Second Frank Behr P.I series book from author David Levien. Having enjoyed first book in series I wasn't expecting this second book to be as compelling as it was. (Sophomore slump always possible after strong initial outing.) The Frank Behr protagonist character develops into a much strong presence in this book than the first. A tightly woven plot with some sharp and clever supporting characters really makes this book cook. Although I read it rather slowly, I could have read this one in just a couple sittings. I was really happy with the conclusion and am looking forward to the next book in the series. Four stars out of a possible five stars for "Where The Dead Lay", from David Levien. A series that should be checked out.20183 s Christine Wahl208 4

Start May 9, 2015

Not interesting. Had tough time getting through it. Lackluster book. Man s book. Rough tumble and lots of murders. No intrigue.2 s Druss 681 13

The second Levine book I’ve read and better than the first, typical of me to read out of sequence!
A good read with a strong, consistent main character. Twists, turns, action and good pace.thriller2 s Emma AshAuthor 1 book4

The book was OK. I struggled to finish it, there was too much time spent detailing combat scenes, any female characters were throwaway and flat. There was no mystery, nothing to hook you.2 s Kerrie1,137

The action takes place about 18 months after the first title in the series: CITY OF THE SUN. Frank Behr is working as an independent investigator and has taken up Ju Jitsu. He arrives in the early morning for his class and finds the instructor, with whom he has become very friendly, dead in the foyer of the building, murdered. He makes a pledge that he will find the person(s) responsible.

At the same time Frank is asked to take on an investigation into two missing private investigators. The people making the request want him to keep the case quiet, and give him minimal information. He does find out however that it is related to an investigation into a bent cop.

Frank has heard other detectives talk about the inter-relatedness of cases they take on, but he has never really believed it until now when connections begin to pop up between two cases that are seemingly unrelated.

And Frank now has some personal problems to resolve with his lover Susan.

A good well constructed novel that just keeps you reading to the end.
1 Mary826 12

This was pretty good, so would not mind reading the first book in this series. Frank is a private investigator, he is approached by another investigation company, but he turns the job down, not enough information and he is working on a case of someone close to him who was killed. But the chief of police approaches him, about the same case and gives him more information and hints he can get back on the force, so he takes the job. 1 John Hood140 16

Bound: Solitary Men - SunPost Weekly July 1, 2010
http://bit.ly/aVZQdE
Lee Child, David Levien and the Phenomenon of the Walk Alone
John Hood

Blame Michael Connelly.For it is certainly he who first made a modern day cottage industry out of the phenomenon of the walk alone. No, he didn't do it first (that's a whole 'nother essay). But he did do it bigger and badder and stronger. In fact, since 1992's The Black Echo Connelly's Harry Bosch has come to epitomize the type so much so that it can now be considered an archetype. And his strong, stoic and, for all intents and purposes, solitary man has paved the way for a new cast of hero, one who need rely on no one but himself.

Two of the most vivid in this unbreakable mold are Lee Child's Jack Reacher and David Levien's Frank Behr. It's not that either are Bosch- replicas, mind you -- far from it. But each consists of many of the same characteristics that make Connelly's creation so deliciously indelible. Both have physical strength approaching the superhuman, especially when riled. Both are fluent if somewhat reluctant fighters. Both have the innate instincts of the hunter. And both are decidedly men apart from their chosen professions -- Reacher from an elite branch of the military, and Behr from the Indianapolis PD.

Most importantly both go it alone, come what may; and it is there where they become the singular men that they are -- uncompromising and uncompromised.

Of the two, Lee Child's Jack Reacher has been around the longest. Reacher made his debut in Child's first book, Killing Floor (1997). And over the past 13 years he's led the way in a total of 14 different novels, each of which has pushed him beyond mere mortal limits and taken him all over this crime-ridden country of ours.

Reacher's latest drive-by is called 61 Hours (Delacorte $28), and it finds our solitary man stranded in by far the bleakest landscape yet; namely Bolton, South Dakota, a speck on the map where the temperature averages in the mid-double-digits below zero all winter long and fun involves avoiding the 100+ member biker clan that lives on a retired air force base just outside of town.

many 21st century American backwaters that have fallen on hard times, Bolton's sold its soul to the criminal-industrial complex, and now counts not one but three prisons in its grip. As many meager metropolises have come to learn however, institutions aren't quite the gift horses they first appear to be, and the Bolton PD has had to make some very ugly compromises in order to secure a questionable largesse.

