FalconClaw: Pieces

Holed up in a mansion in Montreal, Philly Cop Bones Sullivan is still recovering from a grotesque leg injury after taking down a deranged killer. Not wanting to return to Philadelphia, Bones is visited by his late partner, Frank Collazo. His dead partner has a message for him... "A storm is coming."

Back in Philly, Detective Robert Brooks has a chance meeting with a Ukrainian woman who fled the war with Russia after being separated from her sister and father. The unlikely pair were never meant to be together, however, and the end of their relationship would finally convince Bones to return home.

A Russian Oligarch wannabe, Anatoly Smirnov, obsessed with a building called The Beury and the celebrity of Bones Sullivan, will stop at nothing to have it all. And then there's Anatoly's brother, Leviticus, and his hero, Ivan Sokolov, both seeking Anatoly's atonement and a final reunion on the River Moyka.

Editorial Review: Criminal Activity Blog: Elias J. McClellan - Crime Writer

FalconClaw: Pieces is Michael Cook's sixth book following the men and women of Philadelphia's 39th District. However, if you think you know what to expect, get ready for a bumpy ride. The only two constants in Cook's world are the 39th and change.

Pieces opens in Russia, with the voice of a child. Lev recounts his life, home, and family. The tragedy, history, and family dynamics introduced on those first pages run through FCP like the Neva Delta that courses around Lev's Kamenny Island home. The final line of the prologue sets the tone for the rest of the book, with a healthy dose of foreboding.

We meet Detective Robert Brooks at the scene of a suspected suicide at a high-rise construction site with a steeped history. As it quickly becomes apparent that the death is no suicide, Brooks is seized by an all-too-familiar dread. He also recognizes a challenge in the retouched graffiti spanning multiple floors of the building. Someone is calling Brooks' fellow detective, Jon "Bones" Sullivan, back to Philadelphia.

Over six books, spanning 50 years, the FalconClaw series has evolved from cozy to police procedural to psychological thriller. The Philadelphia detectives in Cook's novels have hunted killers while battling gender discrimination, antiquated procedures, and deeply personal ghosts of every variety. And when one detective falls, another steps up to carry on the fight.

This legacy of police work permeates FCP. It is what draws Bones Sullivan back from rehabilitation (from wounds suffered in the previous FC book). But just as the legacy of dedicated police permeates FCP, so does the dread introduced in the first pages.

As in life-or the gritty streets of Philadelphia-no one is safe. Our villain, an aspiring Russian Oligarch, demonstrates this early and often. However, it is a challenging loss in the first third of the book that punctuates the lethal uncertainty our protagonists face.

Which leads me to a disclaimer of sorts. Cook's work has evolved along with his subject matter. Real-world events and people cycle through his books, and so does real-world horror. This is the most violent book yet in the series, and while there is no explicit sexual violence, the physical violence is graphic and sticks with you.

Ultimately, though, this is a story of rising beyond loss and living beyond trauma. Everyone in this story has lost someone or some part of themselves. And most rise above their pain and trauma with resilience and a commitment to carry on from those who have gone before. Cook gives us no neat/clean solutions. Bad things happen. Good people stand up to face the bad and salvage some good from it. That is the best any story can represent.

FalconClaw: Pieces is a thriller complete in 489 fast pages. And, as always, with Cook, it is an entertaining read.