Book ~ "Downfall" (2021) Robert Rotenberg

From Goodreads ~ Detectives dig into the dark side of Toronto when a serial killer targets homeless people who are camped out near one of the city’s most exclusive enclaves in this latest crime thriller from bestselling author Robert Rotenberg.

Exactly what is one person’s death worth?

For decades, the Humber River Golf Course has been one of the city’s most elite clubs. All is perfect in this playground for the rich, until homeless people move into the pristine ravine nearby and tensions mount between rich and poor and reach a head when two of the squatters are brutally murdered.

The killings send shockwaves through the city and suspicion immediately falls upon the members of the club. Protests by homeless groups and their supporters erupt. Suddenly the homelessness problem has caught the attention of the press, politicians and the public. Ari Greene, now the head of the homicide squad, leaves behind his plush new office and, with his former protégé Daniel Kennicott in tow, returns to the streets to investigate. Meanwhile, Greene’s daughter, Alison, a dynamic young TV journalist, reports on the untold story of extreme poverty in Toronto.

With all the attention focused on the murders, pressure is on Greene to find the killer - now. He calls on his old contacts and his well-honed instincts to pursue the killer and save the city and the people he loves. But then a third body is found.

A riveting page-turner ringing with authenticity, "Downfall" is a scathing look at the growing disparity between rich and poor in Canada’s wealthiest city.

When a homeless man is found murdered near a ritzy golf course, no one cares.  When a second homeless person, this time a woman, is found murdered near the golf course, people start paying attention and demanding answers.  Ari, the head of the homicide squad, is in charge and he and fellow police officer Daniel are feeling the pressure as they investigate.  Ari's daughter, Alison, is a TV journalist reporting about the murders and as she gets to know a doctor who is fighting for the rights of the homeless, she becomes more involved in the cause, which may put her at odds with her dad.

This the sixth book by Rotenberg I've read and I enjoyed it.  Though it's the six in a series, it works as a stand alone because there is enough background information provided.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  I like the writing style and it moves at a good pace. 

I like that this series is set in Toronto.  The author is quite specific about the locations so I know exactly where the action is taking place and I have been to a lot of these places.  Ari enjoys Caldense Bakery, which is just north of me on Dundas Street W.  I went for a walk on Monday to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge, near where the golf course is supposed to be, and walked across the bridge on the cover of the book (about a 15 minute drive south of me).

I look forward to the next book in the series!

Book ~ "Heart of the City" (2017) Robert Rotenberg

From Goodreads ~ When Detective Ari Greene was charged with the murder of the woman he loved, he stopped at nothing to clear his name and uncover the real killer. After his acquittal, Greene fled to London to get away from it all but now he’s back. And he’s not alone - with Greene is his twenty-year-old daughter, Alison. The child he never knew he had.

Determined to leave his life as a cop behind him, Greene gets a job on a construction site for one of Toronto’s many new condos. It seems he has finally found peace as he settles into a new career and new role as a father, helping Alison adjust to life in Canada.

But when Greene stumbles upon the corpse of hated developer Livingston Fox, he is plunged back into the life he tried so hard to leave behind. As the body count rises, Greene is forced into a reluctant reconciliation with his former protégé, Daniel Kennicott. The pair must delve into the tight-knit world of downtown development, navigating tangled loyalties, unexpected corruption, and family secrets, some of which are closer to home than Greene could have ever imagined.

In a world where the stakes are high and the profits are even higher, Greene and Kennicott race against the clock as they follow the trail of blood and money to its shocking end. 

Ari Greene was a cop in Toronto.  He fled to England last year to take some time away after he'd been charged and acquitted of killing the love of his life.  While in England, he discovered he had a twenty-year-old daughter named Alison from a relationship he'd had with an Englishwoman years ago.  When he returns to Toronto with Alison, he gets a job on a construction site as a labourer.  When the developer of the site is found murdered on there, Ari can't help but get involved (the lead detective is Daniel, who Ari had mentored).  The developer wasn't well-liked so it could have been many who wanted him dead.

This the fifth book by Rotenberg I've read and I enjoyed it.  Though it's the fifth in a series, it works as a stand alone because there is enough background information provided.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  I like the writing style and it moves at a good pace.  I didn't really buy the "whodunnit" and the why but I went with it.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I like that this series is set in Toronto.  The author is quite specific about the locations so I know exactly where the action is taking place and I have been to a lot of these places.  The construction site was in the Kensington Market area, for example, as were protests.  I think I was recently at the bakery on Dundas Street where Ari and Daniel meet.  I've had lunch at the Fresh on Spadina, south of Queen where the developer had supper with his dad.

