The Innocents

by Richard Barre

Book Overview

When a flash flood uncovers the grave of seven murdered children, scarce clues and media attention hamper the investigation, but private eye Wil Hardesty digs deeper to find the killer. Reprint. K. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425161099
• ISBN13: 9780425161098
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

What price children?

This is the first of the Wil Hardesty series. It involves one of those 'flashback' stories of seven children murdered 20 years earlier. Hardesty, filled with debilitating remorse over the death of his own son, is, through a series of events and conversations, asked to help find their killer. The only clue available is a religious medal given by the father of one of the boys, a few days before the boy was lost. Wil suffers through his own angst, an ability to irritate the local police, his alcoholism, and his failing marriage to come up with a chain of clues, some right, and some horribly wrong. I have read all of Barre's Wil Hardesty novels. He is a beautiful wordsmith, and in previous reviews I have added that he reminds me of James Lee Burke and James Dickey. It's a wonderful canvas he places his characters upon. The whole series is excellent. I might add with Parker or perhaps DeMille, it is uneccessary to start at the beginning. With Barre it may be a little a little easier.

BAD THINGS AND GOOD PEOPLE

It's long been known both in the real and literary world that bad things do happen to good people. In Richard Barre's THE INNOCENTS, yes, depressing things do happen; it amazes me that some reviewers found the book such a downer. I found it a tense and credible look at a very different PI, Wil Hardesty, who finds himself investigating the most heinous of crimes. He doesn't deliberately endanger the lives of his friends, and yes, he does have a cross to bear in the tragic loss of his son. In this debut novel, Wil is up against a powerful tycoon who donates lots of money to a church; the charismatic priest who will do anything to get money for his mission and to further his own "saintliness", and some tragic events that lead to the deaths of some of Wil's friends. Hardboiled yet sensitive, painfully realistic and a darn good read.

A must read for lovers of the mystery genre

Richard Barre is an incredible wordsmith. When reading about his California, I can almost hear the ocean, and feel the warm breezes. His main character, Wil Hardesty is man struggling with his own past, in particular, the death of his young son. This adds a depth to the charecter usually not found in books sbout PI's.This book, the first in the series, starts with the discovery of seven bodies. Childrens bodies. Hardesty is hired to discover who they are and why they are there. Barre writes with a passion, and it shows. The investigative technique is right on, and the book draws you in fast. This is a series any one who calls themself a fan of mysteries should read ...

SUPERB book. Hard to believe it's a first effort.

THIS WRITER IS GOOD. Several times I'd picked this book up and put it down because of the synopses I'd read - surfer private investigator and such. This private eye has been very poorly misrepresented. Think of Wil Hardesty as a cross between early Spenser and Harry Bosch. Yes, he does surf but I won't get into that here because reading the book will put it into perspective for you. Mr. Barre's characters are tight and very original. Had to read the last 100 pages in one sitting as I couldn't put the book down. Highest recommendations for this book.