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13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Hooked on this Dynamite Debut Novel! Hooked on Bianco! Nov 29, 2011
By Betty L. Dravis
"BETTY DRAVIS, author/reviewer"
If there's any book I like better than one with a surprise ending, it's a thriller with a double surprise at the end--two startling moments that make me gasp out loud. And that's exactly what author Brian Bianco delivers with Dressed for a Kill.
Bianco hooked me from the exciting prologue when a woman is going into hiding following the vicious rape and murder of her precious daughter where she was almost killed herself.
When the author moves eight years ahead to another rape/murder trial where two guilty-as-sin young men get acquitted of the vicious crimes--only to be found dead shortly thereafter from death by crossbow--I'm irretrievably involved in this unique, complicated plot...just as surely as is Chicago Tribune reporter Miles Fischer.
The entire town of Tweeksbury feels that the men are guilty and knows they got off simply because the wealthy, manipulative father of one of the "accused" hires the best defense attorneys. Once again, money wins a case, setting murderers free to wreak more suffering on the innocent...
The curious reporter becomes suspicious when he discovers two more cases similar to the one in Tweeksbury, and when looking back on an unrelated interview he had recently held, he thinks he knows who the killer is. Fischer is ambitious and wants to scoop the other papers on this story. Knowing this story would "make" his career, he talks his editor into allowing him to follow his hunches, which eventually take him to Seattle, Washington.
To complicate the plot, the FBI gets involved and the enraged father also hires a private investigator to find his son's killer. Fischer is besieged from all sides to tell what he knows. When he refuses to co-operate and plays a cat-and-mouse game with them, more hell breaks loose.
Reminiscent of James Patterson, one of my favorite authors, Bianco certainly knows how to weave a captivating story. He tugs at his readers' heart-strings while making them scream for justice. At the same time, he has a realistic back-story about Fischer's spousal problems that cause him to turn to a sympathetic co-worker. Luckily for all, she becomes a vital help-mate in solving these crimes.
Are Fischer's instincts accurate about the person he suspects? What does the local law enforcement fail to find at the "crossbow" crime scene? What does the investigator find there? How does this end up helping? How does Fischer's wife react to his going out of town on yet another story?
But most important, what happens in the end to make me gasp in surprise?
Bianco answers those questions and many more in this complex tale of revenge with a twist! Like I said, he's a master plotter... He also has pitch-perfect pacing, lots of exciting action, and his writing reads smoothly. His characters are realistic. So realistic, in fact, that I feel like I know them and really care what happens to the "good guys" and am panting to see the "bad guys" get what's coming to them.
Kudos to Brian Bianco on his debut novel... I hope he continues to write because he could become one of the great literary forces of our time.
Reviewed by Betty Dravis, November 29, 2011
Author of "Star Struck: Interviews with Dirty Harry and Other Hollywood Icons"
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Dressed for a Kill, loved it! Aug 14, 2010
By C. Morris
"Brian's novel Dressed for a Kill is a page turner! I loved the character Miles Fishcer. A reporter for the Chicago Tribune who learns that the rape and murder trial he just attended is not just another story. His curiousity is 'tweeked' (as was mine) when the FBI question him to find out what he has uncovered. Why does this particular murder in Tweeksbury resemble two other murders. Coincidence? I couldn't wait to find out, The twists and turns had me peeling back the pages. Loved it!!"
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
An engaging and absorbing read Aug 01, 2011
By MK
There's no point in retelling the story of this novel since you can read it above or below my review so why bore you with what has already been said. Instead, I will tell you what I thought of the author's book and his style of writing.
I really liked this book and the characters portrayed between the pages. The characters are well developed and stand out in my opinion, from Miles, the main character down to those who played minor roles. Though there are many quality characters in this book, I personally liked the character Shawn O'Shea, the owner of the bar that Bruno Carboni frequents. Bruno himself is a very interesting character. An ex-cop turned private investigator who is angry at the world if not those in his personal life. I also liked the character, Brooke Whitney, a college student studying law. The author's use of dialogue was snappy and certainly drove the relationship between her and Miles.
Dressed for a Kill has all the elements of a good novel: a very interesting central plot, the numerous sub-plots that were vital to the main storyline and brought together at the end, interesting relationships between the characters, characters that come across as being real with real life struggles, dialogue that has purpose, and a surprise ending. This book really kept me interested from start to finish. It was extremely well paced and flowed nicely to a conclusion that even I didn't anticipate. Every chapter ended in such a way that you just had to keep reading. Personally, I always break a book down into three equal parts, the beginning, the middle and the end. The beginning chapters did exactly what they were supposed to do. They introduced the main characters, the premise of what the story was about and where it was headed and that's where it grabbed me. The middle of the book didn't drag like it can and sometimes does in a lot of books. Instead, the author progressed the plot, peeling back the layers of the main characters like the layers of an onion to expose more of who they were and what made them tick. He introduced some interesting minor characters that added value to the story, hence the bartender and the college student. In the last third of the book, the author brought it all together, intertwining the twists and turns that left me guessing as to what was what until the very end. What the author accomplished is there were no dead chapters, worthless dialogue or a narration that left me wanting to skip pages. Instead, everything contained within the book had a purpose.
