City Gone Askew
A Brooklyn 8 Ballo Mystery #2
by Matt Cost
Award-winning author Matt Cost brings us back to Brooklyn in the Roaring ’20s and Hungarian private eye, 8 Ballo, who is hired by Theda Lazar Vogel to prove that her husband was murdered. His colorful cast of friends returns, as well as legendary figures such as Dorothy Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, and Lucky Luciano.
8 discovers that a priceless Aquila—an ancient eagle Roman standard carried into battle 2,000 years ago—was stolen from Karl Vogel when he was killed. This provides ties to a secret German organization known as the Batavi. But Vogel was also involved in the eugenics movement centered in Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, as well as being involved with the Ku Klux Klan.
As 8 peels back layers of the underbelly of 1920s Brooklyn, the more complicated and dangerous it becomes for him and those who are important to him. What is happening at Cold Spring Harbor with Herman Wall and the eugenics movement? Who are the mysterious Germans threatening 8? And what is the identity of the charismatic Grand Cyclops? 8 must race against time to uncover the truth and put a stop to the most chilling triumvirate ever conceived.
5 out of 5 fairies
8 has found himself in the middle of another dangerous mystery, and it’s one you won’t want to miss. Cost has done a brilliant job once again transporting the reader back to the 1920s, with a hard-boiled PI and an unforgettable cast of supporting characters. This was dark and gritty, and while it is the second in the series, it could easily work as a standalone (but I really recommend reading the first book). I love how real historical figures and events are woven into the story, it feels natural and not at all forced. The story has the vibe of those old pulp PI stories, but still having a slightly more modern twist to the story telling. The story moves along at a good pace, and from that start you’ll have a great idea of what kind of man 8 Ballo is. He’s the kind of guy you want on your side when things get as dark as they do at times in this latest installment. Eugenics, stolen artifacts, historical figures, and a few cracked skulls are waiting inside, so if you enjoy gritty PI mystery/thrillers, you’re going to want to read this!
Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.
“Love in a Time of Hate” is the third historical by Cost. “Joshua Chamberlain and the Civil War; At Every Hazard”, was published in 2015, in which Emmett Collins grows into manhood during the Civil War. “I am Cuba; Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution” was published in 2020. It was recently awarded the silver award for historical fiction from Kops-Fetherling.
Cost has also published the Mainely Mystery series including “Mainely Power” (the MHC Read ME fiction book of the year), “Mainely Fear”, and “Mainely Money”. The fourth book in the series, “Mainely Angst”, will be published in January of 2022.
He has begun the Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Trap series with “Wolfe Trap”. “Mind Trap” will be published in October of 2021 and “Mouse Trap” in the spring of 2022.
Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.
Other Works
I Am Cuba; Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution
Amazon
Goodreads
Joshua Chamberlain and the Civil War: At Every Hazard
Amazon
Goodreads
Goff Langdon Mainely Mysteries
Mainely Power (#1)
Amazon
Goodreads
Mainely Fear (#2)
Amazon
Goodreads
Mainely Money (#3)
Amazon
Goodreads
Mainely Angst (#4)
Amazon
Goodreads
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Thanks Lily! Lovely review. Loved it.