doesn't understand the difference... The narration is excellent, and the ending saves what would have otherwise been a below average read... Unsure it's worth the credit or not, but it's not worth a return...

Fantastic!

Excellent book, twists and turns kept me guessing all the way. I love his books
Scott Brick is THE BEST and made the book all the more enjoyable.
This combination is a winning team

Great Series

This was very good especially with Scott Brick narrating. This is not the best storyline in the series, but Mr. Montanari never disappoints.