If I had to pick one thing that stands out in this novel it's definitely the plot. The plot is extremely well developed and is definitely unique. That part was very evident and enjoyable because it seemed so real, which made it all the more interesting. That's where the author's style comes in. It was the way he told the story, the style in which he related events and wove them altogether that really had me. And the end, that was the surprise. I never would have guessed it. Maybe there's a sequel here for the future since the author left you guessing as to what the real truth really is. If you love a good murder mystery then I suggest you buy this book. From a purely personal point of view, it was worth it.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Dressed for a Kill by Brian Bianco Oct 01, 2010
By PeterH
Dressed for a Kill, Brian Bianco's first novel, is a suspense / thriller with all the elements: a light read but complex storyline, fast pace, plot twists, and a slick cover. Yet while interesting and enjoyable in places, this is not as rewarding a read as it could be.
The surprise acquittal of two accused lowlifes for a grisly rape and murder outrages a small Idaho town. But investigative reporter Miles Fischer, who's spent three weeks in the boonies covering the trial, is already back in Chicago when someone executes the acquitted men, with a crossbow, no less. This arouses Fischer's curiosity. A little digging, with the help of his attractive assistant, reveals two similar cases of acquitted rapist / murderers killed by crossbows within the past eight years. The Idaho incident appears to be no simple, one-off case of vigilantism. Fischer digs some more and discovers enough truths to write an article linking the three cases.
His article draws the unfriendly attention of two FBI agents who want him to back off but also share his information. He also receives a crossbow arrow in the mail, from the killer no doubt, intended to scare him from further investigation. These have the opposite effect. While the Tribune is reluctant at first to support continuing the story, out safety concerns, they give way. His pregnant wife, the FBI agents who agitate his First Amendment principles, the angry father of one of the crossbow victims in Idaho and his hired private detective, present more challenging obstacles. Doggedly, often clumsily and tactlessly, Fischer forges ahead, soliciting the aid of his superiors, colleagues, old friends, incidental strangers, and in the end even the FBI.
The climactic action takes place in Seattle where Fischer establishes himself at a hotel. Information comes in from various sources and Fischer ventures out to track down the rest. To do so independently, he must elude the ever-present FBI agents, who are no match for his bag of evasion tricks, and circumvent a private investigator who is cleverer than the Feds. In Seattle some things become clearer, others murkier, but eventually come together at the end.
The trade-off for such an involved plot, of course, is flat, stereotyped, sometimes cartoonish characters--lewd and remorseless rapists, cigar-chewing and First Amendment spouting journalists, overbearing FBI agents--and a heavy reliance on coincidence or chance. Even the protagonist seems more an agent of the plot for much of the story than a character in himself.
But he is a character. A bit of a jerk, but an infectiously tolerable one, due to his childish, almost Forrest Gump-like simplicity. Other than his communication with strong women, things come relatively easily to Miles as he pilots us through the plot. He faces resistance but people eventually cooperate, and Miles never faces any setback or resistance that lasts longer than one or two chapters. If the receptionist at the exclusive club refuses to tell him about a member, well then the quirky daughter of the owner shows up to supply all the information he wants. Why? Because of his good looks? His charm? To get herself in the newspaper? I don't know and I have to admit this lack of motivation for helping this out-of-town reporter--common with many of the characters--bothered me. Everything and everyone seems geared toward helping Miles in his quest for the truth.
Everyone except his pregnant wife, Erin, who is in the hospital after a bathtub accident. In a scene of escalating tension, the crux of their marital issues comes to the surface in a loud argument out of which Miles gains his freedom to pursue the story but at an emotional price:
"Miles stood quietly in the hallway, just outside Erin's door, the elevator only seconds away. He was breathing heavily. He could see the nurse, the few visitors who were there, and some of the patients leaning out of doorways and into the hall, staring at him from both ends. They were glaring in his direction, concerned with the intrusive commotion that had abruptly ended from behind the door. He felt deeply embarrassed and ashamed, having shared the most intimate details of his marriage with complete strangers. Go back and apologize, his conscience was telling him. Seconds passed as he paced back and forth, thinking feverishly as to what to do. Do I apologize or should I just leave? He paused and looked at the closed door, where, unbeknownst to him, Erin was experiencing the first signs of labor pain. The hell with it! He decided to leave and headed for the elevators and his black Jimmy waiting in the parking lot. He would not apologize. He had finally said what needed to be said."
