I never used to write but I must admit this is a great forum to do so. I am a bit surprised by some of the harsh critiques of this book. As a lover of the "mystery, P.I., noir," genre I found Frank Behr to be one of the more "real" characters I have ever encountered. Characters "Spenser" from the Robert Parker novels, or even "Alex Cross" and "Lucas Davenport" while a few of my favorites are often over the top and unbelievable. The authors tend to put entertainment above reality, which is fine, that's their job.
With this particular book I felt Levien tackled a a difficult subject by creating a worl with exponentially real characters. I never felt any part of this novel was fluff. I thought Behr's relationship with the father was wonderfully written. This author seemed to know exactly how each person in this novel would feel whether they were the criminal or the cop. It felt to me there wasnt one scrap of bullshit in this book.
I eagerly await the Next Frank Behr novel.mystery noir8 s Elizabeth A.320 30

Though this was a good read and I don’t regret having picked it up, ultimately there was just something…. lacking. The premise is obviously a gripping one – child disappears while on paper route and the parents’ attempts, with the help of PI Frank Behr, to find out what happened – but the way it unfolds is rushed and somewhat hackneyed.

The early scenes between the husband and wife post disappearance are well done, but later scenes with just the wife come across as afterthoughts or throwaways. As does, in fact, the presence of many of the secondary characters, especially Behr’s former boss at the police department. It was as if Levien was following some formula that “required” there to be a petty, semi-competent, vindictive authority figure for his lead to bang heads with. The romantic aside was equally by-the-numbers and forced. If this is indeed to be a series, there will be more than enough time to delve into Behr’s romantic / social life.

Frank Behr definitely has promise as a series lead, but I believe the gushing comparisons reviewers have been making to Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole are a bit premature. A better comparison in my opinion would be Lee Child’s Jack Reacher (complete with Behr’s 6?6? size), though Behr has in no way proven himself (yet) to be as emotionally complex or intellectually sharp as Reacher.

The bottom line is that Behr simply did not have enough of a chance to shine in this book, with the secondary characters taking up more space than necessary, at the expense of Behr’s development. There has been a second book in the series published, but I can’t say I’ll be rushing out to get it.5 s Jim1,106 16

First book in the Frank Behr series. A good old fashioned private eye thriller. A solid plot with exceptional dialogue and character development. If it weren't the fact I'm travelling in Arizona for Cactus League baseball, I would have read this one in two sittings. A compelling read that at times very difficult to put down. I've been looking in several book stores for more books in this series. (Amazon gets too much of my business). I thought the conclusion was a bit to sappy. Author David Levien lost protagonist Frank Behr's true character with the conclusion. A must read. Check it out.20185 s Paul Perry395 222

Levien is an excellent screenwriter - best known for the TV show Billions, several successful movies and working as a script doctor "punching up" other's work. Here, he has written an OK detective thriller, centred around a kidnapped boy.


My main problem with it is how many of the events seem random; yes, that is precisely how things work in the real world, but makes for a less-than-satisfying way to structure a plot.


I do already have the next book in the series so will probably see how that goes but, on this outing, John Connolly and Dennis Lehane don't have much to worry about.abduction crime detective ...more3 s Jack Heath5,345 133

4 Stars. Frank Behr has problems, we all do, but his may be a little larger than some of ours. He's beset with the loss of a son, marital breakdown, issues with his former employer, the Indianapolis Police Force, and certain of its members in particular. Depressing. Yet he has talent and instincts which serve him well as a private detective. I empathized with him. When the police show little interest in their case, and a few of Frank's competitors get no further, the desperate parents of preteen Jamie Gabriel tentatively approach him. Their son had disappeared one morning on his paper route over a year ago; will Frank be the one to finally help them, or at least determine what happened? I empathized with them too. Sad stories had collided. Behr senses their neediness, their hopelessness, and declines at first, "After such a long time missing, there's only one conclusion." Jamie's father Paul begins to realize the extent of his love for his son and asks to help Behr. Unexpectedly, a partnership develops. This one's full of human frailty and the terrible things some people can do to others. (December 2019)category-f-mystery other-jj-characters-not other-m-following ...more3 s Geoff Battle545 6