Compromises, of course, are meant to be exploited. And when one of the head bikers gets pinched for the meth everyone knows the gang is peddling but has thus far been unable to prove, the diminutive head of the entire enterprise (a Mexican maniac named Plato) institutes a series of ass-covering moves that fully exploits everything and everyone in sight.

As always I won't spoil the story, but I will say that the face-off between the pint-sized sociopath Plato and the 6'5" 220+lbs Reacher is one of pulp fiction's finer moments, and a most entertainingly lethal tete-a-tete. That Child ( Connelly) has managed to keep his honor-bound character so compelling after all of these tall tales only makes the accomplishment that much more distinct. One need not begin at the beginning to get Reacher. But since it's there: why not go in for the whole she-bang?

Ditto with David Levien's Frank Behr, who in only his second appearance has already proven himself to be something of a contender to the walk alone throne. This take is titled Where the Dead Lay (Anchor $7.99), and its predecessor, City of the Sun, it finds our noble hero dredging the depths of an Indianapolis no tourist bureau would ever want mentioned, let alone explored in such gruesome detail.

Not that Indianapolis ever really had much to worry about, tourist-wise. And if even a fraction of the bad guys in this book are running around in this town, they may as well kiss goodbye the whole idea. But for the crime-minded reader, Levien is just the kinda ticket you want in hand; if, that is, you're idea of a city visit revolves around bloody back alleys and body-filled marshes.

Levien, who's written the scripts for everything from Rounders and Knockaround Guys to Oceans 13, has most recently co-directed (with Brian Koppelman) Solitary Man, so it seems he's ditching the ensemble piece and is now dead set on putting his mind and his talent to the phenomenon of the walk alone. Bosch, and Reacher, Behr is a big, bruising and brooding soul, who possesses an unwavering sense of right and wrong, and is unafraid to do whatever it takes to realize his objective. And both of the aforementioned, Behr carries the burden of the story on his broad shoulders alone.

Is it a heavy burden? You betcha. It's also bloody and unbowed. And none of these solitary men would want it any other way.1 Victoria2,512 68

This book, though it claims to be the sequel to Levien’s debut novel, City of the Sun, has a completely different feel to it. In fact, if I had received this with the names stripped or blanked out, I would have guessed that it wasn’t even written by the same person. The methodical build-up, which so dominated his first novel is missing here - which was more surprising than displeasing, but with its loss, so too is the dark, foreboding atmosphere dispelled. In its place, there is nothing more than an almost crass attitude and narrative style. It is such a different overall tone and feel...

The way women are treated here is also completely with odds to their portrayal in the first book. The language used to describe them here is unflattering, and while some of this “ugliness” can be amusing, the deeper, offensive attitude is more disturbing than the larger plot at hand. And women are not the only character to be portrayed differently. Behr himself is no longer likable or even sympathetic. The actions that led to his tragic downfall did not make me hate him when they were introduced in the first novel. If this was the first time I “met” him - well, I had to struggle to remotely care about him in this book, so shocking information would not have been sympathetically met. And the role of this mentor character just felt completely false, especially considering the last book and the way Behr treated everyone else in this novel.

The amount of differences between these two books, which are supposedly in the same series is downright alarming. There is a third book, and while I had been quite excited after finishing the first book, after finishing this, I could care less about reading it - I wouldn’t want to risk reading another book about the characters presented here. The villains here also were shockingly lame and bordered on the cartoonish... Really, the biggest mystery presented here was how this was considered a sequel.books-in-a-series mystery-thriller1 Jim240 1 follower

I love Levien's work and the character of Frank Behr is a national treasure. Gritty writing and terrific hard-boiled dialog make this a compelling thriller and a must for anyone who still misses Raymond Chandler.1 RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN726 12

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “MURDEROUS CRIME FAMILY TAKES OVER “PEA SHAKE” BUSINESS & KILLS THE WRONG MAN.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Indianapolis crime “family” that author David Levien depicts in this Frank Behr detective saga… is far from being in the same echelon as the Gambino’s… Colombo’s… and Bonnano’s. The Schlegel family is pretty much as powerful and dynamic as the sound of their name as it rolls off your tongue. Led by Father Terry and his three sons Kenny, Charlie and Deanie… they’re legends in their own minds. They have a tavern and pull off numerous “strong-arm” capers. They try to extend their reach into a potentially bigger haul… by attempting to take over all the local “PEA-SHAKE-HOUSES”… “PEA-SHAKE HOUSES ARE LOTTERY-STYLE BETTING PARLORS. DRAWINGS DONE SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WITH NUMBERS WRITTEN ON BALLS.” The Schlegel’s mix drinking and sex with any and all women… and have no problem in passing young girls after their personal use from son… to son… to son… to Father… in any combination or sequence. Everything seems to be going just right in the Schlegel’s depraved little world… until youngest son Deanie becomes infatuated with a girl who works at one of the Pea-Shake houses. This same Pea-Shake girl also becomes involved with Aurelio Santos a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor… who just happens to be former cop… and current detective Frank Behr’s… Jiu-jitsu instructor.

