All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard

All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard
Published By: The Story Plant
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Format: Paperback - 290 pages / Kindle - 648 KB / Nook - 694 KB
ISBN: 1611880424
ASIN: B007RE7R80
Genre: Suspense Thriller


About The Author:

Peter Leonard's debut novel, Quiver was published to international acclaim in 2008, and was followed by Trust Me in 2009, and Voices Of The Dead in 2012.

Peter Leonard lives in Birmingham, Michigan with his wife and four children.


AUTHOR WEBSITE
GOODREADS
Peter Leonard's All He Saw Was The Girl Virtual Book Tour Page On Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

PUBLISHER WEBSITE: THE STORY PLANT


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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book by the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.


Book Description:

Rome: 

McCabe and Chip, two American exchange students, are about to become embroiled with a violent street gang, a beautiful Italian girl, and a flawed kidnapping plan.

Detroit:

Sharon Vanelli's affair with Joey Palermo, a Mafia enforcer, is about to be discovered by her husband, Ray, a secret service agent.

Brilliantly plotted and shot through with wry humor, All He Saw Was The Girl sees these two narratives collide in the backstreets of Italy's oldest city.

Book Excerpt:

Sharon was thinking, who was this guy lived in a five-thousand-square-foot house – not that his taste was any good – on Lake St. Clair, had nothing but leisure time or so it seemed?

He called her four, five times a day, said, “How you doing?”

And Sharon would say, “Same as I was when you called fifteen minutes ago.”

“Baby, I miss you. Tell them you’re sick, we’ll go to the casino.” Or he’d be at the track or a Tigers day game, he’d say, “I gotta see you. Take the afternoon off, I’ll send a car.”

She’d been going out with him for three weeks and it was getting serious. They’d meet at noon, check into a hotel a couple times a week and spend two hours in bed, screwing and drinking champagne. It was something, best sex she’d ever had in her life. He did things to her nobody had ever done before. She’d say, where’d you learn that? And he’d say, you inspire me, beautiful. The only bad thing, he called her Sharona, or my Sharona. Everything else was great so she let it go.

They’d take his boat out on Lake St. Clair and she’d sunbathe topless. Something she’d never done in her life and never imagined herself doing. She felt invigorated, liberated. He always told her she looked good, complimented her outfit. Showered her with gifts, bought her clothes and jewelry. She felt like a teenager again. They’d meet and talk and touch each other and kiss. She was happy for the first time in years. She had to be careful. Ray, the next time he came home, might notice something and get suspicious.Why’re you so happy? she could hear him saying – like there was something wrong with it. 

But this relationship with Joey also made her nervous. Things were happening too fast. She was falling for him and she barely knew him, and she was married.

My Book Review:


Two narratives ... two cities ... both intertwining to provide a suspense thriller that is one heck of a roller coaster ride!

William McCabe and Charles "Chip" Tallenger III are American exchange students studying abroad at Loyola University in Rome, Italy. McCabe is from Detroit, Michigan, and is on an academic scholarship, while Chip is the spoiled rich son of U.S. Senator Charles Tallenger II from Greenwich, Connecticut. While out partying one night, Chip and McCabe steal a cab and end up locked up in Rebibbia, a hardcore Italian prison, where they cross paths with a violent street gang with mafia ties. A case of mistaken identity leads to one of the boys being kidnapped by the street gang which included a beautiful Italian girl, the ransom is paid and the boy plots to avenge the street gang and reclaim the ransom money.

Meanwhile in Detroit, Michigan, Sharon Vanelli is a lonely wife of an absent Secret Service agent, who goes to bars and seeks the company of other men. Sharon meets Joey "Swinging Joey" Palermo, a mafia lieutenant and enforcer for the Corrado mob family. Sharon and Joey's affair is soon discovered by Sharon's husband, Ray Pope. When Joey tells his father "Joe P," an underboss in the Corroda mob family, about his relationship with Sharon, and that her husband is a Secret Service agent, Joey is sent packing to Italy to stay with his uncle, Don Carlo Gennaro, who is the head of the Rome mafia, until the coast is clear. Ray is determined to track down his missing wife. Sharon follows Joey to Rome, so Ray travels to Italy where the fun is just about too begin ...

What will happen when these two narratives and cast of characters intertwine and collide in Rome?

All He Saw Was The Girl is a fast paced action packed suspense thriller that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. The author masterfully weaves a story with two intertwining narratives in alternating chapters, that easily transports the reader between Detroit, Michigan and Rome, Italy. This complex suspense thriller has enough drama, action and twist and turns that will keep the reader engaged and turning the pages to see what will happen next. I found it fascinating how the author takes the two narratives and intertwines them in a satisfying climatic fashion.

The author has created a strong cast of characters that are realistic and complex. Their different personalities and entertaining interactions are intriguing, and the author does a great job of flowing from one character to another, engaging the reader to keep up with all of the characters. What I liked best is how the author keeps the reader guessing how all the characters fit into the two intertwining narratives, until ultimately they come together to mix it up in the backstreets of Rome.

Author Peter Leonard has provided the reader with a richly detailed and tour-guide description of the beautiful ancient city of Rome, Italy. His descriptions of the famous landmarks and tourist attractions, along with a street map worthy description of the locale, easily transports the reader to Rome, where they can visualize the tantalizing sights and sounds of the city. I absolutely loved his style of describing settings in this novel, it is simply phenomenal.

I had previously been introduced to Peter Leonard's writings when I read and reviewed his novel Voices of the Dead, which I thoroughly enjoyed. When I was given this opportunity to read and review All He Saw Was The Girl, I was hoping that this novel would provide the same kind of suspense and action that I had read in the previous novel, and I can honestly say that this novel has exceeded my expectations and then some! I look forward to reading many more of his novels in the future.

If you are looking for a novel that is full of drama, suspense and enough action that volleys you back and forth from one end of the globe to the other, then All He Saw Was The Girl is the one for you! This is one suspense thriller that is a must read, you won't be disappointed!


RATING: 5 STARS *****