City of the Sun is a gripping, realistic and gritty crime thriller about a private detective investigating a kidnapping, which occurred over a year back, the trail stone cold. It sounds old hat, but there is a wonderful sense of pace, excellent characterisation and a style of narrative which is seldom found in this crowded genre. Genuinely unpredictable, the story is cleverly constructed, drawing the reader in with punchy short sentences, then filling out the detail later. It's the intriguing and subtle style of writing, and coupled with the terrific plot the result is an awesome and gripping novel. Haunting and realistic, this book will stay with you for some time. Absolutely recommended.3 s Angela506 13

I would say that this was an ok read. Not brilliant but not absolutely awful. I would consider reading more by this author, but not in the foreseeable future. 3 s Klara Gonciarz279 43

an eye opening and distressing page turner concerning those who have experienced loss, who are grieving, or who are still waiting.3 s Mira Margitta357 12

Nije loša ideja, ali na momente mi nije bilo jasno šta ?itam( loše prevedeno)...kraj zbrzan i sfušeren.
Jedva 3.read_in_20212 s Michael ComptonAuthor 5 books156

Gritty, realistic page-turner. Believable characters, believable action, but the plot too often relies on coincidence. Levien creates palpable dread and despair, and he knows when to show the violence and when to suggest it. If you read it, you will learn some things you probably didn't want to know about child sex trafficking, but never fear--this book is more about catharsis than revelation. Recommended, if you it rough.1 Nathalie23

This book was NOT good. The writing was clumsy. The premise of the plot would grab anyone indeed and especially strike fear in the heart of all the parents out there: a young boy is abducted and there are no clues whatsoever. But the way the story unfolds is unconvincing. The police doesn't work the case, and after 14 months a private investigator quite easily comes about clues. All the suspects spill their guts quite easily, all the bad guys get their comeuppance and the ending is just so incredibly bad.

As a parent myself, I never quite felt any anxiety, never felt any kinship with the parents, whose point of view takes the backseat to the detective's point of view. Somehow the writer doesn't manage to make you feel the terror that they would have felt, the desperation, the way their lives are completetly destroyed. The writing is flat and unexpressive. During the first part of the book the parents just don't seem all that important even though they are the center of the story since the child has disappeared. Then the father gets involved and suddenly this becomes a buddy story: the detective and the father bond and go get the bad guys together. The mother stays home and... does what?! Oh yes, she does yoga once. What does she feel, what is her life ? This isn't explored at all.

It reads a second-rate, bad Hollywood movie. Don't waste your time with this one. mystery2 s J Edward Tremlett70 3

Frank Behr is a mess. Used to be a cop, but that didn't work. Now he's a PI, and that's kind of shaky, too. But it's something he's good at -- mostly because he can grab hold of something and choke the lies out of it until only the truth remains.

One sad truth about kidnappings: if you don't find the child within the first few days, chances are good they're already dead, or worse. So when a couple at their wits end come to him for answers about their little boy, who's been missing for over a year, he has to be honest about what kind of sad answers they're going to find.

But something about how the father looks at him with hope ignites that small piece of Behr that still wants to believe that a miracle can happen. Thusly energized, the PI pounds some pavements, works some leads, and starts doing the impossible -- finding a way to uncover what happened to their boy, and possibly even get him back alive...

David Levien's first time writing a novel is a total smash. In the character of Frank Behr we have a revelation: a broken but unbreakable man who, brilliantly flawed, goes down but never for the full count. While the ending is a bit happier than it should be, given the subject matter, the trip to find this missing child will be something that fans of PI stories will enjoy a great deal.

