MRC RECOMMENDS: Looking FOR ART by Bert Robbens
“Looking for Art defines the meaning of a noir mystery”
– The Mystery Review Crew
Looking For Art
By Bert Robbens
Genre: Mystery, Detective, Noir
Not long ago, Somerville, Massachusetts was commonly referred to as “Slummerville.” A gritty, blue-collar town just north of Boston, its major claim to fame was a brutal gang war. Then, the Boston subway system’s Red Line came to Somerville’s Davis Square, and the town began to attract a more affluent, professional class to mix with its traditional working class base. The mixing has not always been easy.
Joe Polito has lived near Davis Square his whole life and he liked it better the way it was. He’s a 40-year old, ex-cop, who scrapes by on seasonal work as a roofer and the rents he receives from the three-family house he inherited from his parents. He says there is nothing more he wants. Eileen Merrill is a corporate lawyer from Lexington, a fancy suburb just 10 miles from Somerville. When she asks Joe to help her find her father, an ex-con named Art Delaney, Joe tries to resent her for her wealth and success, even as she draws him into a passionate affair.
But as he digs into Art’s life and his criminal past, he is forced to confront the reality of the town he grew up in – the good, the bad, and the ugly. He finds the roots of that ugly past, long buried but not forgotten, about to spring up in the present and blossom in blood. Looking for Art it will change the way Joe sees himself, his town and Art’s daughter. Or, it could get him killed, the biggest change of all.
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Find it on Goodreads, and Amazon.
Review of Looking for Art by Bert Robbens
I love a good Mafia story, but Looking For Art by Bert Robbens is different than the usual fare. It has that old-time feel to it. It’s a dark and cynical mystery, but it’s not all shoot ’em up, blood and guts.
It all starts for Joe Polito when she walks into the room…Eileen Merrill.
Joe Polito is an ex cop. He’s in his early forties, but still quick on his feet and quick with his temper. He earns a living as a part-time roofer and rents out two floors of his three family home. He lives in Somerville, a town known for a gang war, but when Boston’s subway system added the Red Line, Somerville started being taken over by yuppies.
Eileen Merrill is out of his class. She’s a corporate lawyer and lives in upscale Lexington. She solicits his help in finding her father, Art Delaney, offering to pay. He knows Art from the Old Town Tavern where all the townies go. Joe takes care of his friends, so no money is necessary.
As Joe’s investigation progresses, secrets from the underbelly of Somerville, arise and danger surrounds him. Chad Reese, a not so up and up police officer has him in his sights, but someone higher up the ladder is calling the shots. I do love a good bad guy and that doesn’t stop Joe from continuing his investigation.
Will Joe be able to bring his investigation to a successful conclusion? How many lives will be lost? Seeing this is a series, I wonder how his relationship with Eileen will pan out. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next Joe Polito story.
I love the Joe Polito character. He brings to mind characters like Jim Rockford, from the Rockford Files. He does what he feels is necessary. The fact that he carries a book around adds a little extra to the character. I, too, used to sit in a restaurant, reading my book, just hanging around. I do have an issue with Eileen. She’s married and having an affair. If you are unhappy, you need to split. Chad makes a fabulous bad guy, making me think of all the corruption when the Mafia was at its height. The mystery of Art is more complicated than I first thought it would be, and I love it when I can’t figure things out for myself.
Looking for Art defines the meaning of a noir mystery. I loved the book and it had a steady pace, but I find mysteries that are also suspense thrillers with a rapid fire pace is more my style.
About Bert Robbens
I was born in North Dakota and moved around a lot – Chicago, Portland Oregon, Sweet Home Oregon, San Francisco, Eugene Oregon, Needham Massachusetts, all by the time I was 15. Since then, I’ve been pretty much East Coast, with a year out, trying to go back home to Eugene. It didn’t take, so I’ve lived in the Boston area ever since.
I graduated from high school just in time for the Summer of Love (1967) and gravitated to the anti-establishment counter culture that defined my generation and changed the world. I also got married the next year. Consequently, it took me nearly 8 years to graduate from college with a B.A. in English Lit. I worked in construction and then as a bureaucrat for the state of Massachusetts. That wasn’t going anywhere, so I got an MBA and went into high tech, where I spent the next eighteen and a half years. I retired at the ripe old age of 53 to do what I had wanted to do all along – write fiction.
I live in Somerville, Mass. with my wife and dog. Two daughters, who grew up while I was at work, stop by frequently. I do my share of the housework, walk the dog, and write.