It's a convenient method of getting Erin out of the way to set up the rest of the story but since the drama comes first, the execution is satisfying. More of this would have enhanced the story.
Aside from his marriage, though, never once did I sense any menace surrounding the protagonist who seems too protected. No feeling that something truly dangerous is at stake. No thriller aspect. Whenever Fischer faces any resistance at all, the reader encounters an unexpected solution. A Mercedes Browne, for example, who pops up to provide a key piece of unsolicited information key to the plot. Such devices, while expected in genre novels, strain my willingness to suspend disbelief.
The novel does suffer from a lack of diligent editing; the prose, while generally fluid and readable, still seems bloated. The dialogue clips along but much of could be shortened. Many turn into extended arguments that lead to no resolution (i.e. the exchanges between Miles and the FBI) or an unrealistically thorough interview extended to ensure everything comes out and nothing's held back (i.e. the exchange between Miles and Ned in chapter 34 and between Miles and Brooke in chapter 36).
In fact, the entire novel could benefit from a round or two of ruthless cutting of excess narration. The prime targets would be all instances of authorial intrusion, exchanges in which characters explain almost verbatim things the reader had read earlier, and unnecessary naming and descriptions of minor characters that appear only once.
One notable exception is the exposition early in the story that summarizes the archival information about the previous crossbow crimes reads nicely. It's much tighter than most of the novel and a pleasant read, supplying essential information while moving the story along.
I found the first two-thirds of the novel markedly better edited than the last third. The final scenes rush by with plenty of telling but little showing. There is also an increase in niggling proofing errors such as wrongly placed apostrophes and missing hyphens; the pace of the story does ensure they do not impede the reading. I sense a rush to get to the end of the writing and to publish, a temptation first-time novelists need to learn to resist.
Overall, the story is entertaining, even if the motivation of the characters isn't always plausible. The author shows a knack for disseminating the plot in easily digestible chunks that keep one reading. Fans of the genre can probably overlook the issues noted above but I hope that, in his next effort, Mr. Bianco does not. Dressed for a Kill contains enough promise to indicate that's possible.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A good read with lots of action throughout the entire book. Mar 04, 2010
By M. Lignor
A debut novel with a very strong plot and interesting characters. A good read with lots of action throughout the entire book.
Miles Fischer, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune is assigned to cover a trial in a small town. The defendants were accused of perpetrating a horrendous crime of rape and murder of two teenage girls. They were career criminals who had been in jail most of their lives. One, an orphan with no family, and the other the son of a very wealthy man who ignored his son. The trial had gone on for three weeks and finally was given to the jury, who deliberated four days. Their lawyers were provided by the wealthy father and the men were found not guilty due to a lack of evidence. The townspeople were up in arms but were powerless to do anything about it. Very soon after, the two men were drinking in a local bar and harrassing the help. As they were leaving the bar they were both killed by the arrows from a crossbow and left lying in the muddy parking lot. Later, Miles becomes suspicious when he researches murders by crossbow and discovers two more cases resembling this one. He believes that this is not a coincidence and thinks that he has met the crossbow killer in an unrelated incident involving an interview he is sent on in Seattle. The FBI zeroes in on Miles and comes to him for help which Miles refuses to give, wanting to keep the BIG story and all the glory included for himself. He goes to Seattle to try and intimidate people into telling him what he wants to know and runs afoul of the FBI and a former policeman turned private investigator to get the information he seeks. What he is not aware of is that there are many things that he doesn't know and is in for a few big surprises before this game is over.
As I said before, the plot of this book is extremely well planned out. The main character, Miles Fischer, is not a very likeable guy (this is only my opinion). He is brash and intrusive and can turn you away from him in an instant. His personal life is in a shambles and he is becoming interested in a co-worker when his wife is in the hospital having their first child. There are a handful of newspaper reporters and editors who are forever throwing the first amendment in everyone's face, some FBI agents who could help out if only they could have done their work without chasing this reporter forever and an ex cop who is hired by the wealthy father to find out who killed his son.
The way that this book is plotted, everyone has their job to do and does it well. The ending is superb and will not happen until the very last pages. (That, to me, really sells it.) If the author wanted his main character to act like a reporter and give everyone a hard time being a pushy, nosy all around meddlesome jerk, it really worked!!! I really enjoyed reading this book and I have to say that the presentation of the book is beautiful, the promotional items are great and I wish the author much luck with it. I highly recommend this book to all thriller/mystery readers.
Mary Lignor, reviewer for [..]
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