If you haven't uncovered City of the Sun, yet, pick it up and give Frank's services a try. 2 s Flo1,050 16

This is the 2nd time I have read this action packed mystery. I d it the first time I read it and d it now too. For readers who complained the writing is clumsy, not so. I thought it was quite well written for this type of genre. This is a fast paced "police procedural" type mystery and not a psychological thriller so no going into the fear and terror of the family concerned when their teenaged boy goes missing. Nor are we very concerned with the workings of the mind of Levien's protagonist who lost his own son and his marriage. This is Frank Behr, who comes across as a big, heavy man (bear?) well versed in dealing with the dregs of society, getting them to talk and spill what they know out of fear of Behr. Now to read the 2nd novel in the series. 2 s Sandra321 14

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful read with able and believable characters. As usual the detective protagonist is hard-boiled and flawed, but a lot less cliched than most. The best part of the story is the emerging friendship between him and his client, both of them fathers grieving over lost children. Better than most, and I would consider reading more in the seriesmystery-suspense2 s Tory Wagner1,295

City of the Sun by David Levien is a gritty novel about the abduction of a young boy and his father's search for him. He is helped in this search by a private detective who once served as a police officer. Together they patiently investigate the clues and eventually uncover a far bigger conspiracy involving the kidnapping of multiple boys. This one was hard to put down.mystery police2 s Lee847 37

A gut wrenching and intense suspenseful debut. One that places ordinary people in unimaginable filled circumstances. Former cop turned P.I. (imagine that) Frank Behr, is a nice addition to the genre. Will be reading Mr. Levien's other two Behr cases.frank-behr2 s Grant Alexander14 15 Read

The book City of the Sun is a book for those looking for a challenging thriller/mystery. The book will keep you on the edge of your seat and it will make you want to keep reading. If you want a great mystery this book is the one for you.2 s Mailmanr51,753 10

My first read for this author. Enjoyed a new hero. Will be reading the others in this series soon. Looking to see the hero's character flesh out a bit.1 Lloyd449 2

I picked this book up based upon the description of this being a private eye working on a missing person case. However, as I read the book the missing person turned out to be a 14-year-old boy who was taken by a pedophile ring. Pedophile cases are tough stories to read as the crime is so disgusting and abhorrent. For me, the story started quite slowly and it was difficult to tell what was going on. However, once it got going, it became a page turner as I wanted to see how this case would be resolved by the private eye, Frank Behr. While Frank is a tough ex-policeman, he needs his brains and experience to resolve this case. He doesn’t just barrel through full force extracting confessions and details from suspects through brute force. So, the story does have elements of a police procedural as Frank uncovers and examines clues. I gave the story 4 stars just because of the content (child molestation). As I noted earlier, I don’t stories involving pedophiles. It is depressing to read about these low-lives and what they do to children. Otherwise, it probably would have rated 5 stars. 1 Steve P120 6

After spending much time with the melancholy, dour Nordics, an encounter with the all-American macho P.I. Frank Behr is being thrown into a pool full of ice cold water. Frank, a hulking ex-cop, is the kind of guy whose idea of fun is doing wind sprints with a 70 lb. pack on his back. Uphill.

In this, the first novel by screenwriter Levien (he wrote the screenplay for 'Ocean's Thirteen' among others), Frank is hired by a couple whose son left for his paper route one morning and never returned. Having lost a young son of his own, Frank develops a special bond with the missing boy's father and, against his better judgement, allows him to accompany him as he tries to discover the boy's fate. The trail leads them into an underworld of sleaze and brutality.

Early on I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book and even thought about abandoning it. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Once it got revved up it was hard to put down. I'm looking forward to Frank Behr #2, 'Where The Dead Lay'.read-20101 M. Sprouse577 2

David Levien takes on a very difficult subject with child abduction. Kudos for him handling it with discretion and taking that fine line between light and darkness of a very sensitive topic. My only hesitation is the question whether this story gives false hope to those whose children have been taken, at the end all they have is hope... if that.

I found this book and detective Frank Behr surprisingly interesting for such a straight forward story. Behr is a bulldog who you might not be thrilled to invite to your wedding, but is perfect for the job of a relentless tracker. When I got this book I was thinking 3 stars at best, but soon found that I had underestimated it considerable, much many underestimate Frank Behr.

Are there flaws? Certainly, some things seem to come a bit too easily, but for the author to add the more realistic brambles, that an investigation this entails, would only add another 50 pages and make it less interesting. I will be reading more of Mr. Levien's, Frank Behr series. 20181 Jason69 2

On Goodreads, two stars equals "it was OK" and three stars equals "d it," and my level of satisfaction with this book (my first David Levien read) is somewhere in that range (I gave it three stars because I wanted to be gracious).

