“Always a Body to Trade” by K.C. Constantine (Allison & Busby American Crime)
Is a nail-biting crime novel and gripping tale that transports you deep into the heart of Rocksburg, a fictional Blue-Collar Rust Belt town in Western Pennsylvania. The protagonist, Mario Balzic is a Serbo-Italian American police chief detective who is profoundly unpretentious and down-to-earth. Balzic knows the neighborhood. He has street smarts that could spin circles around his comrades and relies much more on common sense detective work compounded with his wit and rational thinking than the standard brute force implemented in solving violent crimes. Balzic embodies the essence of what a law-enforcement officer should be. From his adaptability, ethical code, upholding of the law in conjunction with some good old fashioned grit and determination of duty.
In this tale, Balzic faces a perplexing case, completely head-scratching in nature - A double robbery in (two) identical apartments which are seldom used by a Pittsburgh drug dealer who is ostensibly law-abiding and a young woman found dead on the street. Her murder donning all of the classic earmarks that would be found in a "murder for hire," professional hitman job.
This crime/mystery novel completely eclipses the standard expectation of any run-of-the-mill thriller read. The authenticity it portrays of small-town life with unique characters and complex social dynamics is rich, accurate and superseding satisfactory in standard expectations of an everyday police procedural. Balzic's investigation then becomes further complicated by the interference of a new mayor in pure panic and hysteria followed by the shadowy world of organized crime and their dealings throughout the town. Balzic has a case to solve with persistent interferences and his brand new pain-in-the-neck boss
K.C. Constantine's storytelling is renowned for its accuracy and vivid characterizations, making "Always a Body to Trade" a must-read for fans of the American Crime-Fiction and Mystery-Detective Genres.