Epitaph : A Novel

by James Siegel

Book Overview

Following a dangerous string of clues, Riskin finds himself in hot pursuit of a little-known World War II criminal named Dr. Petoit, who, after promising sanctuary to hundreds of fleeing Jews in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892967129
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Worth the Wait

I read this book even after having read some of the more negative comments here (I tend to let those things influence me!) but thoroughly enjoyed it. While it might have been just a bit slow in the beginning, I think all of it was necessary to set the mood and background of the characters. The ending was unexpected. A really good read. His second book "Derailed" is even better -- another surprise ending! I can't wait for #3.

An Unexpected Surprise

This debut novel is outstanding and on so many levels: as a PI story, as a treatise on aging and for the sheer fun of the author's use of the English language. Skillfully and thoughtfully written with many unexpected twists, my fervent hope is for Epitaph to become the summer sleeper hit. Don't miss this one.

Captivating

I was captivated by this book from early on in the story. Epitaph is an awesome thriller. It is an intriguing book by all standards and is nearly impossible to put down. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense thriller. I enjoyed it more than any other book I've read in recent memory.

A spellbinder!!

James Siegel is a wonderful new talent. His first novel displays great writing and plotting along with a contant sense of threat to William, its septagenarian protagonist, that is at first low-key, but builds to terrifying levels as the story develops. This novel is much, much more than a detective story. It's stunningly compelling first-rate fiction.

A winner

Nearly eighty, retired private detective William Riskin goes to the nearby off track betting parlor to sweep the floor, read a throwaway newspaper, and place a bet or two. As he reads the obituaries, he finds the name of his former partner Jean Golblum. Jean, a war hero and concentration camp survivor, William, and Santini formed the Three Eyes Detective Agency in which they backed each other up and finished all cases. William has never forgotten that Jean assigned him to watch a cheating wife. However, the spouse was William's wife doing it with Santini. Though the agency stayed together, it was never the same.William attends the funeral in which only the deceased's landlord arrives. William receives some junk from the landlord and soon realizes that his former partner was on a final case that he never completed. Honor makes William continue the investigation, but as he follows Jean's list of names with addresses, none match up except an obscure post card. Though seemingly futile, William continues to dig deeper and begins learning things he does not want to know about.EPITAPH is a unique and entertaining investigative story in which the lead character struggles with his mental faculties to concentrate on the case. William makes the story because he is handicapped by his aging body and mind, but he keeps plugging away. Though the use of flashbacks proves bewildering and makes the story line difficult to follow at times, James Siegel has written an intriguing tale that hopefully is the start of more inquiries by William.Harriet Klausner