When Aurelio is found brutally murdered Frank gets involved… and in fact he gets so deeply involved… that the one weak link in this story… is… at the current low point in his life… why would Frank basically give up everything (as little as that is) he’s got going… as well as constantly putting his life on the line for Aurelio’s memory and justice. The author tries unconvincingly to answer that by having Frank say: “AFTER ABOUT SIX MONTHS OF TRAINING HE REALIZED HE’D MADE HIS FIRST FRIEND, SAVE FOR A CLIENT A WHILE BACK, IN FIFTEEN YEARS.” While trying to unravel the clues in Aurelio’s death… Frank first turns down a job with a high prestige security firm made up of former FBI and Secret Service operatives… to find their missing agents… and then winds up looking into the same case… by way of a secretive agreement with a high ranking police official. Mix into this “Pea-Shake-plot” the fact that Frank’s younger girlfriend finds out she is pregnant… a detail that reignites tragic memories from Frank’s past… and if the reader can “put-aside” the incongruity of Frank’s dedication to his deceased instructor… the author then dove tails all these varied angles to coincide with an interesting conclusion.
M. Sprouse577 2

Early on I'm , "this one's not as good as the first". Later it was "well maybe it is". This novel definitely got better as it developed. Lone wolf,Frank Behr is a very likable guy. He's got his problems, but definitely one to pull for. The rest of the cast was well crafted and the bad guys were interesting enough that when the flow went their way and away from Frank, I didn't mind too much. It was slow near the beginning, which could have lost reader who hadn't read the first of the series. My other criticisms was that the ending, though fast and furious it was a bit implausible. Overall, if your a detective thriller kinda person I'd recommend "Where the Dead Lay".2019 Plum-crazy2,332 41

This book should've have been right up my street, with a tough maverick "hero" in Behr but it wasn't to be.

The story didn't flow well with inconsistencies not helping eg: a character stabbed to death (p389) yet had "lit out for the territories" with another character a few pages later (p395) (unless that has a different meaning in US to UK) Coupled with dialogue I found muddling, it was a struggle to keep my attention on the tale.

To be fair, the parts featuring Behr were okay but when it came to the awful Schegel family I got easily distracted. Not a book that held my interest & one that was hard to keep picking up - remarkable that I finished it really!misc-crime-mystery-thriller read-2020 Jenn Mull102

2.5 stars

Frank Behr's second escapade finds him chasing after a family who is systematically taking down pea-shake houses (whatever the heck those are). The family is definitely of the brawn-over-brains variety, so much of the dialogue among them was near impossible for me to interpret, and the pea-shake business also takes a while to understand. Overall this one was real tough to get into, and I didn't start to kinda enjoy it until the last 75 pages or so. Tobias Lloyd8 5

Detective Mystery revolving around the murder of a Jiu-Jitsu instructor. Hopped into this before knowing what it was about so was pleasantly surprised to have the personal connection with the accurate depiction of Jiu-Jitsu. It’s clear the author has trained with his understanding of the art and the usage of terminology. Definitely was the selling point for me. Beyond that was just kind of another one of many Detective mysteries out there. Nothing too unique or special. 3 out of 5 for me. David Rodriguez41 1 follower

La primera Novela Policiaca que me leo, es interesante contrastar el flujo de eventos que desarrolla capítulo a capítulo el libro, para luego ver como tienen relación todo. En mi cabeza ir leyendo se iba desarrollando una imagen hollywodesca de los escenarios, personajes y eventos. Me di cuenta gracias a esto como la narración es diferente a ver una película de este tipo. Entretenido y remendado Brian O'Leary871 11

The main character is excellent. I loved the first book in the series and gave it a 5. The only reason I gave this one a 4 is because there are too many characters. I my books with a lot of characters to just say "the bartender" not give me his name and background if he has nothing to do with the book later. But other than that a great book and I ordered the 3rd and will be reading it soon. Carol 962

It was a good read. Found in my local thrift store. I wasn't sure if I was liking this brass ex-cop Frank Behr. He turned out to be able before I finished the book. Behr's friend and mentor was murdered. He won't rest till he finds those that did the murder. Frank has his own demons he is trying to keep under control. Kumonee4 13