I look forward to the next book in the series!

Book ~ "Stranglehold" (2013) Robert Rotenberg

From Goodreads ~ Bestselling author Robert Rotenberg is back with his most shocking book yet, featuring Detective Ari Greene in the fight of his life.

It’s just after Labour Day and the city is kicking back into gear. All eyes are on the hotly contested election for Toronto’s next mayor and crime is the big issue. Greene is no stranger to the worst of what the city has to offer but even he is unprepared for what happens next when he stumbles upon a horrific homicide.

In one nightmare moment his world is flipped upside down. Soon he is pitted against his young protégé, Daniel Kennicott, who arrests him for first-degree murder.

Tied down on house arrest as he awaits his trial, Greene has to find a way to not only clear his name but to face some very hard truths: that he didn’t really know the people he believed in most; that there are unseen forces at work prepared to see him take the fall; and most of all, that he should never underestimate the price people will pay for love. 

Stranglehold is Rotenberg’s fourth gripping mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto, capturing audiences with his masterful knowledge of the intricacies of the criminal justice system and understanding of the emotions that make people tick.

Ari Greene is a cop and having an affair with Jennifer Raglan, a Crown prosecutor, who is married.  For the last six Monday mornings they have been meeting in a seedy motel. This would be the last time because Jennifer was going to leave her husband and they will be together.  When Ari arrives at the seedy motel, he discovers her dead.  He thinks he sees the killer running away and without thinking, he takes off after him/her.

Daniel Kennicott is the officer in charge of the investigation and, though they are friends and colleagues, he eventually arrests Ari for the murder.  What follows is the trial where Ari will either be proven innocent or sentenced to 25 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. 

This the fourth book by Rotenberg I've read and I enjoyed it.  It's the fourth in a series ... I like reading series because we get to know the characters, who I liked.  In this book, Ari is fighting for his life while grieving for his lover.  Not only has he lost his love but he could also lose his freedom.  And during all this, he is still sensitive to not hurting Jennifer's husband and three kids.  Though Daniel has arrested Ari, he is torn between being a cop and a friend when he starts to doubt that Air actually did it.  Though we don't find out who killed Jennifer until the end, it starts to become obvious whodunnit and it's interesting to find out why.

I like that it's set in Toronto.  The author is quite specific in the locations so I know exactly where the action is taking place and have been to a lot of these places.  In fact, I had attended a reading by the author in one of the locations mentioned in this book, the Deer Park Library, in September 2011.  I've been to the McDonald's at Church/Queen E where Ari seeks out Dent.  I've hung out in Daniel's College Street 'hood.  I've been to Ireland Park and have seen the sculptures commemorating the tens of thousands who fled Ireland during the Great Famine.

Book ~ "Stray Bullets" (2012) Robert Rotenberg

From Simon & Shuster Canada ~ In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world. Rotenberg’s bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connelly for Los Angeles.

In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses?

With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal wave of indignation, defense counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest and most difficult client.

But does anyone know the whole story?

Stray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg’s third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

I've read Rotenberg's first two books in this series and enjoyed them. Plus I'd heard him speak in September ... he did a reading from Stray Bullets, which at that time was still in a binder.

This books brings back characters from his last two books like Ari Greene, Daniel Kennicott and Nancy Parish. The story takes place in Toronto so I knew exactly where the action is happening. If you're not in Toronto, don't worry, you wouldn't find it annoying.

I liked this one the best of the three in the series. A child is shot and killed at a Tim Horton's downtown (at University Avenue/Dundas Street W). We think we know right away who did it and why (but do we?). In the first two books, we didn't find out until the end. It was interesting to see the twists and turns to get to the end.

We get to know the characters away from their legal roles and there is a possible romantic cliffhanger at the end.

I'd recommend this book and this series.

You can meet him on May 8 him at a free event at Indigo Books.

Here is the trailer video for the book.
And here is the author answering some fan questions.

Noon Lit with Robert Rotenberg, Deer Park Library, Toronto

At lunch time today at the Deer Park Library (St. Clair Avenue E/Yonge) as part of their Noon Lit series was author Robert Rotenberg.

Robert Rotenberg will discuss his new book The Guilty Plea. "On the morning that his sensational divorce trial is about to begin, Wyler is found stabbed to death in his kitchen. Shortly after, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Samantha, walks into her lawyer's office with a bloody knife." Is she guilty or are things not as they seem? Learn something new in the world of books and ideas in thirty minutes over lunchtime.

I'd read his two books, Old City Hall, and The Guilty Plea, earlier this year and enjoyed them so I checked it out.