The pacing of the story is sometimes a bit slow (though this may accurately reflect the work of real-life detectives), but the plot was intriguing enough to keep me sticking around. I do have a bit of a soft spot for the classic hard-boiled-detective story, so that might explain my willingness to hang in there with this book.

At any rate, Levien mostly stays away from the long, unnecessary descriptions that weigh down so much of popular fiction, which for me is a big point in his favor, and the main character—cop-turned-private-eye Frank Behr—is able as well as sympathetic.1 Vikram24

Fantastically written. Fast paced and straightforward story line. David Levien has captured the pain of the kidnapped child's parents succinctly. The principal character "Frank Behr" comes across as a cross between Jack Reacher and Ben Copper. Frank has a close physical proxmity to Reacher but has the emotional state of Ben.

The pace of the book is quite steady, there is no unwarranted breaks from the story nor does the David Levien takes time to provide frivolous history. David Levien stays to the point and true to the story.

Fantastic Read, DO NOT miss it !!1 David RoughAuthor 14 books11

City of the Sun by David Levien introduces retired detective Frank Behr. Behr is asked by 12-year-0ld Jamie's father, Paul Gabriel to help find his son who disappeared 14 months before while delivering newspapers on his bike. The former cop reluctantly agrees to take the old case because the police have failed to follow through with a thorough investigation. The idea and plot of the book is interesting, but the adult language and perverted vocabulary of so many of the characters diminished my rating significantly. I understand the depraved world that Frank Behr had to enter to research the whereabouts of Jamie, but the dialog had so many "f"bombs that it was quite distracting from the plot itself. Better language would have resulted in a much higher rating, but as is, it is hard for me to recommend this read. 1 Kristy Budner213 Read

This was my first book by David Levien and I am always surprised when I a book by an unknown author. It's very easy "reading" and I happen to Scott Brick as a narrator. The plot of the story is about Jamie Gabriel, a 12-year old boy out delivering newspapers in early morning when he goes missing, and the search to try to find him. The book introduces Frank Behr as its main character, a middle-aged former cop now working as a private investigator, and thus, a new series is born. I must say that Frank Behr is one of the luckiest PI's on the planet, but the story kept me distracted while walking and it was easy to pick up wherever I previously left off. Not a very complicated storyline. I have already downloaded the second book in the series.1 elkarreneskutik36 14

I personally found myself hooked by the story of this book. The writing is simple and straight to the point without going into much detail which is something I enjoyed for this hard tragic story that reminds us how scary the world is.

I would to point out though, that I felt really disgusted by the portrait women face in this story. They are meetig only the wife/partner role or worse. The descriptions of them made me feel uncomfortale as a woman and although sometimes it could be said that it added background to the "world" the book presents, I fear it was not only limited by the story. 1 Art871 7

It's a new city for a regional mystery series: Indianapolis.

Frank Behr is a former policeman, whose life and job were shattered by the death of his 7-year-old son. Now a couple is asking him to look into the disappearance of their 12-year-old son.

The boy got up early to do his paper route but never made it back home. The police think he is a runaway and they don't put much effort into the investigation.

But Behr finds indications the boy was deliberately taken. This is a seamy, dark book but the characters have some promise. I'm eager to read another of the discards from this series I got at the local library.1 Jessica2,207 52

I normally stay away from mysteries where the crime involves a child, and this one reminds me why - it's far too easy for the author to slip into cliche and melodrama, trading on cheap sentimentality to make up for a lack of depth in the storytelling. Yes, child crimes are tragic, but that alone is not enough to make for a story that stands out from the thousands it on the shelves already. It might have done for a low-rent movie starring a past-his-prime B-lister, but as a novel, it just didn't work.borrowed-from-mom midwest mystery1 Lalona Hall98 4

David Levien, what an awesome discovery! How did I not know of this author until now!? I tore through the pages of City of the Sun and quickly found myself at Coffee Tree Books, ordering every other book of Levien's that I could get my hands on. I'm now anxiously awaiting the rest of this series. This book features troubled ex-cop Frank Behr, helping parents of a missing child investigate their child's abduction. A nightmare for any parent to imagine, however, Levien twists a scarily plausible story that reads a movie. Mark my word, we'll see this in Hollywood. 1 Karen Trenorden154

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