City of the Sun: A Novel

City of the Sun: A Novel
by David Levien

City of the Sun: A Novel
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Book Summary Information

Author: David Levien
Edition: Hardcover
Published: 2008-02-26
ISBN: 0385523661
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Doubleday

Book Reviews of City of the Sun: A Novel

Book Review: Good premise but falls apart toward the end
Summary: 3 Stars

I must agree with those who pointed out how "by-the-numbers" certain aspects of this book appear to anyone who has read more mature authors within the same genre. Still, with an unusual but well crafted premise, interesting characters, and an investigation that, once set in motion, overcomes one obstacle after another, this was a four star book all the way to the last few chapters.

Perhaps it was the screenwriter background in Levien that precipitated the unnecessarily adventurous and violent action scene at the end of the story. However, what was meant as a climactic finish comes across as not only contrived, but also beyond the limit of the most elastic of credibilities. What's worse, once the reader's "I-believe" button ceases to work, he cannot fail to realize how illogical and out of character the behavior of both the investigator and his employer have been in previous scenes as well as the final one.

Undoubtably, Frank Behr has promise, but he's still work in progress. I hope his next outing will provide the reader with auxiliary characters that are a little deeper than cardboard cutouts and a less violent but more logical climax.

Summary of City of the Sun: A Novel

Riveting suspense in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly, City of the Sun introduces retired detective Frank Behr—an imposing, charismatic former cop who agrees to take the case of a boy who’s been missing for over a year.

Jamie Gabriel gets on his bike before dawn to deliver newspapers in his suburban Indianapolis neighborhood. He is twelve years old. Somewhere en route, as the October sky lightens, he vanishes without a trace.
Fourteen months later, Paul and Carol Gabriel are on the verge of abandoning all hope. Crushed by frustrating dead ends and exhausted by a police force that cannot (or will not) find their son, the Gabriels finally find a ray of hope: the name of an elusive private investigator who may represent their last chance.
Frank Behr is an enigmatic mountain of a man, a former cop who wants to help—but knows better than to give the Gabriels any hope of a happy ending. He has worked this kind of case too often. But Paul’s plea stirs up old personal demons that Behr can no longer ignore. Going against everything he fears, Behr enters into an uneasy partnership with Paul on a quest for the truth that is, in turn, dangerous … and haunting.
Richly textured and crackling with suspense on every page, City of the Sun weaves a moody narrative that hinges on the bond between a damaged detective and a lost father. From the antiseptic comforts of suburban Indianapolis to the city’s seamy underworld, David Levien introduces a private investigator as complex, idiosyncratic, and sympathetic as any in modern crime fiction. Levien is a gifted storyteller who will keep readers guessing right up until the final, explosive scene.

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