Rotenberg is a criminal lawyer who has always wanted to be a writer. In today's session, he talked about his writing style, building his characters, grabbing the reader's interest, who he enjoys reading, etc.

He read from Old City Hall.

And he read from The Guilty Plea.

And he even read from The Stray Bullets, which is still in the binder and he'll be sending off next week.

There were at least 50 people in the audience. Everyone was quite interested in what he had to say and many had questions.

I like Rotenberg's books because they are a mysteries that are set in Toronto ... I've been to a lot of the places mentioned in his books. Someone asked why he writes about Toronto and he said it's because he wants people to know the real Toronto.

Book ~ "The Guilty Plea" (2011) Robert Rotenberg

From Simon & Schuster ~ Bestselling author Robert Rotenberg is back with his next razor-sharp legal thriller. Rotenberg's insider knowledge of the behind-the-scenes courtroom machinations and his mesmerizing trial scenes make this another scorching page-turner.

On the morning that his headline-grabbing divorce trial is set to begin, Terrance Wyler, youngest son of the Wyler Food dynasty, is found stabbed to death in the kitchen of his million-dollar home. Detective Ari Greene arrives minutes before the press and finds Wyler's four-year-old son asleep upstairs. When Wyler's ex-wife, a strange beauty named Samantha, shows up at her lawyer's office with a bloody knife, it looks as if the case is over.

But Greene soon discovers the Wyler family has secrets they'd like to keep hidden, and they're not the only ones. If there's one thing Greene knows, it's that the truth is never simple.

I had read Rotenberg's first novel, Old City Hall, in January and enjoyed it.

In February I was asked to review The Guilty Plea (it goes on sale on May 3, 2011) and participate in his Guilty Plea blogger tour. It gave me the chance to read Rotenberg's new book in addition to submitting questions for him to answer.

The story is in Toronto and, like the first book, I am very familiar with the locations where action takes place. In fact, I live near the hotel where Terrance Wyler's girlfriend, April, "stayed". Check out foursquare if you want to see the Toronto spots used in the book.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. It's fast-paced and doesn't drag.

It was a nice surprise to some of the characters had been brought back from the first novel like Ari Greene, Jennifer Raglan and Jo Summers ... you get to know them even more.

Here are the some of things I was curious about and the author's responses:

1. In the two books in this series, you have been obvious in using Toronto as the location. Many Canadian authors don't do this ... to attract more readers, they set their stories in the U.S. Why did you choose to make it so obvious that the story is happening in Toronto? Do you think this will deter Americans and non-Torontonians from reading the book?
   
   I think all great drama is local. Many critics say that Toronto is a character in the book. And I’m very proud of that. As for an American audience, I think if I write good books about real people in a real place, they’ll read them.
2. We learned a lot about Canada's legal and court systems in this book. How close to being true are they? Or do you take liberties?
   
   I do take small liberties but the key ideas about how our courts work are true.
   
   
3. We get to know the characters so well. Are they based on people you know?No. But, of course, they all have bits of folks I encounter. I’m glad you feel you know all my fictional friends so well.
   
4. It seems that the book is set up so there can be a sequel ... will there be?
   Many. My goal is twenty books in twenty years. I hope you stick with me.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author!

If you want to meet Robert Rotenberg, he's going to be at Indigo in the Eaton Centre on May 6 at 1pm.


I received a copy of this ebook at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Old City Hall" (2009) Robert Rotenberg

From RobertRotenberg.com ~ Old City Hall starts on a December morning in downtown Toronto, when an elderly East Indian man delivers his daily newspapers. Kevin Brace, Canada’s best-known radio personality, comes to the door of his luxury condo, blood on his hands, and whispers: “I killed her, Mr. Singh.” The ‘her’ is his young second wife, dead in the bath. One stab wound. When Brace refuses to say another word, even to his own lawyer, an apparently open-and-shut case takes on all the complexities of a full-blown murder trial.

I was attracted to this book because it is a murder mystery set in downtown Toronto.

I enjoyed the writing style. Though there are lots of pages, I found the book moved at a quick pace. As the characters were cluing in on things, I got some at the same time and others I had to wait for them to be revealed.

Since I live in Toronto, I knew most of the places he referred to in the story such as Old City Hall, the Vesta Lunch, etc. You can see them all here. At times, he went into a lot of detail about where they are and the history which I found interesting. For someone not living in Toronto or knowing the city, I could see them finding it boring and saying, "So what!? Get on with the story!"

I must say that I didn't buy the ending ... my reaction was "Are you kidding!?". There were a few ways the ending could have gone that would have been believable to me.

But aside from the ending, I enjoyed the book and will keep an eye out for Rotenberg's next novel (this was his debut).