While some have said the mystery is over in the first 2 chapters....the suspense Mr Levien ensnares you with is gripping. The fight scenes are graphic but that is what the subject is about. I found the book to be a roller coaster ride with interesting twist. A really good detective read

Stacey414 4

It’s been awhile since I read the first Frank Behr book and I know I really enjoyed it but for some reason this sat on my shelf a long time. Finally I read it and it was well written, fast paced and engaging. My only complaint is that David Levien doesn’t have more books!! Ida123

3.5 Brian Krause248

Not bad. Some awkward phrases and sentences throughout but a decent st. Lee847 37

Fast paced, well plotted. This delivers on all counts, crime fiction at its finest.crime-novel frank-behr David Sjolander 74 1 follower

Excellent who-done-it!fiction-mystery Marianne Stehr1,065 7

Another good installment on the Frank Behr series. Good mystery/thriller. You know who did it but it is all about how to catch them. Lots of moving parts. Mailmanr51,753 10

Three and a half stars actually. Pretty good. Beth makes for a pretty decent hero. We'll see where it goes with the next one. Linda Tressler Anderson59

A Loss, A Puzzle, Lots of Action and some Ugly Villains! Behr continues to struggle thru his darkness. The man at the beginning is not all that the man at the end is. Mr.Wade527 1 follower

Behr is an animal. Glenda Bixler672 17

Where The Dead Lay
By David Levien
Transworld Publishers
ISBN: 9780593059340
315 Pages

Lee Child named David Levien as the new must-read thriller writer...I totally support that assessment! After reading Levien’s latest book, Where the Dead Lay: How Far Will One Man Go To Avenge A Friend’s Murder? due out on July 2nd (UK), I promptly ordered his first book!

Frank Behr is a fantastic character! A former cop who, as oftentimes happens, lost his job because his boss didn’t him. Now that boss has come to him seeking his help! Frank had been offered a job with a large corporation to find two of their staff who had disappeared. But Frank wasn’t interested, a good friend of his, Aurelio Santos, had just been murdered. Aurelio had been Frank’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainer and though not many words had passed between the two, still a friendship had developed between them that had been very important to Frank—and he intended revenge. His former boss wanted him to work undercover for the corporation to find the missing men, hinting that, if he was able to help, he might be able to get him back on the force. Frank knew that if he ever wanted to reclaim his life, getting his old job back would be a big step in that direction. So he decided he could work both investigations, but his priority was Aurelio’s murder.

First of all, Frank knew that it would have taken more than one man to kill Aurelio, given his size and expertise. As he became involved and studied the scene, he knew it had to be at least three men who had taken him down. He started the routine of talking with all of the students who had trained at Santos’s Academy. Little by little names were thrown out and, in turn, it became known that Frank was “looking” to take down those that had killed Aurelio.

The murder of Aurelio Santos had not been a pretty one??and it was not the only one! There were others across town that were similar and it turned out that they were all related to private gambling houses that were being “closed” through the death of those who hosted the houses. Soon Frank realized that he didn’t have two separate cases!

Most of the action in Where the Dead Lay is physical—using the moves that were being taught in Jiu-Jitsu. Frank, however, had merged those skills with street smarts that made him an opponent able to take on anybody. A good thing, because the ones who were behind the trouble used ball bats, heavy flashlights, guns, knives and anything else that could be used to hurt or kill.

In the midst of Frank’s turmoil and concentration on his cases, his lover, Susan, confirms that she is pregnant and does not plan to take care of their child alone! This only increases Frank’s frustration because he had already lost his son and his former wife had divorced him after their child died. Could he handle going into another family situation?

After all of the dangerous close encounters among the good and bad guys, you would think some explosive, thrilling final fight would have Frank standing alone over the bodies! Not so! The closing is an ironic tribute to “live by the sword, die by the sword” that creates a surprising, final impact that is much more memorable!

David Levien is one of the top screenwriters in Hollywood, and co-writer for Ocean’s Thirteen and Runaway Jury; his writing is superb! Where the Dead Lay is his second novel featuring Frank Behr. May Frank live well and continue long as one of the most formidable characters you will find in a long time! Yep! I loved it...and can’t wait to read his first book, City of the Sun!

G. A. Bixler


reviewed-books Karen318 3

Overly-contrived plot, but capable writing and you are rooting for the lead characters. Larry H2,675 29.6k Read

Autor del comentario:
=================================